The national leader., 1889-02-02
Mr.. MULTAHNEY.

Grandfather didn't leave me his
property. after all. l might have
known he wouldn't, because he said he
would. Grandfather always did some
thing entirely different from what he
set out to do.
There, for instance, was the day
we had just got nicely settled in our
country home-that we were all wait
lng patiently for the cow grandfather
wanted to buy and brought an organ
instead. Nobody could play on it.
Grandfather said somebody could learn,
but nobody ever did, and so we had TO
try and console ourselves for the diSap-
polntment Of rejecting what line adj
dltlon to our somewhat scanty parlor
furniture the organ was, until the
morning grandfather suddenly made up
his mind that he needed another horse,
and brought our gentle, star-faced
Daisy home.
There were four of us in the family;
grandfather, mother, the sweetest and
dearest woman that ever lived, myself,
plain, quiet girl of tive-and-twenty;
and my cousin Eta, just of age. but
looking about I7-pretty, selfish, idle
and vain.
Now you're thinking / added the
last three adjectlves on account Of the
first one. But didn't upon my word,
for L tried my very best to love the
blue-eyed,' fair haired, teasing thing
when she first came among us, her
father and mother both having died
during the previous year; but couldn't;
she was so thoroughly wrapped up i'll
herself, and so utterly insens BILE to even
the rights of others.
Grandfather was forever scoldiDg
and finding fault about her, and Won
dering how bis grave, honest, elder son
John came to have such goOd-for-
naught daughter, and always praising
me, who was .the child of his second
son William, and saying that was the
comfort of his life, and should have the
cottage and grounds when he died, but
''must promise''-this was the invarl-
able conclusion--''to take care of Eta
until she married, which is sure to be
before long, as men are always taken
with pretty, dolI-like face and kitten
iSh ways, and never care much for SEN
sible-looklng, sensible-acting girls like
you. my dear"
OF course promised, although
hadn't the slightest idea of grand
fathers dying soon when he talked in
this way. One day having started to
build a hen-coop, and beginning to dig
a well instead, he had terrible chill
and died in an hour.
And when his will was read the day
after the funeral, /, for one, was very
little surprised to hear that all his pos
sessions. with the exception of $500 to
my mother and $500 to myself, were
. left to ''that good-for-naught," the
daughter of his son John.
And it was only week after the
reading Of the will when my cousin
Eta said to me, with calmness and
GOODNESS somewhat astonishing in such
a babyish looking little thing; "You
must be looking for another home.
Faith. / am going to marry James
Read''-a young man grandfather had
detested-''in short time, and we will
want the whole cottage ourselves.
So mother and I went up into our
room-a fine large square room it was,
RIGHT over the porch, and held con-
wasn't well enough educated to be
q ooyerness, and, besides that, mother
and | couldn't bear the thought OF be-
inp separated-we never had been since
The day father died, ten years before;
and we finally came to the conclusion
that a small store was the very thing.
What kind should it be? was the
next question.
e.The only thing that I think of
said as at all suitable is a fancy
atora with a great variety of small
S"ods That am sure we could man.
&c and make enough to support us
fortably all our lives long; for of
ooursa I shall never marry, being so
.'I';n and sensible, as grandfather used
Gov and we will never never, be
w sa3.. and kissed her, and she kiss
in return, with tender look in
fSo ~. nrav ewes (mother has the softest
'nu ud fanderest gray eyes in the world)
and the very next day we SET ABOUT
looking for the store, and III less than
week had found it; nice new little
Mace in a thriving village a lew miles
at~av from grandfather's ~ mean
rons;n Etta's-cottage, just completed
The very morning the agent sent us to
.sooI- at it, The street on which II
.tO utood ,was the main one of the village
PA % hofore the door grew splendid ole
hiotorv M tree. which made it less sad t.
'naTtv nart With our oak; and directly opposite
was was large comfortable-ll,ooklng l, house lse
,s,t,;nc i we'll back from the road, will
half an acre of garden about 1t.
Well. that small store did 1,l look x prett.
"meh @snuches to the contents Of the good
uGn .t1ed Window. and stepped out on tn,
sideu ,iJau,slI %t lo observe the general effect.
Il was a lovely sunshiny summe
,',a ~ m ond feeling singularly hope