The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-08-05


was tc be sent out to us.
| remember how we looked. Pa sat
in his shrt-slccves in the big rocker: /:
Billy was pcrched upon the sink and |
was washing the dishes. (Old Tutic,
the Indian woman, who did our house"
work, was laid up with the rheuma.
tism, so we boys had to "cinch up
things the best we cOull.)
Pa was generally the bcst-naturcd
man in Dakota, but just now, what
with dinner OF soggy biscuits and
scorchcd potatoes, and then this letter
from the Boston lawyer, he did look
upset.
"Wcll." he said, hopping the sweat
from his forehead, :" don't want to be
inbospitabc to my brothers child, but
somehow those eastcrncrs nave got ar
idea because was nominated for the
Jepislaturc that must be rolling in
wealth and lOllirg in idlcn"ss and that
| live in a mansion Of modern con
vcnienccs and keep a whole rctinuc OF
servants OF course, we've got plcnty
To eat and are doing well, considering
hail, drought, early frOsts and the ups
and downs OF wool and wheat, but all
the same, we're 'rOuThing it We
live in this big, rambling ranch Of
cottonwood logs with Il sod house a.
the rear. Not II bit OF paint or paper
anywhere and no fancy fix IS W ny,
an Eastern.brcd chiiQ would be home
sick in less than twenty-four hours.
lis our cousin, n boy or girl
Billy asked, swinging his bare, itnLcd
legs back and forth, his ca'.ouscd heels
hitting the boards OF the sink.
:" Boy. That is--lct me sec and
pa took up the letter again. The
u 81
Dakota next week il we hrnr nothing
to the contrary from You. 'Sydnry'-.
that's boys numc. Must bc about
fourteen years old-!ust your age.
Tom. remember Rogers writing Z"
me about il when you were babies.
Poor Roger. | wish we had written
oftencr to each other. dare say it
was my fault. Yes, this chilu's name
is Sydney"
"Kind OF fancy namo-sort OF
Lord Fauntcroy said Hilly, scu"i-
ing so that all his frrckicss wrinHlcd.
"lcs, says |. II kno" Just hUw
he'll look y regular dude ilc'n
wear Is collar and cuia all the time and
keep his hair sleek and bc crushing
his teeth or manicurng his nails every
halfhour"
"Nou'rc right, Toms says BLY,
= E
Won't know Il lasso from Il Inch pin 80
Hush, boys. pa broke in, with Il
panied voice. "ltrmcmbcr he's all
alone in the world now, poor fellow ~
And Billy and kept still, because
we thought that losing IL father
couldn't be very pleasant. We would
have felt pretty bad If ours had been
taken from us. for pa WAS good TO us.
So feeling sorry for Cousin Sydney
we made up our minds TO treat hilr
square when he came.
A week from the next Monday y;
and Billy took the blackboard and wen
over to Manuan to meet our cousin.
couldn't 20. because Dick, the la
pony, had broken his picket rope an
wandered or on the prairie, ana y
was afraid some Sioux would cate
and ride him those rcdskina'll spoil
good horse running him to death i
half day.
But | had done my best to max,
things hospitablc like for Cousin Sgd
ney. Old Tutic wasn't around yet, Sc
| had to do the cooking. had heard
somewhere that New lIugland folk ;
lived on brown bread, baked beans.
goldfish balls and Washington pie. |
could manage the beans and goldfish
balls we'll enough, but the brown bread
turned out to be as hard aS u prairie
road, and rs for the Washington piv
well, though | hunted in the cook.
b0Ok from soup to pickles, | couldn' l.
lind receipt for it--sO made Il layer
cake with whipped cream hctwccn---
whipped it til my arm uchcd. Then
] went for the pony.
When | came back Il had found
n l,,
the Big Muddy | saw a buck board
away OF on the prairie. The sun was
setting and dazztcd my eyes, but was
sure that saw some blue skirts and
ribbons nnttcrlng on the seat beside pn
and Billy, and sure enough, when they
drove up there was pa, with his eyes
twlnkling, and Billy looking as solemn
as that old Indian. "Much afrnid.of
MISUNDERSTANDING" when he comes
around, begging for sugar and tobacco
and on the seat between them was "a
yes, truly "a girl-a real girl
" She's our cousin, She isn't boy
at All And hor name is "Sydncy,'
only she spells it Sidnic'-the lawyer
didn't get IL right" Billy whispered
TO me as ne got down from the buck.
board.
was so taken a-back that couldn't
ooJ q WI VI d " as DuSN lSI 10
the girl Somehow, | think lie seemed
to like it because she was girl
But Billy and didn't--you can jIst
be sure Of chat. We didn't care if she
was as pretty as one OF the pictures on |
" Sarsapa"illa" Observation-Disclosures |
with big, brown eyes, small, babyish
mouth, crinkly hair and checks like
prairie roses
We talked it over that night. At
first, Billy was inclined to go in for
making things pleasant for her, but
says Pm awfully ashamed Of it now y
says
No, we don't want her here . We'll
have TO feel prim and stuckup all the
time, and have napkins at the table,
ana wear our coats, and think of our
grammar, and not loll in our chairs
shes only dainty, silly, city girl, and
shell always be afraid Of cyclones, and
eequeai even II a gopher comes out OF
us hole! or course we can be polite,
but don go to making much OF her.
Maybe she'll get lonely then and want
TO go back TO her boarding school.
There's where she belongs % .e's too
slim and dressy for q Western girl -