South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1891-07-10

FRIDAY. JULY 10. 1891.
AUNTIE's STORY.

AuLtie, tell me q real. true story ,
won't you. pease 4? said little Nina,
as she climbed into my lap as I sat
by tue nrelight in the stiffness that
came between the going down OF the
sun and the lighting Of the lamps.
Yes, Nina; every bit true. Auu-
tie don't feel in o mood 10 tell any.
thing else to- night. i will tell Just
you, about myself. YOU see when
your grandfather came up here to live.
there wern't nearly as many folks
here az there are now. In some FAM.
lies there were q great many children,
but there wore but few families, aud
they were oil poor AMI lived q long
way apart. One schoo. house had t.
answer for very lase district. aud
some OF the scholars had t, 60 two or
three miles to school and carry their
dinners. Your grandfather lived
ye.y near the center of the district, SO
that your father and uncles and my.
self could so home TO dinner. Some
times wo used to tease our mo, her 10
let US take our dinner, so that we
could stay and play with the children
at noon, but she always said No.
Once in q while she would lcs us 60
home with the children that lived a
long way from school, and stay over
night and make visit, and then their
mothers would put our dinner in With
theirs the next day. and we could stay
through the day. We thought that a
great treat.
One day, the summer l was nine
years Old, my mother told me | had
been such good girl to take care Of
the children while sue Was away with
sick sister, might go home with
Mrs. Marsh's children and stay all
night. could hardly get through
my lessons that day, was so full OF
the anticipated visit. and staying with
so many Of tue children the next day,
for l knew my dinner would be put
with theirs. 1 had happy time that
night playing in the old cider mill,
bunting eggs in the barn aud jumping
from the pasture into the tall dark
ferns that grow all around them. In
the morning l helped feed The chick.
ems, and turkeys, and goslings, and
drive the COWS TO the pasture and
then the old horse was harnessed TO
60 TO school. I thought it was very
nice and grand to ride to school, and
wished I lived 80 far that had to
ride every morning. But my best
time was 10 come. All the forenoon
kept thinking of the play was to
have; and just as soon as the school
was out called out-Girls. [ am go.
ing TO stay with you to-day, and with
out waiting even to eat my dinner
ran ont to the playground. was go
eager not to lose q minute. l forgo,
all about my little brothers till stop
ping 10 talk with one of the girls,
I'll. something pull my dress and heard
the pitiful voice OF little four-year'
old Harry saying:
Please sissy, do go home with me
| was irritated and answered sharply
Z shan't, 60 along With the boys
Then seeing his lips culver, and The
tears in his eyes, tried DO explain tc
him how it was, aud ct him to rur
on with his brothers who we're waiting
for him. But he only began to cry
aud when L turned to 60 away from
him, he caught hold OF my dress t.
hold me back. Then, children, dit
something tia. don't know as eveI
did before, and | know 1 never did i
again. turned and struck my little
brother.
I loved my brothers better than al
the play in the world aud when the
little hand let 60 my dress and hi
turned sobbing away, l forgot al
about staying at noon aud every thine
else only seeing him happy again
and running after him l wiped thC
tears from his face and kissing hin
over and over told him how sorry
was. Before we were half way home
he had forgotten all about il, anC
perhaps | should never have though
OF it again, or been so sure that ne,
yer struck one Of my brothers after
wards, 1t it badn's been for somlhin.
thst bad happened soon after.
10 few weeks we children were
all taken sick with the whooplns
cough. Harry was always a feeble
child, and in less than four weeks mJ
father called me up one night snC
tod mo he was dying. When kDel
beside him ho didn't know me, bu
Kept moving bis hands. Two or three
times | heard him soy, Please, sister
60 home with me. Then Tue blue
eyes shut aud my father told me be
was dead. Oh, how i cried when
came to realize what that meant
that my little brother vas never "a
speak to me again. He had gone
home where | couldn't go with him II
| wanted to but 1 never thought what
bis last words meant I'LL the mex, day
when one Of my schoolmates came
ana We went ia to look at him. Az
ter had taken the cloth of his face
and ne had stood looking at II for q
lew minutes, she SAID
Jennie, don't you wish you hsdn'i
struck bin that day when be wanted
you TO 90 home from school with him9
! did go home with bin, / said.
know ~; but IL | aas you /
should wish / hadn't struck him.
can see Just how be looked when he
let go your dress and started with.
out you.
1 could see Il all than. knew
what his word meant when be was