Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-05-09
HOW | BECAME AN AUTHOR.
The Story of that Five Hundred
Dollar Prize.
BY BELLE V. CHISHOLM.

BY BELLE v. CHISHOLM.
do not put a heapin spoonful of
sugar in your tea. Elsie. Mind, sugar
has riz half cent on the pound" said
my Aunt Phillis, sharply, as she NOV
ed the yellow, cracked sugar bowl out
of my reach.
Grown girls do eat an amazin'
sight" joined in Uncle Reuben. from
the other side of the table. at was
mighty inconsiderate for Robert to
drop off so sudden-lke and leave you
unprovided for. With his five hundred
year he ought TO have laid away
sight O. money. But he was no mana
ger, never was. 1t was not in him to
say no when people came Begin,
and he religiously laid by his tenth for
the Lord, no matter how poor the
harvest Now. my doctrine is. if the
Almighty stints the crops, it's his own
reckon | will be obIeeged to give yoa a
home, but you must jump round spry
and try to pay your keepin'. Now, if
Providence could only have seen far
enough forward to have made you
boy. it would have been more to my
likIn'. Then you could have built
fence, fixed the cellar wall ami SIGH,
which I've got TO pay for, SEEM you
are girl. If you could have taken
hold of the plow-handles and followed
the burrows, | needn't have hired
Jacob to help with clearin' or grubbin'
but pshaw! what does girls work
amount to, anyhow? What signifies
rubin out few cloths sweepin' the
house over once day. or washin' a
dozen dishes now and then? Cryin'!
1t is annOyin how easy women do cry.
Sakes alive. they laugh and cry in one
breath. No power on earth can control
'em when they want to be contrary.
land that reminds me, Elsie, that
your uncle has took the schoOlmaster
to board, and it is high time his room
was put to rights. l am sure | don't
know what possessed you. Reuben, for
them bOOk-larned people are all a wool
gatherin' set. Of course, four dollars
a week is 4 circumstance not to be over
looked, but if he has not an appel ite
like o saw-mill, | miss my guess"
Aunt Phillis' steel gray eyes were
still upon me, though her closing
words were addressed to uncle, who
was too intent upon the business before
him to grant her an answer. Though
trembling violently, ventured to in
quire
Cant 1 60 to school, Aunt Phil.
LISP"
She turned upon me savagely, fairly
screaming:
''Go to school. Elsie Do you reckon
that me and your uncle are goin' to
keep you up a lady, and git nothin' for
our pains? You're a better scholar
now than even our John, better than
any man or woman in the neighbor-
hood. unless it might be the minister
himself. You'll not sit here mopin
like YOU did at home when your father
was livin', l assure YOU"
You see what book larnin' did for
your father" put in Uncle Reuben.
'.He was sight better off than l was
when we started in life, for Uncle
Robert Cherry left him five hundred
dollars for his name. If he had in
vested that money in land, instead of
putin it in his head. you would not be
on my hands pauper, to-day. Too
much edcation is not good for men.
and it ruins women
Here uncle gave emphasis to his
words by decided nod; a habit he had
when peculiarly well pleased with
himself.
AS we arose from the table. aunt re-
turned to tire subject uppermost in her
mind, by hurrying me off to arrange
the masters room.
Tuck 'em big pillows into the chest
that stands in the corner. Goodne IS
knows, these college chaps carry their
heads high enough without poppin'
EN- up with four pillows, and mind.
Elsie. to take off that new blanket.
You can slip OH that old comfort in
the chest. He'll never know the diff
ference"
was glad to escape from the sound
of her harsh voice. but more formid-
able foe awaited me in the passage.
No sooner had closed the door than
cousin John, great, burly lad of six
teen, called out tauntingly:
"Ho, my fine lady. So you expect
to put on grand airs and lord it over
us in finished style. Pretty cheeky for
a poOr-house kid. should say"
''Y"u are bad. cruel boy, and l
hate YOU" cried. Indignantly.
Take that, and that. for your
sass" he retorted. striking me with a
whip he held in his hand ..rll teach
you to talk back to me. you beggar."
You are a wicked. unpr ncipled
boy" returned deliantly. springing
behind the door to avoid the second
attack, In his fury TO get ahead of
me, he ierked the Il DOR with such force
rs to throw himself against table that
stood near. His howl of pain brought
bis mother TO the scene OF conf ct.
That young tiger flew ut me like q
r.nFaGsn. aud hammered my face into