The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1891-11-21

stop trying 70 appear you are not
Minnie, you wouldn't be afraid of any
thing loot could say"
was provoked at grandma for say
ing that. but ] didn't answer her. It's
too neal Christmas, and then papa was
in the room. One day when papa and
mamma were talking together. and
didn't know 1 heard them, l found out
something / didn't know before. When
| Aunt Grace and Uncle Jack were young
folks they were engaged to be married.
but they had a quarrel, and Aunt Grace
went to England. and they never saw
each other again until she came to visit
us. ! told Lille Lane about it, and
she said: How very romantic didn't
know exactly what romantic meant
but l didn't say so, for if l don't under
stand everything she tells me, she calls
me a country pumpkin"
don't like Lille very well, but she
is the richest girl in school, and her
folks live in the city winters, and keep
a carriage; SO 1 have her for my most
intimate friend.
Lille said: why don't you try and
make a match between your aunt and
uncle? If you should they would prob
ably ask you to come to the city and
live with them, and give you lovely
presents. That's the way they do in
novels
never read u novel-we don't have
mamma buys them and Lille steals
them and takes them to her room and
reads them on the sly. She tells me
about the lovely things she reads in
them. aud I'm crazy 10 get one and
read it for myself.
We talked a long time about the
match, but couldn't think of any way
to manage it. But Lille said if l kept
my eyes open something might happen
just right. told Lille to be careful
what she said when loot was around,
or there would be trouble.
Aunt Grace intended to go home right
after Thanksgiving, and Lille said l
had better do everything l could to
please her and Uncle Jack, so l wiped
the dishes every day. and didn't make
any fuss about taking care of Freddie
while they went visiting. and stopped
leaving my things around for mamma
to pick up, but oh. that loot Twas so
provoked at her. One night at the tea
table she asked, all of a sudden:
Mamma, do you think Minnie is going
to die?"
What do you mean Toot?' said
mamma, looking frightened.
sslthr mamma IiAp'f MrS prnuu
say Mr.. Brown met with a change be-
fore he died? and Minnie's stopped be-
ing SO lazy and ~disagreeable since
Aunt Grace came, and been so extreme
Iy good that | thought perhaps she was
going to die, too. Anyway, she's me
with C change but there's room for
her to prove more yet, for she slapped
me yesterday when you were all away,
and then she gave me some candy not
to tell, that's why / didn't" Papa said:
Don't you want some mor peaches,
Toot?!" and the peaches stopped her
mouth, but didn't l want to slap her
again? And I do think Aunt Grace has
the most unpleasant way of looking at
me sometimes. Some days l almost
wished she had stayed in New York,
because, besides her unpleasant looks,
that Thanksgiving dinner made so
much work.
1t was Minnie, do this" and Min
ME, do that" till | was nearly worn
out. There's n thing certain, if
Aunt Grace hadn't been there |
wouldn't have stood mammals making
such a slave of me. I had to stem
raisins and beat eggs and sift flour and
wash currants and cut citron, and one
day Aunt Grace got a lot of greasy
dishes together and made me wash
them. Ugh.
All of our relations came to dinner o
Thanksgiving day, and some of them
came the day before and stayed all
night. Mamma said Cousin Kitty
would have to sleep with loot and me
After we went to bed loot was so
still l thought she was asleep, SO l told
Kitty all about the match I was trying
to make. She thought it was n splen-
did idea, and said she would help me.
Our table looked lovely Thanksgiving
day. Mamma bought a new table
cloth and napkins and some new dishes.
Aunt Mary brought a lot of flowers,
and we picked all we had on our house
plants and put them in our glass pitch