The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-10-13
COUSIN LINN.

dinner one day and presenting a tall
young man.
Helen and / giggled. Cousin Linn
was tall, as said, and he did not know
what to do with his tallness. His en-
| barrassmept ut sight of two grown and,
| l may say, handsome young ladies was
| plair
What gawk!" we thought.
| Dinner did not much improve our
| opinion Of our relative. and it was with
dismay that we heard, as we left the
dining room:
"Girls, leave your cousin Linn TO
| your devices this afternoon. / have no
doubt you can entertain him." Then
father strobe out Of the door and back
to business.
The wretch-I mean our new relative,
Of course. That very afternoon we were
to have paid number of neglected calls
that could not longer be put off.
Entertain him! Oh, yes, we would
entertain him. And we did.
Just wait, said my sister Helen be-
tween set teeth. "He shall show US how
himself. "
So when Cousin Linn had finished his
cigar-he seemed to linger over it an
unreasonably long time-and entered
the parlor, his rai her sheepish gaze met
batting of fl ar light brown eyes,
whose owners " ere prepared to make
out whatever mischief he invited.
The first few moments passed tamely
enough Cousin Linn was twig Of a
branch Of the family tree that fiourished
in neighboring state, too far away for
us to know more than that we there
boasted also an Aunt Lucy and Cousin
Kate. We put Cousin Linn down as an
ordinary farmer boy. with little more
than his share Of the farm and of the
boy about him.
Just as we expected, Cousin Linn
himself gave us the first hint of how he
was best to be held up to the proper
ridicule and scorn. In despair at our
brief replies to his well meant converse
tional efforts, his eye fell upon the
piano, and he, in gratitude Of spirit,
fell upon its neck. He asked us to play.
Poor mani
Sister Helen began. Now, if there
was one thing we girls prided ourselves
upon, il was our musical talent and ed
ucation, or, rather, we were proud Of
the talents and father of the education,
which he had paid for with mingled
, feelings of satisfied duty and outraged
pocket But that day Sister Helen APP
peared possessed. She played nothing
but the simplest tunes, jigs and reels
and even had the audacity to pick out
several good old hymns with one hand
followed her lead, and our poor old
! piano was made to bring forth sounds
that no self respecting COW would have
died to.
Cant you play, Cousin I.inn?" asked
Sister Helen. Law, that girls smile
was rs innocent as baby's, but ii
meant mischief for our cousin. That in
dividual, who had applauded us loudly,
looked at his shoes and said yes, he
could play little. He would try, even
after our brilliant performance.
Cousin Linn's musical education had
evidently been ON the lines laid down in
our programme. He reeled off country
, dances with the ease Of q COW walking
, | a railroad trestle. II our selections were
rum -te- tumty, Cousin Linns were rum
te-tumtier. And to watch him picking
, out the tune, using one, two or three
fingers of each hand, his long hair bob
bling about his ears as he ducked his
! head at every note, set us in a fit Of ST.
lent laughter.
Let's take him with us, whispered
Helen as he neared the end Of mum
ber." And Of course jumped at the
idea of more fun with Cousin Linn.
"I'm agreeable" said that young
, man when we asked him.
r He spake better than he knew.
So of we set. To every girl Of our ac-
uuaintance we paid q visit. and at every
house we made new sport OF Cousin
Linn and his piano playing
First, we would play when asked,
and always the same rum-te-tum tunes.
OF course, the girls took the cue from a
wink and did the same, while Cousin
Linn sat there, his great eyes staring at
; his shoes, and saying never word ex-
cent "Yes'm" and Nom"
Then, cousin Linn can play" one
, of us would demurely say. and Cousin
Linn always toed the mark and the
pedals
So it went on. We left one household
after another in commissions OF laughter
until we came to Miss Matilda Craig's.
It happened that Miss Craig played first
, and we were unable to give her the cue.
, Poor, good Christian soul. She played
, the piano as she did everything else. as
her conscience babe her, just the best
she knew how. So after Miss Matilda
had given us the Turkish Retreat,
the Wellington Boots Quickstep. I" and
{ other carefully rendered selections.
Helen and could do no less. We thun-
dered at Bach and trilled at Chopin in
the best conservatory style we had been
taught and snickered in our sleeves
fthey were wide then. too, my dears,
but at the bottom and not the top)
How Cousin Linn gaped. actually
: thought the mans eyes would pop out
| of his head.
: Then we made him play. He had to
be almost dragged to the piano this
time. but we were eager and curious to
see him 60 through with his little iigs
and reels again after our old masters.
SO Cousin Linn took his seat at the
instrument. Somehow, as he sat there