The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-01-17
SERVED HER RIGHT.
Aunt 'Stasia Loses the Summer
Boarders and Also Her Nieces.

How do / look, Prue, dear?"
Like half-open rosebud, Cherry
And is my dress becoming?'
becoming. Oh, Prue, / never saw
you look so we'll in your life. l only
wish could have your photograph taken
just as you stand there. Oh, hush!
What's that noise?'
'Only Aunt 'Stasia grooming the cat
out of the pantry. Quick, Cherry, let us
get the pink calico dresses off; she'll be
up here next"'
''Prue, I'm afraid we are doing wrong!'
hesitated pretty Charity Lee.
Her sister Prudence bit her lip; her
amber-brown eyes flashed beneath their
long, curling lashes.
Wrong, Cherry? Is it wrong to try to
look like other girls-to want, once in
awhile, to get our necks from under the
harrow? We came to Aunt 'Stasia be-
cause we were friendless orphans and
no other relative besides her, and she
has made wretched drudges of us. We
have washed and scrubbed and mended
and made for her-we've saved her the
expense of a hired girl, and we've en-
utI NIbu-
out a 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 somewhere and see
something, with her leave or without"
It'll be without it, said Cherry, with
shrug Of the shoulders. Il told you,
Prue, that she never would consent to
our going to Cis Aliens party.''
''No matter" said Prue, calmly.
''We're going. We've picked strawber-
ries on the sly, and Uncle Jonathan has
sold EN- for us when he took the June
butter and the spring chickens to town,
and he has bought as these cambria
dresses washed, by the way, they
weren't quite so vivid a pink: but dear,
old Uncle Jonathan did the best he
could-and We We made them up at odd
times; and we'll 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
haAd ,es, 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 $780, 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 a mile to the Allen farm
house, if we 60 across the fields, past the
graveyard 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
Stasia's 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
sia's shrill voice calling up the stair alb
ruptly terminated their castle in the air.
Prudence! Charity! Where be We?
What We bout? There's the caows
comm up the lane to be MIXED and the
table to be set for supper, and a letter
from the city boarderS to say they're
comm tomorrow mornin'. Step quick,
now! We must an 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
'chimed in with their ideas exactly.
The household tyrant was more exact
ing than usual that evening, at least so
1T seemed. The rooms already put in
order for the city boarders had to be
gone over again with broom and buster;
chickens had to be picked and vege-
tables washed and prepared for COM
pany breakfast; the silver was to be
rubbed up and the old Indian blue china
busted anew before the weary slaves
were allowed to cease work. And
finally, when at last Aunt 'Stasia had
disappeared into her own room, like an
antiquated spider in its hole, Cherry
danced up to where Uncle Jonathan sat
in his accustomed splint rocker, staring
as hard at the empty chimney-place as
if it were full of blazing beech logs, and,
taking his face between her two hands,
kissed its wrinkled lines
THE dresses are lovely. Uncle Jona-
than she whispered.
And Prue, leaning on his chair, laid
her fresh cheek against his hair.
rs the carpenter-bench all right"
she murmured in his ear
He nodded, while slow smile crept
over his visage
But dunno gals, as it's altogether
right to deceive your aunt this-a-way!"
he added, soberly.
We're not deceiving her," said Prue.
She hasn't asked US a question about
it! She has taken it for granted that
we would bend to her will
wal, wal" said Uncle Jonathan,
still staring at the soot-incrusted bricks
OF the chimney, ''it's only natural that
you should want to go once in awhile.
Gals can't be cooped up like young
chickens in pen! And you've worked
nke all-possessed to help get ready for
the boarders, that I'll allowr'
! just then the creaking of Aunt Sta
slas heavy shoes sounded nearer the
bedroom door than usual. Prue and
Cnerry few up the narrow wooden
stairs like frightened birds: Uncle Jona-
90" rose up and extingYished the one