The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-13

neSilatInS ana doubtful voice. as one VINO
by no means accepted the lady named as
a complete and sufficient substitute for
herself.
Dear Aunt Agatha. Ever since Fanny
and 1 had come into her charge (mother-
less mites of and years old, sent to her
by her widowed brother when his young
wife was suddenly taken from him in In
dia), her life had been rather like that of
q hen with a brood of ducklings
Aunt Agatha was some twenty years
older than my father. She was the eld-
est, and he the youngest, of a family Of
whom they two were now the only sur
vivirs: and passionately as she loved US,
1 think the arrival of two healthy riot
Gus children must have been a somewhat
disturbing element in the existence which
the quiet old maid had led before We
came
Like most persons unused to the charge
of children, our aunt was always, as she
herself said nervous about US and l
think Fanny and must have possessed
exceptionally strong constitutions to have
survived the care" lavshed upon us in
our early years-the dosings and the wrap
pings-up, the stuffing and the starving,
the cold baths and the flannel clothing,
which various advisers recommended as
good for children" and which anxious
Aunt Agatha practiced upon us by turns.
Probably her letters gave my father
some inkling of the state of affairs; for
when I was 8, and Fanny 9, he wrote in
sisting that we should be sent to a well
known ladies' boarding school. Here
among twenty-four other girls. Wa had
the advantage of that wholesome neg
lect" which we could never have enjoyed
at home.
Now, however. twelve years had rolled
away since we were placed under Miss
Staines' care. We had been "grown-up"
girls for some while, finished and In
troduced," and would, some years pre-
viously, have Joined our father IN India,
but that, four years before my story com
mences, the parent whom we only knew
by his letters was laid to rest IN the dls-
tant graveyard ION the hills where our
mother was sleeping already with our
baby brother on her breast I'VE were
all she had now" Aunt Agatha was wont
to say tearfully, and she was even more
anxious about US than ever.
Much as we loved the kindly unselfish
old lady, Fanny and had many good
laugh sometimes, l am ashamed 10 say
many a grumble) over her care" Now
l am older and lonlier l often look back
on those by-gone days, and wish l had
any one now surviving who loved me well
enough even TO "idget" about me as Aunt
Agatha did some thirty-odd years ago.
If our health had been her chief cause
for anxiety in our childhood, our moral
aaIA q
concern to Aunt Agatha in our early wo-
manhood Her kindly heart was perpet-
ually torn between a desire to grant us
every possible indulgence, procure us
every possible pleasure, and yet preserve
us from becoming vain" or frivolous,
or "pleasure-seeldng; not to mention
anxiety to shield us from taking a chill"
overwhelming ourselves etc.-all dan
gers which lie In the primrose path which
leads to picnics, and dances, and other
amusements of youth.
I am bound to say that all Aunt
Agatha's tremors seldom actually depriv-
ed us of our enjoyments, her strong de-
sire to see us happy usually carrying the
day against her prudential ScrupleS, not
to speak of Fanny's dominating influence
For Fanny, like many other haXen-haired
Ineek-looking maidens, was in truth an
esprit forte;" and in the quietest way
turned every one round her little finger
So when l heard Fanny enter into the
lists to champion our proposed expedition,
felt confident that it would take place
IN spite of Aunt Agatha's objections.
Mrs. Simpson was one of my father
Indian friends-a good-humored and fairly
vVell-to-do widow of about 80. She was a
great traveller; she said she had moved
about so much all her married life in the
east that she had lost the power of set
ting down in one place; and at least once
n CHI mai "a 10
mead. the quiet country town where we
resided.
"You are so deliciously dull and sleepy
here, dears, 1t is an absolute rest to stay
a week or two in this drowsy atmos-
phere," Mrs. Simpson would remark to
us; though she never breathed such here
sizes to Aunt Agatha. Indeed, Mrs. Simp-
son always visited us when we consid-
cred our town was in a whlrl of gaiety;
with the assize bah in view sleepy as we
were we had the dignity of the assizes)
and a good deal of mild galety in the way
of picnics and river expeditions going on.
Mrs Simpson knew some of our local
notables, and was invited TO all our fes-
tivitles. This was an advantage to us,
as she generally persuaded Aunt Agatha
TO let her officiate as our chaperon; an
arrangement agreeable to Aunt Agatha,
who could enjoy a peaceful evening al
home instead of nodding YEARLY as a
preferable 20 us, Mrs. Simpson holding
large views about the amount of enjoy
ment requisite for girls, and never hur-
rying us away from a pleasant dance OF
worrying about our taking cold" on a
water excursion.
But now arose a question OF greater mo-
ment than the care OF two giddy girls FOR
an afternoon or evening only. Mrs. Slmp-
son wanted 20 have us for a week away
from Clovermead and, more daring still
a week at an hotel.
The good-natured little widow was go
ing 10 spend fortnight at fashionable
watering-place where a grand public bal
was about 10 be held. She had invited
two favorite nicces to come with her-in-
deed. she had arranged the whole oxpe.
dillon purely on their behalf-and. now, al
the last moment, when the rooms AZ the
hotel were actually engaged aud the tick.
cts for the ball taken. one unlucky niece
was seized with measles, and the other
would not leave her. In the kindness OF
her heart, Mrs Simpson wrote to Offer
az the pleasure she had arranged 20 give
her own young relatives. but Aunt Agatha
hesitated about granting leave TO accept
the invitation.
In my young days ladies' did not stor
at hotels unaccompanied by gentlemen. !