Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-11-15

there's nothing like splint~rocker.'
She stepped to the one window in
the room and put back the plain white
muslin curtain.
BETTER and better!" she cried, clap
ping her hands in almost childish
glee. ..Such a row OF nice back
yards! You see. girls. I'm an inquisi-
tive old lady, and | dearly love to
watch peoples back yards. ! get ac-
quainted with them SO. You can go
in at peoples front doors for years !,
and not know single thing about
them; but you can get a 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.
land that is the vase OF yellow mari
Colds l saw on the manteL They |
smell SO like home"
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 confide our disappoint-
ment to mother.
The back yards, which interested
our aunt so much, belonged to a 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 good way, was quite
close to the alley. 80 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
fluc.nating 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 to learn many things
from Aunt Matilda about our back
door neighbors What impressed us
more than any thing else was the kind.
illness OF the comments she made upon
her unknown friends. Considering
that she openly avowed herself "a bill
of gossip" this seemed to us all the
more remarkable, as all the gossips
we had known showed remarkable
penetration in discovering the weak
| nesses and sins of the subjects which
they dissected.
There is a new family moving init
the red house this morning. an
t nounced Aunt Matilda at dinner on
| day. The woman is nice. It'd.
little body, and looks full of energ!
but you can see she Is not well. Sh
t has bad cough and looks SO worn an
1 tired that / feel sorry for her. He
8 husband is tall, manipulating fel
3 low. but he. too, has a discourage
!. look, and the little boy-there seem
o to be but one child. about ten year
p old, / should judge-looks as thong
9 life had been any thing but a joy
g him. / shall like to find out whs
s their trouble is.
it Father held up his hands with vel
l. feigned horror. Matilda. he SAL
n .you are without doubt the most il
d ouisitive person alive. You embot
If all the necessary qualifications OF
l. whole detective force
le "Never mind" replied the lit
lie lady, laughing, $50 long as l inju
sr no one by it you ought not to grudi
l. lonely old woman her only dissip
RS ton"
in II should think" said MANN
as '.that if the lady is such an invalid
le consumptive, of course, if she coug
y! SO bad--you might see in that sufficie
I'd cause for the family unhappine'
ne Perhaps, after all, they are only tir
IT. from a long journey and not rea
of unhappy"
of Aunt Matilda shook her head.
zy mo, Martha. temporary wearing
he does not mark such lines in the ia
Neither is the illness of one meml
tie sufficient to permanently destroy
err family peace. Why. some of the hi
ay piest families | know have inmates
ZEE are hopeless invalids, and all the oil
members seem to make point of
us ing bright and CHEEKY for their SAX
ed No, there is something more than
ed trouble over there Never mind
lc- shall find out by and by"
lat A few days later she called to me
far was passing through the hall.
Come here, my dear. Come
e. look out of my window"
gag II am on the right track now.
ing told you l should find out Do
my seep"
Il do not understand you, aunt
me said.
ma why, just look at the clothes
l. the line. back of the red house
my that petticoat. 1t has yards and ys
ena of knitted thread-lace on it-actu
our hand-kuitted. child. just think OF
ant every stitch of the millions of Il
and requiring four motions OF the ha
cry More than that, see that knitted cf
rye terpane."
me. at is lovely, auntie," l could
SIT help saying.
'me Lovely! Yes, if one did not thin
luss the woman's life-blood that went
the it, and of the childs happiness
gu d went into it. of the widower
ow' orphan soon to be made by it. v
pom think, He,ty. what a costly quilt
ure' Likely they had to break up
uss- home at the East, and sacrifice p'
so erty and business interests there
come here for her health. And
ing can buy a beautiful Marseilles q