The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1889-10-18

am hrst-rate at game 81 hlde-and-
seek and shall just lind q room for
myself. In this large house ! know
there - q corner for mo some where"
And sure enough she stepped
briskly across tho hall. and paused bo-
fore the door Of back chamber.
docs any one occupy thisP"
Matte shook her head. and cast a
dcspairing glance at me. as she said:
but II will never do ut ALL auntic
II II just little box Of a room. fur
nishcd up with odds and ends We
put Miss Belts In there when sho
comes TO sow for as. and sometimes
Hetty and sleep there when we have
extra company and have to give up
our room"
Aunt Matilda opened the door, how
ever, and stepped in.
THE very thing" shc cried. do
lightedIy. "A rag carpet. too! So
homclike! And this nice splintrockor!
tell you. girls, for real comfort
there's nothing like a splint-rocker."
| She stepped to the one window in
the room and put back the plain white
muslin curtain.
"notter and bctterl' she cried. clap
| ping her hands in almost childish
glec. ''Such row OF nice back
yards! You see. girls, I'm an inquisi-
two old lady. and | dearly love to
watch peoples back yards. get ac-
4 q,:aintcd with them so. You can go
in at peoples front doors for years
and not know single thing about
them; but you can get good idea OF
what they are in week from the
rear"
| So Aunt Matilda had her way.
There's just one thing would like
from the front room, girls, she said.
.'and that is the vase OF yellow mari
Colds / saw on the mantcl They
smell so like homo"
Matte fetched them, and having
done what we could to make the room
convenient for her. we left her to the
enjoyment OF her splint-rocker. her
rag carpet and marigolds. and went
downstairs to confidc our disappoint-
ment TO mother.
Tho back yards. which interested
our aunt 50 much. belonged to q row
OF tenement cottages just across the
alley from our house. The latter be-
ing built In the middle Of the lot and
running back a good way, was quite
close to tho alley, so that good
chance was afforded Aunt Matilda to
pursue her back-door studies. for
which she professed such penchant
Our town was an invalid resort. and
the population in consequence very
fluctuating one. We had. therefore,
fallen into the habit OF paying little or
no attention to the families who came
and went IN the Row. But now we
wers destined 10 learn many things
from Aunt Matilda about our back
door neighbors What impressed Us
more than any thing else was the kind
lines OF the comments she made upon
her unknown friends. Considering
that she openly avowed herself "a Bit
Of q gossip" this seemed 70 US all the
more remarkable, as all the gossips
We had known showed a remarkable
penetration in discovering the weak
nesses and sins OF the subjects which
they dissected.
| There Is q new family moving into
the red house this morning." an
nounced Aunt Matilda at dinner one
day. Tho woman Il nice. tidy
little body. and looks full Of energy
but you can see she il not we'll. She
has bad cough and looks 50 worn and
tired that feel sorry for her. Her
husband Is tall. manly looking fell
low. but he too. has discouraged
look, and the little boy-there seems
to be but one child, about ten years
old, should judge-looks as though
life had been any thing but Joy TO
him. i shall like to find out what
their trouble Is.
il Father held up his hands with we'll
fcigned horror. Matilda. he said.
..you are without doubt the most in
quisitive person alive. You embody
all the necessary qualifications Of
whole detective force"
| "Ncver mind" replied the little
lady, laughing, so long as ! injurs
no one by II you ought not TO grudgt
a lonely old woman her only dissipa'
, | tion."
| II should think" said mamma,
s'that II the lady Is such an invalid
| | consumptive. OF course. II she coughs
/ 80 bad--you might see in that sufIicicn
cause for the family unhappiness
Perhaps. after all, they are only tired
from . long journey and not reall,
unhappy"
II Aunt Matilda shook her head.
II mo. Martha, temporary WEAKNESS
! docs not mark such lines In the face
I | Neither Is the illness OF one membe
sufficient to permanently destroy tn
) family peace. Why. some Of the hap
| piost families know have inmates VIII
I arc hopeless invalids, and all the othc
' members seem to make a point OF be
/ ing bright and CHEEKY for their sakes
+ No, there Is something more than thi
l trouble over there. Never mind,
4 | .ha1i f;nd r,,t bv md bvff