The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-11-20

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But the very day after she came she
washed the breakfast dishes and darned
papas socks and made loot an apron.
So common! should have been morti-
| fed to death to have had Lille Lane
see her DO such things, after all my fine
talk about her.
She said to me: 81 suppose you are
great help to your mammal" l said:
Yes, Aunt Grace, / always do every
thing can to help mamma" l didn't
know loot heard me, or 1 wouldn't
have said that; but she did, and said:
'Why, Minnie, you wicked story tell
err; amt you 'shamed to talk like that?
You know you won't do anything you
don't have to. VIII she, Uncle JACKIE"
But Uncle Jack said: ''See here,
loot I've found some peanuts in my
pocket" And she went to get them.
Aunt Grace looked at me real sharp
and felt uncomfortable. loot always
spoils everything. l do wish she wasn't
my sister. l told mamma that night l
was sure she'd spoil the Thanksgiving
party. Grandma said elf you would
| stop trying to appear what 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 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. l told Lille Lane about it, and
she said: Glow very romantic!' didn't
know exactly what romantic meant
but didn't say so, for if l 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
a carriage: so | have her for my most
intimate friend.
Lille said: "Why don't you try and
make match between your aunt and
hilSLC. IL y Ou SllOulIl Jlt1 NOull DTOD-
| 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 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
rnalS fharo thn CT, Che fa11
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 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
had better do everything J. could to
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. was so
provoked at her. One night at the tea
table she asked, all of Q sudden:
Mamma, do you think Minnie is going
| to die?"
What do you mean, Toot?" said
mamma looking frightened.
"Why, mamma, didn't LIrs. Brown
say Mr.. Brown met with change be-
fore he died? and Minnie'' 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 d 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 l didn't" Papa said:
Don't you want some more peaches,
Toot?" and the peaches stopped her
mouth, but didn't l want to slap her
again? And | do think Aunt Grace has
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 so
much work
1t was Minnie, do this and Min
ME, do that" till l was nearly worn
out, There's one thing certain, if
Aunt Grace hadn't been there l
wouldn't have stood mammals making
such slave of me- / 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 on
Thanksgiving day, and some of them
came the day before and stayed sill
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 told
Kitty all about the match l 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
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