St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-01-16
POOR COUSIN PARKER

asker Ia1nllN TO HOlu an annual
meeting in August at East Village.
Such Taskers as were present asked
about the Taskers absent The
Taskers absent wrote letters to
Abram Tasker at East Village, who
read them aloud at the family gath
ering They related to each other
the stirring family events which had
happened during the year since the
previous family meeting Sometimes
the Taskers present were called upon
to commiserate a death, or to dis
cuss an engagement, or to cOngratu-
late Young bride. Sometimes they
read of new Taskers who had come
into the world Sometimes the
squaIIing new-coming Tasker pre-
scented himself in propria persona
Always they met to pity and to
blame Cousin Parker
There were Boston Taskers, and
Chicago Taskers, and New York Tas-
kers Then there were Taskers from
every state i'll New England. Uni
versaIlv, however, the Taskers pres
ent felt called upon every year to con-
tribute for the benefit of poor Cousin
Parker. He lived away off up in
New Hampshire somewhere-it was
quite indefinite where he lived, and
hitherto he seemed to live on his rela-
tives
He had had, it was said by kind
hearted old Abram Tasker, at fam
lily gathering, the hardest kind of
hard luck" Ut made the Chicago
Tasker very angry to hear about his
"hard luck.") I'm the first place"
said Abram, che never had ought to
hey married Mis- Frink, the school
ma am Mis- Frink was a wilder
lady with nine children; an those
children they ate Cousin Parker
Outen house an home; yes, they did.
Then he want fitted for business,
an he oughtn't t'have started to
manufacture oleomargarine in a but
ter community. Cousin Parker nigh
lost his life-he was shot at because
of that there oleOmargarine in a but
ter community Then he hedn't
ought they tried BORN for lie up in
that granite region where he lived;
there wa mt no lie there, an Parker
l., =
he tried farmin' an failed, because he
tried it accordin' to a city farmers
journal. He planted at the wrong
season. He done everything wrong.
He seemed to hev mighty hard luck"
Every year there would come to
the meeting either Cousin Parker
himself, or a long wall of letter
from Cousin Parker describing his
affections and asking for help. Ev-
cry year purse was raised, and the
relatives were taxed for Mis- Frink-
Parker's benefit and her nine chill
dren. Every year the assembled
Taskers grumbled, and the Chicago
Tasker stopped coming East because
of it. at do seem" said Abram, ''as
if the hull family was merely Twin
from year to year to kinder support
Cousin Parker"
Miss Perkins, whose mother was a
Tasker, of Newburyport with an &C
cent, please, on the ''pOrt,") was
used to speaking out in meeting, and
she usually freed her mind every year
she was regular attendant at
these family meetings. She freed her
mind, but at the same time she gave
literally. And it was noticed that
the louder were her protests, and the
more severe her condemnation of
Cousin Parker's unfortunate bust
ness habits, the larger sum she gave
toward his support.
Cousin Parker" she snapped out
at the meeting last August, don't
deserve any luck. Turned inventor
now, has he2 Well, land what can
he invent ?"
Hush, Miss Perkins," said Abram;
Cousin Parker is present with us"
Miss Perkins put on her eyeglasses
and looked around the circle of Tas-
kers, who had assembled in the great
barren parlor of Abram Tasker's
large farmhouse. There were sew
eral Boston Taskers IN. B., the rich
Taskers); there were the New York
Taskers (hard, earnest folk; and
there, last of all, in a corner, holding
his hat between his knees, almost out
of sight, looking SO forlorn and
sheepish that Miss Perkins could on
" pity him, sat Cousin Parker him
self
He was small, thin man, with a
most distrustful, beseeclling express
sion. His head was bent forward,
his coat was buttonless and shabby.
His eyes were modestly bent on the
floor. When all the combined eyes
of all the rich and great Taskers were
IuihSb NON cilh MN, hS ldlll ~ SIlIlN-
elled up within himself and looked
furtively toward the door, as if with
a view to a speedy and ignominious
retreat.
$50 that is Cousin Parker" ex-
claimed Miss Perkins, involuntarily.
Land"
I'VE would all like to hear from
Cousin Parker himself" said Hon.