The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-12-18
SERVED HER RIGHT.
Aunt 'Stasia Loses the Summer
Boarders and Also Her Nieces.
"How do | look, Prue, dear?"

"How do look, Prue, dear?"
''Like a half-open rosebud, Cherry
And is my dress becoming?"
Becoming! Oh, Prue, I never say
you look so we'll in your life. I onl,
wish could have your photograph takel
just as you stand there. Oh, hush
What's that noise?"
Only Aunt 'Stasia grooming the ca
out of the pantry. Quick, Cherry, let u
get the pink calico dresses off; she'll b.
up here next!'
"Prue, I'm afraid we are doing wrong!'
hesitated pretty Charity Lee.
Her sister Prudence bit her lip; he1
amber-brown eyes flashed beneath theil
long, curling lashes,
Wrong, Cherry? Is it wrong to try tx
look like other girls--to want, once il
awhile, to get our necks from under the
harrow? We came to Aunt 'StaSia be-
cause we were friendless orphans an6
no other relative besides her, and she
has made wretcbed drudges of us. We
have washed and scrubbed and mended
and made for her-we've saved her the
expense of hired girl, and we've en-
dured her seedlings and snubbings with.
out word. Uncle Jonathan would take
our part if he dared to, but he is in awe
OF his life of Aunt 'Stasia; and now that
she has made up her mind to take city
boarders we shall be ground down worse
than ever, and I've made up my mind
that we will go somen here and see
something, with her leave or Without
''It'll be without it," said Cherry, with
shrug of the shoulders. 81 told you,
Prue, that she never would consent to
our going to Cts Aliens partyl'
mo matter said Prue, calmly.
"We're going. We've picked strawber-
ries on the sly, and Uncle Jonathan has
sold 'em for us when he took the June
butter and the spring chickens to town,
and he has bought us these cambria
dresses-I washed, by the way, they
weren't quite so vivid pink; but dear,
old Uncle Jonathan did the best he
could-and we've made them up at odd
times; and Well have one delicious
evening of being like other girls if we
never have another. And you shall
dance the Virginia reel with Calvin
Harding?"
Nonsense, Prue" cried Cherry, turn
ing pinker than the cambria dress which
she was now folding away in the Grip
pied bureau, with the broken drawer
handles, which was all that Aunt Sta
STA allowed the two girls in the way of
wardrobe accommodations.
LET me see," said Prue. "We're to
come up to bed at $50. Aunt 'Stasia
doesn't like us to burn too much oil,
and she's always glad to get us off early
YES" cried Cherry, clapping her
hands.
"And we're to dress as softly as two
little mice, and we're to slip out on
the roof of the shed and jump down
on the carpenter bench that Uncle Jona-
than is to leave there by mistake; and
It's only half mile to the Allen farm
house, if we go across the fields, past the
and the old quarry pit. And,
oh! Cherry, won't it be delightful to go
to real party and dance to real music,
and wear brand-new dresses-not Aunt
'Stasias hideous dun-colored old things
made over?"
And the two bright-eyed young things
Rugged and kissed each other in an &C.
stasy of happy anticipation Aunt STA
sla's shrill voice calling up the stair alb
ruptly terminated their castle in the air.
Prudence! Charity! Where be We?
what ye bout? There's the caows
comm up the lane to be MIXED and the
table to be set for supper, and letter
rom the city boarders to say THEY'RE
comm tomorrow mornin' Step quick,
now! We must all be to bed early to-
night to get good start in the mornin'."
prue and Charity looked at each other
with sparkling eyes: this arrangement
'hlmed in with their ideas exactly.
Inc household tyrant was more exact
:, lug 1nan usual that evening, at least so
~ seemed. The rooms already put in
'roer for the city boarders had to be
zone over again with broom and buster:
'nlckens had to be picked and yege-
aoies washed and prepared for COM
any breakfast; the silver was to be
uobed up and the old Indian blue china
listed anew before the weary slaves
'ere allowed to cease work. And
nally, when at last Aunt 'Stasia had
into her own room, like an
infatuated spider in it's hole, Cherry
anced up to where Uncle Jonathan sat
his accustomed splint rocker, staring
hard at the empty chimney-place as
it were full of blazing beech logs, and,
aking his face between her two hands,
Used its wrinkled lines.
The dresses are lovely, Uncle Jona-
lan'' she whispered
And Pue, leaning on his chair, laid :
er fresh cheek against his hair.
lis the carpenter-bench all right?'' !,
ne murmured in his ear.
he nodded, while slow smile crept :
yer his visage.
But dunno, gals, as it's altogether +
lght to deceive your aunt this-a-wav!n
e added, soberly.
g, were not deceiving her." said Prue. )
fas as'a's asked Us . question about Q