The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1891-11-26

L
and felt uncomfortable. loot always
spoils everything. do wish she wasn't
my sister. told mamma that night |
was sure she'd spoil the Thanksgiving
party. Grandma said: ''lf you would
stop trying to appear what you arc 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 near Christmas, and then papa was
in the room. One day when papa and
mamma were talking together, and
didn't know heard them, 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 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 didn't say so, for il don't under
stand everything she tells me, she calls
me 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
carriage; so | 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 a novel-we don't have
them-but Lille has lots of them. Her
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, and I'm crazy TO get one and
read it for myself.
We talked long time about the
match, but couldn't think of any way
to manage it. But Lille said if | 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
please her and Uncle Jack. so 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.
"Why, mamma, didn't Mrs. Brown
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
ly good that | thought perhaps she was
going to die, too. Anyway, she's met
with q 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 more peaches,
Toot?" and the peaches stopped her
mouth, but didn't | want to slap her
the most unpleasant way of looking at
me sometimes. Some days | almost
wished she had stayed in New York,
because, besides her unpleasant looks,
that Thanksgiving dinner made 50
much work.
1t was Minnie, do this" and "Mi'l-
ME, do that" till l was nearly worn
out. There's one thing certain, if
Aunt Grace hadn't been there
wouldn't have stood mammals making
such slave OF me. l had to stem
raisins and beat eggs and sift flour and
wash currants and cut citron, and one
day Aunt Grace got lot of greasy
dishes together and made me wash
them! Ugh!
All of our relations came to dinner on
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 thought she was asleep, so told
Kitty all about the match | was trying
to make. She thought it was SPLEEN
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 lot of flowers,
and we picked all we had on our house
plants and put them in our glass pitch
ers on the table, and we had all of
grandma's silver.
| Mamma told loot she mustn't talk.
| and she said she wouldn't and she did
MT until we were half through dinner,
then she looked at Aunt Grace and
said Aunt Grace, l wish you would
stay hundred years.
| "Do you, dear?" Aunt Grace said.
"Yes, cause we can ford SO many
things when you're here. | don't s'pose
we could have 'forded this tablecloth
and napkins and these dishes if you
hadn't been here. Nor this turkey.
And prob1y grandma wouldn't have
let us take her silver if we hadn't had
comp'ny."
Papa said: foot, here's another
slice of turkey for you!" and every
body began talking about something.
She didn't say any more till they
were passing the pudding around.
Then she said: Mamma, will we have
plum-pudding at the wedding?" The
minute she said that, knew what was
coming, and thought / should die.
| What wedding?" asked mamma.