The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-13

| to prepare for old age, she realized, as 9TH
ers did, that she beaten in her game
with fate. she gave no visible sign, preserv-
ing all her old-time spirit up to the time
| when the three little Blackburn girls came
| to live with her.
She and Uncle Eph were well past middle
life when this event transpired, and it
might be supposed that the sudden acaui-
sition of a family dismayed them. How
ever. like many chiIdess couples, they
/ We're passionateIy fond of children and
| Aunt Polly undoubtedly lived her halcyon
| days when her three little charges We're
growing up like sweet fair blossoms about
her, and, though the demand for pinafores
and pantalets caused much uneasiness,
her ingenuity for fashioning little garments
| stood her in good stead, and the pleasure
of curling soft tresses and washing dainty
little faces quite overcome all worry for
! several years.
The children were daughters of Aunt
Polly's youngest brother who was hand
| some, talented ne'er-do-well, who had
eloped with a pretty young Kentucky girl,
and after leading her over a stormy way
of life died and left her penniless. She soon
followed in his footsteps, and thus Aunt
| Polly fell heir to the little girls
| Unaccustomed as the poor old woman was
| to any proper object for the true woman1y
devotion which was stored up in her proud
| self-reliant nature, she at once began to
| lavish it upon these orphan children. and
though the neighbors realized just what she
! was doing, she soon succeeded in spelling
| them, If not, as after events proved en-
| tirely beyond redemption, at least to the
serious detriment Of their own welfare and
| the complete destruction of her own When
the girls We're verging upon young woman
hood Aunt Polly began to realize that In
spite of all her natural thrift and studied
economy, things were going decidedly down
at heel. Her nieces, with the sweet OPP
timism of youth, having grown up neither
tolllng nor spinning, were possessed of an
| abiding faith in the kindly purpose of to-
| morrow. Uncle Eph was growing old the
| wagon-fnaking business was declining, and
| she could feel her own strength failing.
1t was when the youngest of the girls
| was entering her teens that Uncle Eph
| sold the wagon shop and the announce
| ment of this event, together with the added
| information that he was getting too old
| to do much more than tinker round
some came upon Aunt Polly at time
| when she could not find grace to endure it
| Whether the long-tried spirit had ever
| before succumbed to the weakness and
WEAKNESS of the body is not known, but
| the story goes that on this especial occa-
| sion, in the wee sma' hours of night Aunt
Polly fell into desperate weeping and
crying, like the "keening'' of woman at
an Irish wake, and breaking every now and
then into reproach and recrimination,
against which poor Uncle Eph remon-
strated in vain.
Finally, breaking over all bounds, she
ran out of the house across the garden to
the wagon shop where she lay PROSTATE
upon the dirt floor in utter abandon until
daylight, when she returned to the house
to prepare breakfast. This nights ex-
posure brought a spell of illness, and it
was during it's progress that she was first
heard to raise her voice against Uncle Eph
in the presence of strangers. Indeed, this
is the only time when such a proceeding
is positively vouched for.
Old Mrs. Bump. woman of no great So
cial standing but with whom Aunt Polly
neighbored" when not in a severely ars-
tocratic frame of mind, came in to attend
upon her sickbed. The doctor was there
and Uncle Eph, in his most winning nurs-
ing attitude, lowering about.
well, Mis- Beasiy," said Mrs. Bump in
a wailing tone of confidence, which in
reality yelled a determination to take down
the pride of her high-strung neighbor a
peg or two. you've had mighty hard row
to hoe
Yes" snapped Aunt Polly, II have
Then, after pause, fixing her eyes upon
Uncle Eph he stood deDrecatingly at
the foot of the bed, land a mighty dull
Doe to hoe it with
There is something infinitely pathetic IN
the breaking down of proud, self-reliant
woman. and it is an event sure to trans
pire when she undertakes the heroic task
of dragging thriftless husband in her
wake. After this outbreak Aunt Polly's
tantrums came on with wonderful regular
ity, and though, between times she would
return to a semblance of her old self. a
dark cloud hung over the little cottage,
and there were frequent periods during
which it's mistress gave herself up to the
widest lamenta lions. AT these times she
sought all manner of torn and tattered
raiment, leaving her hair unkempt and
neglecting all the habits of scrupulous
cleanliness to which she was once so de-
voted. In this decline of her mental and
moral faculties but one ruling passion re-
manned, and that desire to keep her
downfall secret from her old friends and
associates. To this end she preserved the
utmost cunning, keeping close watch upon
the passers-by and only breaking forth into !
loud lamenting when she was absolutely
sure that the coast was clear. Her favorite
doned to these paroxysms of despair was
the Smokehouse. where she would lie upon
the floor for days at time, emitting oc-
casional means and cries audible to Uncle
Eph at work in the garden or the girls
lollfng about the shady back porch reading
novels or counting the buttons on their
charm strings. For the sweet flower of
youth can blossom upon barren soil. and
in spite of untoward circumstances the
Blackburn girls grew in grace and lowell
ness day by day. With the exception of
Patty, the eldest, who was short dumpy
girl, rather timid and lacking in the DASH
ing qualities that made her sisters Fan and
Nell favortes in the village society.
And that society was far from resembling
the bucolic merry-makings of our State as
they have been described in modern fiction
Bud Means may be a typical Indiana
youth, and "Mirandy' a fair specimen of
the native Hoosier belle; but there was
early implanted upon our soil a growth of
citizenship never to be excelled in any
rural community. The county seats OF In
diana at early day We're the homes of
jurists and statesmen and ladies and gem
tlemen of the old school and the old STYLE
who would, could they rise from their rest
ing places in old yinp-grown graVeyards