San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-07-29


only mention all these traits to show
that Priscilla really was an unusually
good child, which makes it the more sad
and strange that her family should have
proiited so little by her example. She
was neither loved nor respected as she
ought to have been, am grieved to say.
Her papa, when he was not angry, made
the cruelest fun of her mild reproofs;
her mother continued to spend money
on dresses and bonnets. and even allowed
the maid to say that her mistress was
mot at home, when she was merely
unwilling 10 receive visitors. Alick and
Betty, too, only grew more exasperated
when Priscilla urged them to keep their
tempers, and altogether she could not
help feeling how wasted and thrown
away she was on such circle.
But she never quite lost heart. Her
papa was a literary man and wrote tales,
some of which We're not as true as they
affected to be, while he invariably neg
lected to insert a moral in any of them.
Frequently she dropped little remarks
before him with apparent carelessness,
in the hope that he might put them in
print, but he never did. She never could
recognize herself as a character in any
Of his stories, and so at last she gave up
reading them at all!
But one morning she came more near
to giving up in utter despair than ever
before. Only the previous day she had
been 50 hopeful! Her father had really
seemed to be beginning to appreciate his
little daughter, and had presented her
with sixpence in the new coinage to put
in her money box. This had emboldened
her to such a degree that, happening on
the follow nS morning to hear him ejac-
ulate, "COnfouud itv' she had, pressing
one hand to her beating heart and laying
the other hand softly upon his shoulder
(Which is the proper attitude on these
occasionS), reminded him that such an
expression was scarcely less reprehensi-
BILE than actual bad language. Upon
which her hard hearted papa had told
her, almost sharply, mot to be little
prig!"
Priscilla forgave him, of course, and
freely, because he was her father and it
was her duty to bear with him, but she
felt the injustice deeply for all that.
Then, when she went up into the
nursery, Alick and Betty made frantic
uproar merely because she insisted on
teaching them the moves in chess when
they perversely preferred Reversi! So,
feeling bafiel and sick at heart, she had
put on her hat and ran out all alone to a
quiet lane near her home, where she
could sootha her troubled mind by think
ing over the ingratitude and lack of APP
probation with which her efforts were so
continually met.
She had not gone very far up the lane
when she saw seated on bench bent
old woman in poke bonnet, with
crutch handled stick in her hands, and
this old woman Priscilla (who was very
quick of observatory instantly guessed
to be a fairy-in which. as it fell out
she was perfectly right.
Good day, my pretty child" croaked
the old dame.
Cool day to you. ma'am." answered
Priscilla politely. for she knew that it
was not only right but prudent to be
civil to fairies. particularly when they
take the form of old wom- n "But, if
you please. you mustn't call me pretty,
because an not. Al least" she added,
for she prided herself up N her truthful
ness. mot exactly preyty And | should
hate to be always thinking about my
looks, like poor Millv-she's our house
maid, you know-and 50 often have to
tell her that she did not make her own
face"
Il don't alarm you, see," said the
old crone; but possibly you're not aware
that you're talking to fairy"
"Oh, yes, am; but I'm not bit
afraid, because, you see, fairies can only
hurt bad children"
"Ah! and you're a good little child
that's not difficult to see"
They don't see it at home" said Pris-
ella, with sad little sigh, "or they
would listen more when tell them of
things they Oughtnt to do"
And what things do they do that
they oughtn't to, my child-if you don't
mind telling meY
"Oh! don't mind in the least" Prls-
ella fastened to assure her; and then
she told the old woman all her family's
faults. and the trial it was to bear with
them and go on trying to induce them to
mend their ways. And papa is getting
worse than ever" she concluded dole
fully. Only fancy. this very morning
he called me a little prig!"
"Tut-tut!' said the fairy sympathetic
ally; ''deary-deary me! So he called
you that, didhc? a little prig? And
you, too: All, the worlds coming to