St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1889-09-28
BESS AND I.

Bess is my sister just eleven years old,
Id looks, for all the world, like the pic
res of the good little girls in the story
oks blue eyes, yellow hair, and that
feet sort of smile they have, you know.
be acts something like them, too never
Easwers back when people fret at her,
Id is always ready to wipe the dishes, or
Rrn the stockings, or do any disagreeable
ling like that But don't think she ought
4 get so very much credit for it. Most all
us would be good, if we had her luck
Hi lleast nice thing she does, somebody
-4Sft out, and praises her and when
be doesn't do anything al all, it happens
her advantage, just the same. Why,
hly last week, - but l guess, before
BIZ that, I'll write little about myself.
e Pm not like Bess. She is prettier, and
las prettier ways, and is handiest to have
round the house. But am great deal
Maybe / oughtn't to say that,
Fmyself, &5ut it's so. | can write stories,
sand draw pictures, and do every example
n my common school arithmetic And
S3ess only knows how to sing, and has not
BUS, too. Mamma says, "There wouldn't
anything in the wide world frighten Alice. +"
lBut Bess dar'n't go to bed in the dark.
Bless gets the credit and praise. l don't
believe l ever tried to do single good
thing in my life, that it didn't twist round,
land seem something I'd ought to be
blamed for, before was through with it.
Mamma says the reason is, undertake
Greater things than | am capable of. l
think it is just because l happen to be I'M
lucky. Why, was born on the unluck
hest day of the unluckiest month of the
/ whole year, and what can you expect after
stthat7 But, to show that it is unluckiness,
and nothing I'm to blame for, I'll tell
what happened at Aunt Margaret's last
7eek, when Bess a. was there.
Aunt Margaret is Mammals mothers
sister queer little old woman, who lives
in queer little old house, with only an
other little old woman, as queer as herself,
for company. But you needn't imagine,
from that, my aunt is poor. 1t is only be-
cause she thinks many servants bother
as for the house, it was the one she was
born in, and she doesn't like to have it
changed. When she gets tired of staying
there, they. 60 traveling-South, or West,
- anywhere it suits their fancy. The
sees to everything on the
tourney, and then, when they have stayed
AWAY long enough, back they come to the
zold house. 1t is the way they have done,
ever since can remember, and the way
we supposed they always would do, with
out any changes. But week or two ago
Aunt Margaret surprised us all. She saw
Mamma at church, and told her she was
beginning to feel in need of younger So
ciety than she now had Though Mary
was q very excellent woman, and she
should keep her with her as long as they
both lived But she wanted a younger
person for company. And then proposed
to take some of the children" to the White
Mountains with her, when she went to
spend the summer and buy their clothes,
and everything. Of course, when Mamma
scame home and told about it, and that she
had given Aunt Margaret her choice of us,
we were good deal excited | knew
was always the unlucky one, and didn't
think, at first, there was any chance for
me. But whef Mamma went on to say
that Aunt Margaret imagined she would
like the liveliest, and that she had been
harum- scarum child, herself. and so.was
sort of partial to those that were, |
thought, maybe, my unlucky star had
rot twisted over to show the other side,
and that it would be me that went.
Mamma was quite sure of it !; and she said
she would be glad, because, for one thing,
Rass was younger and then she didn't
have any special taste for anything toniy
ewing and busting, and things like that,
End. i'll went now, might see lots OF
things / could write and paint about,
when got bigger. For am going to be
AN autnoress, or an artist, when l can de-
eide which, and get over being unlucky
all the time.
The next day we went over to Aunt
Marraret's. to make what papa called
s.triaI visit" You see, she wanted to have
MS both spend few days with her, SO as
to decide which she liked best. IL was
most o'clock when we got there, and
after Mamma and Papa left us We both
felt little queer. Bess was SO bashfuI
she wouldn't say q single word when they
smoke to her, only Eyes, ma'am, No,
ma,am.. and IL don't know" But ! re,
membered that Aunt Margaret wanted
some one that could talk, SO after the hrst
few minutes spoke up real prompt; an,
awered all their questions, you know, ana
ala stories about the scholars, and tine
GAMES sr we played at school. worked real
Rard to be entertaining, and felt quite
s,,ra. before the evening was over, Aunt
Marraret would take me to the Wnite
Mrnntains. And when we were ready 70
% :, bed, and she stopped to ask me u !