Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-08-25
A SURPRISED JUGGLER.

Let me close my eyes for an instant
and shut out my present surround
ings and, by slight effort of imagin-
alton, | can transport myself to man
my's cabin, away off on planta-
tion down in old Virginia.
| see again the pictures upon the
walls, cut from illustrated papers and
pasted there by my own small hands;
l see the clumsy corded bedstead in
the corner supporting its well-beaten
feather tick" | see the broad stone
fireplace, so associated in my mind
with chestnut roasts, molasses stew S
and other culinary frolics dear to
the hearts OF children, that il cheered
me even to look at it; | see the rude
wooden shelves to the right of the
fireplace, with the odd bits of crock
cry arranged upon them; | see mann
my's calico-covered easy chair to
the left; | see on the floor beside it
her tlme-stained willow basket, and,
lying in 1t, her two pairs of Old-fash-
toned s.lver-trimmed spectacles, her
nigh to's" and her fur offs" as
she called them.
| even seem to hear the roar and
crackle of the flames as they leaped
up the cavernous chimney and the
tick of the nervous little clock on
the mantel that told the time in Il
peremptory manner. as if it was pos
tive of being right and would brook
no contradiction. Then comes NAM
my's voice, II amt name nanny,
name Woreout," in reply to Silvy's
call of "mammy! o, mammyw
Nanny, who was never anything
but nanny TO us, no matter how
unreasonable were the demands
which followed the utterance of that
appellatiye, was always named
'Noreout" or something equally dis
couraging to further appeal when
Silvy's modest requests were pre-
ferred. The old woman never did
know, so she frequently declared,
chow Mars John come to buy SIGH u
sorry-lookin' niger, no way. l al
ways did distrust the lcok Of 'er."
And indeed, there did seem TO be
something about poor Silvy's very
physical confor nation that veXed
mammy's righteous soul.
"What you want, gal?" she would
say when the little darkey, drawn by
the merry laughter of my three
brothers and myself, would venture
to creep into her room in the even
ing; and, standing aloof with meekly
folded hands and depressed chin,
would gaze with longing. uprolled
eyes towards the Illuminated space
about the hearth with its inclosuro
of childish faces. scarcely less bright
than the freight itself.
"Nothin'. nanny" would como in
conciliatory accents from Silvy. But
nanny was not to be appeased.
Den take nothin' an 60" she
would say, and into the darkness,
with slow, regretful steps and many
a backward glance, Silvy would re-
turn. My brothers were little apt
TO lord it over me, as being girl
and several years their junior, but a
weeks visit to the city a short time
before this occurrence which / mean
to relate, and a dazzling vision of
wonders to which their rural eyes
were strangers, had elevated me, so
] fondly fancied, to the position in
their esteem which felt should have
, been all along mine.
1t was on certain day, closely fol-
lowing upon the heels of my return,
when my parents had driven several
miles away to spend an old-fashioned
social day with some friends, that a
scheme for strengthening my claim
to their respect evolved itself In my
small brain. | had witnessed a per-
Torrance in legerdemain, while in
the city. Why not pretend that l
had possessed myself OF the juggler's
secret and was able to perform tricks
as wonderful as hisp
True, an awkward disclosure
would follow, but the situation would
be relieved by laugh at my
brothers expense, and, reared upon
their fallen superiority, my ascend
ancy would still be maintained. Ac-
cordingly, having gravely informed
them that by simple command
could make Silvy, whom we knew to
be in the kitchen rubbing the dinner
knives, come from beneath the bed
in my mothers room, they assembled
in that apartment and awaited with
well-feigned eagerness the perform
ance of this feat.
There had been much retiring be-
hind a mysterious dark curtain on
the part of my city exemplar, | re-
membered, and, having no arrange
ment of this sort at hand, substi-
tuted my mothers dressing room.
into which | made frequent trips,
presumably for the purpose of per-
forming certain mystic rites which
must precede the grand, browning
act of the entertainment
But, alas, my brother, despite my
superior advantages, were more
skilled in the juggler's art than l.
During the performance of my in
carnations l overheard, though feign-
ing to be oblivious TO them, such
whispered speculations on their part
as: "Do you believe she can do it?"
and, Eyes, believe she can. She's
had a sort of curious look ever since
she came back from town"