The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1890-02-21
A ssKING's

let letters, and in the form of a %Ieaflet.
Miss Maybrook departed, and the new.
Informed sTen" of tie 'King's Daugh.
ters" clustered together to express theil
views.
Il shall keep this poem-forever! ]
shall have it framed, because Miss May.
brook gave it to ME. | adore Miss May
brook"
That was Lefty Storer. She INDUCED
much in sentiment. and always had SONS
one N hand to 'adore."
81 dote OIL poetry, too.. she went on
quickly. Don't you know that lovely
piece. Douglas Jerrold tender and true?'
And there's Mrs. Browning's heavenly
Lady Geraldine's Courtship.' Don't you
remember?
"fshe ook up as II IN wonder,
With tears beaded on her lashes, and said,
sBetram.' it was all er
| just cried when | came to thati'
Practical Jessie Frates burst into a laugh.
1.-THE chaps name was Bertrand and
Douglas Jerrold wrote the sCaudle Lee
lures Whoever heard of his being ten
der and true?'"
Lefty subsidized. The pause might have
been awkward had not Aida Dresser come
to the rescue.
I'm glad the work of our Ten is to
carry flowers to the sick. It's sick people
l care Tor since / had typhoid fever.
There's nothing like taking q%uinine your
self to know how it tastes.'
As for Amabel Stems, she said nothing.
But Amabel was reading her poem. A
perplexed frown had come between her
eyes.
'shc walks erect through dangers manifold,
awhile many sin kand fall on either hand:
She breads not Summers heat nor Winters
cold,
For both are subject tothe Kings command.
She need not be afraid of anything,
Because she is the daughtero fa King
. she need not be afraid of anything,
Because she is the daughter ola kins-f
repeated Amabel Stems. mot be afraid
of anythingl Hum. How about first
wife's relations?'
For, be it known, Amabel's mamma was
wife number two, and Amabel's mamma
was not looked upon with favor by the
sisters and aunts of Mrs. Stems number
one. Amabel's mamma was sadly lacking
in what New England folk call faculty. !"
She was not energetic. Her house kept
ITSELF" Her precious children's clothes
were apt to be fastened with mysterious
bits of tw inc instead of buttons; and when
there was an extra bit of work to be done,
Amabel's mamma almost always had a
headache.
But she was very loving and gentle,
and her stepdaughter, Eleanor, skirmished
briskly in her behalf when the first wife's
relatives found fault. Still, not only
Amabel's mamma, but Amabel herself
stood in much awe and terror of the said
relations, " especially of Aunt Hitty and
Aunt Deb, whose houses were always
s'spick and span,'' ard who themselves
wore startingly fine gowns.
Amabel turned away from the other
girls and began to walk home. Shs was
twirling the small silver cross which hung
from her ~buttonhole, and repeating over
and over:
"'She need not be afraid of-anything.r
but she always shook her head at the end
of the cheerful lire.
She walked briskly, for Sister Eleanor
had gone away on a visit, and the dear
mamma had neuralgia. 1t behooved Am
abel to hasten, since the twins, Jack and
Jill, were apt to be uproarious, and i've
year-old Solomon had a habit of getting
buttons up his nose and into his ears, and
OF stepping on stray tacks, and of coming
to grief generally.
ssHe's at it nowr' thought Amabel
vaguely, as she came near the house and
heard the youthful Solomon's voice raised
in lamentation.
There were the twins dashing out at the
gate to meet her.
Hes fell down and barked his knees, I"
cried Jack.
"And mamma says" painted Jill, imam
ma says will you please do him up, and
make him a pudding, and rub it with
Ponds Extract, and a whole cup of r~aisins,
because there's a telegramph, and they're
coming to dinner
1t was the last sentence which Amabel
fairly grasped.
.sWho are coming to dinner"
"Aunt Deb and Aunt Hitty," shouted
the twins.
"Oh, my goodness gaspcd Amabel;
and she sat right down on the door-steps,
quite weak with dismay.
Eleanor was gone. Mamma was i'll. The
cook was very cross because the young
man who kept company with her had
gone off to sea, and atfiiction always affect
ed Norah's temper as thunder does cream.
There were only two buttons on Jacks
shoes, and a shabbier little person than
Miss Jill it would be hard to find. Solo
mon, with tear-glazed face, was making
desperate efforts 10 cry louder. And, at
one O'Clock, Aunt Hitty and Aunt Deb
would arrive with spotiess raiment and
searching eyes.
'Amabel.'' called mammals voice, and
Amabel flew mp stairs.