, 1896-09-29
COUSIN LINN.


Helen and l gigsled. Cousin Linn
was tall, as I said, and he did not know
what to do with his tallness. His en-
barrassment at sight Of two rown and,
l may say. handsome young ladies was
plain.
What a gawk!' We thought.
Dinner did rot much improve our
opinion Of OIL relative. AID it was with
dismay thas VIC heard, us We left the
dining ROOM:
Girls. l leave your cousin Linn to
your devices this afternoon. l have 10
doubt you can entertain him." Then
father strobe out Of the door AID back
to business.
The wretc!l--1m mean our new relative,
of course. That very afternoon we were
to have paid Il 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. "Ec shall show Us how
himself"
So when Cousin Linn had finished his
cigar-ho seemed to Iinger over it I'LL
m~nreasonably long timc-and entered
the parlor, his rather skcepish gaze met
u batting Of four light brown eyes,
whose owners were prepared to make
out whatever mischief he invited.
The first few moments passed talncly
enough. Cousin Linn was a twig Of a
branch Of the family tIee that fiourishCd
i'll Il n~cighborlng state, too far away for
us to know more han that we there
boosted also an Aunt Lucy and q Cousin
Kate. We put Cousin Linn down as an
ordinary farmer boy, with Il little more
than his share of the farm and of the
boy about him.
Just as wo expected, Cousin Linn
himself gave Us the first hint of how be
was bost to he held up to the proper
ridicule and s"orn. In despair at our
brief replies 10 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 man!
Sister Helen began. Now. if there
was ono thing VIC girls pridcd ourselves
upon, IL was Our lnusiCal talent and cd
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
pearcd 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.
I followed her lead, and our rour old
piano was made to bring forth sounds
that no self respecting Cow would have
died to.
Cant you play. Cousin Linn:'' asked
Sister Helen. Law, that girls smile
was IT'S innocent as "A haIy'S, but it
meant mischief for our cousin. That in
dividual, who lad aprlaUdcd us loudly,
looked at his shoes and said yes, he
could play II little. He would try, even
after our brilliant performance.
Cousin Linn's musical education had
evidently Gccn on The lines laid down in
our programme. he I,clud Of country
dances with tho ease Of u COW walking
u railroad trestlc. If our selection, were
rum-tc-tumty, Cousin Linn were rUm-
te-tumticr. And to watch BIN picking
out the tune, using one. two OF three
fingers of each hand, his long hair bob
bling about his ears as lie duCk,d his
head ut every note, set Us i'll IA fit of 81
lent laughter.
Lets take him with us" whispered
Helen as he nCarcd tho end of Il ''num-
Der" And &C curse 1 jumped at the
idea of more fun with Cousin Linn.
I'm agreeable" said that young
man when we asked him.
He spakc better than he knew.
So Off We set. To ovory girl Of our nc
quaintancc we paid a visit. and at every
house we made now 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 II word ex-
cept "Yes'm'' md Nom"
Then. cousin Linn can play" one
Of us would demuTely say. and Cousin
Linn always tocd the mark and the
pedals.
So it went on. We left one household
after another in COW ulSions of laughter,
until we came to Miss Matilda Craig's.
1t 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, rs
her conscience babe her, just the best
she knew how. So after Miss Matilda
had given us tho Turkish Retreat"
the wellington Boots Quickstep,' aud
other carefully rendered selections,
Helen and 1 could do no less. We thun-
dered at Bach and trillcd ut Chopin in
the best conservatory style we had been
taught and snickercd in our sleeves
(they were wide then, too, my dears,
but at the bottom and not the top.
How Cousin Linn gaped. l 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
zee him go through with his little jigs
and reels again after our old masters.
So Cousin Linn took his seat at the
instrument. Somehow, as he sat there
idly lingering the keys for a moment,
the stoop went out of his back and the
dull look faded from his eyes. and he
seemed almost handsome.
Suddenly he threw his head back like
. warhoree and struck u chord. l j never
heard a like sound come from Miss
Craig's old piano or any other. Grand
and full and sweet. it sounded in the
go. - 1-. <-.sIA- oo,r,nnnc lilo tho