Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1891-05-15


verse Colonel" A blare of music came
up from the street.
''Come quick and sec the procession go
by"
The scratching of the pen was the
only answer.
The speaker drummed idly on the
pane till the sounds died away in the
street below, then stealing on tip-toe to
the writer's side, placed one arm around
her waist, and drew her gently away
from the desk.
'sTwinnie Sister mine, come away this
instant. Let the Colonel cut up all the
high jinks he can think of, while you
come here and let me give you an old
fashioned talking to-"
81 was just getting them untangled."
moaned Annie.
"Only listen to the child. What's
the good of it all, when you get them
urtangled2 One chance in about ten
that it ever brings you anything. l tell
you, Annie, 1 am tired of the whole
business, the music, the painting, the
scribb!ing, and all of it. The trouble
with US Is, that while we may be counted
clever in whatcver we have tried to do,
we are nothing more; and it is getting
to be so in this hard world that there Is
no place for people who are just clever
you must be a genius or nothing"
There was break in the young voice
that sounded suspiciously near to tears,
and in sharp contrast with the seeming
gayety Of the moment before.
every note strike, every stroke of
your brush is weighed in the balance
against the very best talent in the city;
and your stories, I think, are just as
bright and clear as they can be, but it's
just awful to think that after you have
put your very life's blood, you may say,
into them, they've got to come into
! competition with the very best writers
in the whole land-from the great army
of unknown writer's, the editor takes
only what he must, what Is so abso-
lutely good"
The sentence ended IN an unn1lstak-
able little sob, and the eyes so bright
but moment before, were turned away
to hide a sudden film of tears. The 9th
er now became the comforter.
the blues again. am sure we have been
very happy here, and very thankful that
way has always been provided for us to
live; so long as we have our health, and
each other, let us be thankful even for
this Eight housekeeping.
The other wiped her eyes and looked
up.
''There, I'm better now. And now
Twin Nan, you just listen to me and
hearken to the words of wisdom I'm 60
ing to pour out. I'm just as thankful as
I can be to the good Lord, that we've al
ways had our daily bread, and most al
ways butter for the same, but tell you
Heaven helps them who help themselves,
and there's going to be a new leaf
turned over, and we're going to drop
this hand to mouth business, and turn
our talents to something where We'll
stand at the head of the class, instead of
just hanging on by the eyebrows and
never knowing when we're going to
drop clean out"
"What can we do?" asked Annie.
"Madame Marchon's place on the ave-
nue. is for sale-only twenty-five hundred
dollars-if we're anything, Nan, we're
born milliners, both of us-it's the very
thing for us and I'm going to buy it,"
"How'll you buy it? How much
money have we?"
"We've got just twenty-five dollars,
just the one hundredth part needed, and
l don't know where the other ninety
nine hundredths will come from, but
I'm going to get it, feel it in my bones;
and we're going out of this ten penny
business, and stop cooking our dinner in
the bedroom, and we'll dine every day
at that stylish restaurant around the
corner, and We'll keep girl, and you'll
just stop making the bed, and hiking
your fingers up with that tiresome scrib-
bling"
'Oh, Katie, if we only could"
"We can and will. In the brief lexi-
con of youth there is no such word as
fail Twin Nan, suppose you just put
the kettle on and cook our dinner, while
put my thinking cap on, and take
little walk around the square. I may
look in on Madame while I'm out, I
can't say-ask me no questions or you'll
spoil the working of the charm. When
the deed is done, I'll take you over and
just turn you loose among the ribbons
and the velvets and the pushes, and if
it don't prove the making of our for
tunes, then I'll confess that I've mis-
judged the skill of your fingers and the
weakness Of old mother Ewes daugh-
ters."