Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1891-02-05
THAT DAUGHTER OF MINE.
Heart Hungry Through Life for Male Rela-
tives-A Double Portion at the Last.

Heart Hungry Through Life for Male Rela-
tives-A Double Portion at the Last.
From Good Housekeeping
The unsatisfied yearning of my life
was to possess male relative. My
father died before | was born; my grand
fathers, paternal and maternal, one be-
fore was born, the other before l was
old enough to remember him. My father
had but one brother, who died in in
fancy; my mother had but one, and he
went west, and there died, ere | was old
enough to put into execution my often
contemplated plan of equipping myself
with a pair of very high top boots, two
revolvers and bowie-knife, and running
away to join him on his cattle ranch,
some knowledge of which | had CLEANED
from overhearing mother and aunt
Rachel read his letters. AS they never
read these letters to me except in frag
ments, the fancy crept into my head that
fsGiii, intuition tiiy 'itiu Ia tlT0nTet. IN
wild design, and thought to thwart it or
drive it out of my mind by keeping from
me, as much as possible, all knowledge
of my uncle John and his mode of life.
In after years | learned that uncle John
had gone to lead sort of hermit's life
in the west because of disappointed love,
and it was this that caused mother and
aunt Rachel to speak of him in those
low, sympathetic tones which, to me,
having an air of mystery and secrecy,
whetted my curiosity, and made me all
the more determined to seek him at the
first opportunity. More than once |
oh n hnf cot hold L.
had | not lacked the means for equipping
myself, as | thought so perlious journey
demanded; but high top boots, bowie
money than l ever found in my little
my mind to hazard my safety on so I'M
certain an expedition without those de-
fensive accessories.
Once | denied myself sweetmeats and
nuts for two whole weeks, and sold my
top and marbles in lot for fifteen cents,
after which transaction | counted nv
little hoard of small coins and found that
had ninety-tive cents. With palpitat-
ing heart | asked Bob, the boy-of-all-
work. who served my mothers modest
establishment, how much he thought it
would take to buy revolver. Bob
scratched his head, shut one eve, walked
round the horse he was currying, and
finally said:
swell, l reckon you might get pretty
good plug of a one for seven dollars. 1
don't say there amt cheaper ones, nor
that you mightn't get second handler
for less; but if fellow wanted one for
bears and lnjnns, one that hit the mark
every pop, and never missed fire, I'd say
seven dollars was the least ;,
He spoke with such an air of assurance,
and | was so impressed with his ap-
parent knowledge of the subject, 1 did
not dream of doubling the correctness of
his opinion; but, oh, what downfall of
my hopes was there Seven dollars for
one revolver! and had ninety-five cents
AS bears and Indians were just the game
| had been contemplating, | should feel
no security in arming myself with any,
thing short of the best; so | had, once
more, to defer my long projected journey
till some indefinite and more prosperous
period.
This was in the time when | wore
knickerbockers; ere | reached the dig
nifty of ''long pants" poor uncle John
had gone to join the waiting host of nv
male relatives in that land whence none
return.
1t seemed to me in those days, though
| could not have expressed my belief in
lust these words. that my female rela-
tives had been increasing, all along down
the ages, in adverse ratio as my male
relatives diminished in numbers. Ger
tain it was, | had two grandmothers.
five maiden aunts, two widowed aunts
and three female cousins, all Of whom
sometimes congregated at once under my
mothers roof. On such occasions | was
lcctured and badgered until | became
quite miserable. One occasion | shall
never forget. Ny relatives were assem-
bled in force to celebrate some ones
birthday or something. 1t was beauti-
full summer day, and | was out on the
lawn turning somersalts and standing on
my head for the delectation of nv
cousin Blanche, when aunt Rachel came
suddenly upon US.