Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1891-02-05

seat, had she been able to resist the
united veto OF my female relatives.
My son, | fear it will have to be taken
down." said she, hesitatingly. 81 will
see that Bob attends TO it soon.'
You had better have him attend to
1T now," said Aunt Rachel. "Procras-
tination is the-the runation of children.
especially OF boys; and III not leave this
spot till Bob comes and cuts the whole
thing down.
think some people had better mind
their own business" tsaid l, plucking
courage from my mothers seeming indie
cision.
Just listen to his impudence. after
hiding away and having us search the
place over, and frightened half out of
our wits about him. said my aunt.
GU told me to go and hide | re-
torteo, my courage rising with my an
GER
But of what use to me were my cour-
age and my anger: They only served to
place me in deeper disgrace. / might as
well have tried to turn the current of
the Mississippi as to turn my female rel
atives from combined purpose, espe-
cally If it tended to my correction. 1t
was their opinion in those days that l
needed great deal of correction.
AS | might have foreseen, the result
was that Bob was called then and there
and my beloved perch Topped off and cast
TO the earth, and not without some show
OF reason, as am willing now to admit;
out TO my childish fancy the act seemed
one OF pure spite, and desire to rob me
OF harmless pleasure, and as such
felt to resent it.
overcome by the enemy and my forti-
ncatlons destroyed, | had no choice but
to follow meekIy to the house in the
tram of my conquerors. NV bosom
swelling with impotent wrath, | walked
silently, sullenly in the rear of all, ex-
cept my two aunts, Jane and Rachel,
VINO had fingered behind to make sure
that the crooked limb which had formed
so admirable base for my novel perch
was quite discovered from its apparent
trunk.
Esther has not firmness enough to
train boy properly. If left to herself
she would ruin the child beyond redemp-
tlon,o heard Aunt Rachel say.
What "a pity it is he is not a girl"
said Aunt Jane.
es, such pity" returned Aunt
kachei. There is some satisfaction in
girls; but boys are perpetual torment
from the cradle to the grave
however much they might deplore the
fact, | was not girl, and felt fierce
pleasure in knowing that it was not in
their power to make girl of me. was
boy, and boy should remain, in
spite of them. [ had come, at last, to
feel assured of that fact.
say, at last, because there had been
time when my childish brain was racked
with the fear that they might discover
some mode of accomplishing this much
f1saY NO nr ooti IN,
of the first incidents that impressed itself
on my memory was fixed there by hear
ing my Aunt Ruth express the wish that
she could make girl of me. She and
Aunt Mary were sitting together in my
mothers room, and was playing with
some blocks on the floor.
"How do wish he was a girlu' she
said.
Yes; so do l." returned Aunt Mary.
What dear, cunning little thing he
would be with his pretty yellow curls.''
Yes; and ouch sweet little dresses as
we could make for him. said Aunt Ruth.
II don't see," continued she, why they
don't invent some way of MAKING. V,irls
! out Of boys. It would be Ore to
humanity then all their old |stuffs.
Ii ever there is such an inveHSiS I will
carry Archie oft and have girl made of
dear" The last, to me, as she bounced
down upon me, lifted me high in her
arms and kissed me-
Usually this would have been the sig
nal for game of romps, for | was fond
OF Aunt Ruth; but now, to her surprise.
l shrank tremblingly from her and ran
sobolng into the next room; nor would
L afterward permit myself to be for
moment alone with her, if | could avoid
it, lest at any time, having heard of the
much desired invention, she should seize
upon and bear me away, that its trans
forming powers might be executed on
my person.
Of course, Aunt Ruth was talking the
sheerest nonsense. Though her words
were prompted, no doubt. by a real wish,
| think she would have suppressed them
had she dreamed of the terror they would
awaken in my baby breast; for am GER
tain that at that time she loved me. bow
though | was.
Though little more than an infant, |
was vaguely conscious, perhaps proudly
ly so, that / should sometime be a man:
and now to be made girl, 1t was
thought distressing beyond expression.
| could sooner have consented to be trans
formed into any other living animal
Added to all the rest, l suffered no
small bereavement in the loss of Aunt
Ruth's companionship. She was not
more than fifteen at the time, the Young
est, most atftctionate of all my aunts.
consequently, the most beloved. Some
of the happiest hours of my life had
been those | had spent toddling about
the fields and woods, my hand clasped in
hers, or when too tired to walk farmer.
borne along in her strong young arms.
Naturally. my sudden and unaccountable
aversion to my favorite aunt could not
pass without notice, and comment.
among my relatives; and l am certain
that that and subsequent incidents led
them to regard me as strange, unnat-
ural, if not wicked child.
With reticence born and nurtured of
the uncongenial atmosphere of grown up
society in which lived. and Strengthened
now by fear, when questioned as to my
sudden change of demeanor toward Aunt
Ruth. | maintained stubborn silence.
which L know, now, must have seemed
strange in one so young. Alas, for
those early impressions. How they
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