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

Qua utiWt
Her name was Priscilla Prodgers, and
she was a very good little girl, indeed
So good was she, in fact, that she could
not help being aware of it herself, and
that is stage to which very many quite
excellent persons never succeed in at
tanning. She was only just a child, it is
true, but she had read a great many
beautiful story books, and so she knew
what a powerful reforming influence a
childish and innocent remark, or youth
full example, or happy combination of
both, can exert over grown up people.
And early in life-she was but II at the
date of this true history-early in life
she had seen clearly that her mission
was to reform her family and relatives
generally.
This was a heavy task for one so
young, particularly in Priscilla's case,
for besides a father, mother, brother and
sister in whom she could not but discern
many and serious failings, she possessed
an aunt who was addicted to insincerity,
two female cousins whose selfishness and
unamiability were painful to witness,
and male cousin who talked slang and
was so worldly that he habitually went
about in yellow boots! Nevertheless
Priscilla did not finch, although for
some reason her earnest and unremitting
efforts had hitherto failed to produce any
deep impression. At times she thought
this was owing to the fact that she tried
to reform all her family together, and
that her best plan would be to take each
one separately, and devote her whole en-
ergies to improving that person alone,
but then she never could make up her
mind which member of the family to be-
gin with. 1t is small wonder that So
often felt little disheartened, but even
that was a cheering symptom, for in the
books it is generally just when the little
heroine becomes most discouraged that
the seemingly impenitent relative ex-
hibits the first sign of softening.
So Priscilla persevered, sometimes
with merely shocked glance of disap-
prevail, which she had practiced before
the looking glass until she could do it
perfectly, sometimes with some tender,
taCtful, little hint. Don't you think,
dear papa" she would say softly on
Sunday morning-"dOn't yOu think you
could write your newspaper articles on
some other day? Is it a work of real
necessity" Or she would ask her mother,
who was certainly fond of wearing
pretty things: Glow much bread for
poor, starving people would the price of
your new bonnet buy, mother? l should
so like to work it out ON my little SLATED"
Then she would remind her brother
Alick that it would be so much better
if, instead of wasting his time in play
ing with silly little tin soldiers, he
would try to learn as much as he could
before he was sent to school; while she
was never tired of quoting to her sister
Betty the line,
Be good, sweet maid, and let who will be cleverl
which Betty, quite unjuStly, interpreted
to mean that Priscilla thought but poor
ly of her sisters intellectual capacity.
Once when, as a great treat, the chill
dren were allowed to read "Ivanhoe"
aloud, Priscilla declined to participate
until she had conscientiously read up the
whole Norman period in her English his
tory, and on another occasion she cried
bitterly on hearing that her mother had
arranged for them to learn dancing, and
even endured bread and water for an
entire day rather than consent to ac-
quire an accomplishment which she
feared, from what she had read, would
prove snare. On the second day-well,
&>eIS Uss.rG---s1-a.aef and Yorkshire pud-