The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-10-05


must confess that wished my Aunt
Johanna at Nice, or even in some warmer
climate. and my welcome Of her (gvhen /
had realized the situation) was as unen-
thusiastic as If she had been q pressing
dun or a defaulting washerwoman. New
srfheless my aunt turned up trumps--
turned up, in fact, what is styled a
regular fstful.s Her address and be-
havior were tender and even earessing
to a degree that I had never expected
from her: she had compassion for my
past miseTies and sympathy for my
present condition; she gently upbraided
me- for having kept her so long in ignor-
ance Of my misfortunes; she declared
that ] ought to have some one who be-
longed to me to look after me; and IN
short she showed herself IN light SO
different from that IN which had here
tofore regarded her that took shame
TO myself for the hard thoughts that
had sometimes harbored against her.
'.And now, my dear Charles, . said this
excellent woman, after about half an
hours conversation, sitting up and feel
ing IN her pocket. land now have
brought you one or two things which
am sure viii do you good. Dear me.
where is it, Oh, in my rsticule, of course!
No, don't get up, Charles-I prefer to
get it myself. There. What do you
think Of that
1T looks hike alike raw potato"
said, after examining the object which
she smilingly handed me.
"a kidney potato-yes; and am GER
tain it is one Of The right sort, for I got ii
out of my own garden. ! got it especially
for xous'
That was very good of you, aunt, ]
replied, in as cordial tone as my sur
prise would permit me to assume. aIs
it to be roasted, or am / to eat it boileds"
EAT i'll Good gracious, Charles, Dc
you suppose brought you that potato
to eatg cried my aunt in rndisguised
establishment. 1T is a kidney potato,
tell you--a sovereign remedy against
rheumatisrnl You are to keep it in your
pocket, night and day" q infer from
this that my lnaidenly relative was IN
der the impression that men slept in
their trousers, and possibly that they
were born in theln-) IF yon had only
applied to me in time, you see, you
would have been spared all this dreadful
illness. But put it in your pocket II
viii at all events secure you against the
future"
And hereupon my aunt went into
long disquisition on the merits of the
kidney potato from a medicinal point Of
view, and recapitulated innumerable
cases Of cures effected by it which had
come under her own personal observa-
ton AT least I believe she talked about
these things, but truth compels ne tc
admit that listened to as little Of it as
could. Finally, however, became
aware that she had paused, and was
searching IN her reticule for something
else. This time she produced check
book
now regarded her movements with
respectful interest which was no longer
feigned. What methedical woman she
was. to be sure. / am convinced that
nobody ever took so long time to per.
form 50 simple function as my Aunt
Johanna took to write that check She
got her spectacles out Of the case, rubbed
them with her handkerchief. settled
them and resettled them upon the lofty
bridge Of her aristocratic nose. Then she
carefully opened the magic volume. in
which indefinite wealth lay latent, and
heedfully sznoothed down the slender
pink leaves. With suspicious scrutiny
she selected pen from among the bundle
which | placed at her hand, slipped il
cautiously in the ink bottle, squared her
self at the table, with straight back and
corrugated brow. and so began To trace
the few bsft pregnant words that were to
place me on even terms with the wofid.
AS ! sat watching this operation IN
idea suddenly occurred to mo which
changed my mood from pleased expect
ancy to ouinous misgiying. What If
Mary were to make her appearance nows
II WIS of tha last importance to the rrQs-
perity of my matrimonial projects that
uy aunt should receive favorable i'm
preston ~ Mary IL their FIRST inftrfi6~.