The St. Johns herald., 1896-07-11
SISTER CALLINE,S CHIL'EN.

~SrSSS~SS~@SCGJ ing little. q 'speet rse 60-gwine O 5O."
 They had become so interested Il their humble annals that the pickanin nies had been lost sight of. They wer scattered along the railroad line gam boiling like menagerie turned loose.
 Does you wan me tn coun' yol chiPen, Sister Calline"
 "Co'se l does. Hyar! You-all. Com hyar."
 The children paid no attention.
 "Dey needs disserplainin', Sister Cal line"
 He rose. "ChiPen, chil'en" he calle( in voice of authority.
 The black cloud drew together an( bore down on the station-house.
 "Now you-all stand still ontwell dii genelman couns' you," commanded the mother. 'Lu Roxy, min yersef Abe Linkum, stan up. Don scroug' so! How he gwine coun' you, of yor lodges roun' dat away"
 A mild degree of order at last pre- vailed and the old man began.
 "One, two, thee, fo', fibe, six, seben nine, eight, ten! Dere ain't only ten."
 ''Dawter be leben, suah," said Sister Calline. "Oh, what gwine ter do?"
 'I'll coun' 'um ober agin'," said the old man, kindly.
 Sister Calline wiped away her tears
 You am so kind, mistah! I knowed you was good man when Brer Mar. tin tole me ter keep long CT you on der train.'
 An l knowed you was a good wo. man when Brer. Martin tole me You take good ca O Sister Calline,' says he. Now I'll coun' 'um agin."
 "One, two, thee," and so on. They went over and over this, but by no legerdemain of counting could ten be made eleven.
 Sister Calline grew more and more distressed and was just breaking into hysterical sobs when the train whistled at the next station below.
 They both sprang up and Calline screamed to the children, who came flying across the track like a flock of wild blackbirds.
 When the train drew up and the con- ductor stepped off, there was Calline to meet him.
 Please, mistah; has you brung back my chile? she tearfully pleaded.
 He looked at her.
 "Donner und blixen! What do you mean, woman"
 "I'se got 'leben chil'en," groaned Sis ter Calline, "an' dis genelman has counded 'um ober an ober, un' dere ain't only ten"
 The conductor ran his eye over the group.
 A score of heads were thrust out of the coach, and a murmur of amused sympathy stirred along the line.
 "H-m!
 He pulled forth his book hurriedly and turned over the pages.
 Pass Calline Jackson and eleven 
 He glanced over the black, bobbing heads and back at the woman.
 His eye fell on the bundle in her arms.
 Great love! Whats the matter with the baby making eleven"
 There were roars of laughter and much waving of hats and handker- chiefs as the train moved out.
 You done counded um wrong, Mis- tah," said Sister Calline, looking up re- at the old man.
 'Is dey all hyar" he asked, with dig nity.
 "Co'se dey's all hyar."
 "Den don't dat pintedly show dat um right?"
 Sister Calline's dark countenance wore troubled expression, but as they went along the piney woods road to- ward Kentville 1t gradually cleared up. and when they came in sight of Kent Hall it was beaming.
 'Dere's de cunnell' said uncle, point Ing to a gentleman dressed in a white luck suit, who sat comfortably in a pig armchair on the gallery.
 He's one O de ars. You jes wait here a spell ontel L go an tell him." 'Well?" said Colonel Kent, good-na- laying down bis newspaper. What Is 1t, Uuncle Dick?"
 "Ise jes' come ter tell you, cunnel, lat I'se foun' a good woman dat I aks the bes' in the world, an we'se fixed our min's dat we'll marry fore ong. We reckons ternight Is de bes' ime."
 Marry! Good Lord" said the col ,nel, astonished. "Such an old fellow IS you are!'
 "I Is ole, for a fac, Mas'r, but Pse ived alone nine years, an it's mighty oneSome-"
 That's so," said the colonel, kindly. "An' pears like I can't stan 1t no onger. An Sister Jackson needs a ter help her raise her chiPen. 1ere's leben chil'en an none ob lem nissin', coundin' um right"
 Eleven! How in the name of Gen. 'ral Jackson are you going to take care if eleven children?"
 "Dey's gwine ter take ca O me. das'r," said the old man, eagerly. 'Dey's mighty peart chiPen, mighty 'eart, an dey c'n pick heap ob cotton m hoe con an taters an weed in de ,yarden an do power ob oder turns" The curiously wizened ola face shone IS If he had just come into q fortune.