The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1890-05-09
HOW AUNT JANE WORRIED.

and Aunt Jane kept house tor 1eddIe, was
a peculiar one in that young gentleman's
life. Teddie was at once the delight and
torment of the household. Merry, sweet
tempered, and obliging. he was always
ready to do anything for any ~one-unless
he forgot it by the way, which he usually
did. SO, when sudden calls Of business
and the illness of relatives took father,
mother, and Carrie away at one and the
same time, he accepted the situation with
tolerable bravery.
Aunt Jane writes that she will come,
and she will take good care of you, |
know explained mother. s'The only
trouble is that she is not used to boys, and
| am afraid that yonr careless, forgetful
ways will worry her dreadfully. | have
written her something about it, but you
really must try to be careful, Teddie,
dear"
That had an ominous sound, and Teddy
scrntinized Aunt lane very closely on the
first day of her arrival, but he discovered
nc signs of She told capital
stories, and they had a pleasant evening
together. She hurried him off to school
the next morning, though not qnite so
urgently and persistently as he was ac-
customed to being hurried; and be really
meant to go at once until he saw thar
great green fly in the front hall. He knew
that if he could capture that fig it would
4 he n ,rraat aII;fta, - Jsr, CIa.Jso -.ono1-
erie, in which he had an interest-not ex-
actly a monetary interest, because the re-
ceipts were all in pins-but itamounted to
the same thing-and he forgot everything
else in ths chase. Aunt Jane had finished
her busting and seated herself with her
sewing, when a noise in the hall made her
think of burglars. SO she opened the
door and saw Teddie.
so, it's You? thought you had gone
to school,"
Thus recalled to his duty, Teddy fully
expected a scolding, but no sign Of the
dreaded nervousness appeared, and he
hurried away, congrstulating himself that
mamma had been mistaken. Il was not
quite pleasant to recall the matter at noon
by acknowledging that he had been late,
but circumstances compelled it.
Because, you see, | must take an ex-
cuse this afternoon, Aunt Jane. When a
boy is a little late they keep him after
school if he doesn't bring an excuse" be
explained.
do they?" asked Aunt Jane with kind
ly interest; and then she seemed to forget
all about 1T, and Teddie had to bring up
the subject once more By asking her to
write the necessary document.
80, / can't do that, Teddie."
"But, Aunt Jane, if a boy doesn't bring
al excuse from some of his folks at home,
he has to'stay after school," urged Ted
die; land Jim Clark was going to take me
to ride in his new wagon"
She inquired what Kind of a wagon it
was and where they were going to ride,
but persisted, in the ~pleasantest possible
way, that she could not write the excuse
that it would not be honest to do SO, be-
cause she had nothing to do with his being
late. Unable to make her understand the
case more clearly. Teddie had to submit,
though it was a very dreary half hour that
he passed in the school room when he
might nave been riding.
The next morning Aunt Jane asked him
to stop at the store and get some buttons
for the new waist which his mother had
nearly completed before she went away.
No boy could have been more willing. He
left the boat he was making and started
half an hour earlier than usual, so that he
might have plenty of time. Bat he stopped
to play a game of marbles, and then a run
away team attracted his attention, and he
forgot all about the buttons until Aunt
Jane asked for them at noon. He really
did expect that she would show her ignor-
ance of boys by being s~'dreadfully wor-
ried' then; but she took the remissness SO
quietly that Teddie ceased to worry also,
and never thought of those buttons again
until Saturday. Then he was flying about
in hot haste to get ready for a picnic that
had been talked of all the week, and made
the appalling discovery that there was DC
clean waist for him.
That new one hasn't the buttons on it
yet, you know" said Aunt Jane sweetly,
'iand the others are all in the wash
Teddie looked down. The one he had
on was soiled, and showed a rent in the
sleeve from a game with Fido the night be-
fore; he could not wear that.
why, it's a picnic, Aunt Jane-our
school picniel' he said. as il the urgency
of the case must move her to some expe-
dent.
But she shook her head:
There is only that new one. You
might get the buttons, and ! will sew them
on"
1t was too late for that, and Teddie said
so; 30 why didn't you keep telling me
till you made me get them?"
at wasn't my waist" answered Aunt
Jane in mild surprise; aud Teddie rushed
away to the barr to cry out his disap-
pointmeut unseen.
1t was a very sober boy, with a pair of
red eyes, who came iistlessly into dinner.
parhaps Amt lana had exnaetad Soma