The record-union., 1898-02-25
Shorty sleeve and
shiny aye-

| Shiny eye;
so / thought I'd just wear this one
| We'll. don't stop now. Hurry about
| the lunch
l had glanced at Aunt Tilda only
| once during the interview She was
nodding her head mournfully. and her
glance as it met mine was full of mean
| ing To my great relief, however, she
| departed with her laces before jose
| phine returned from the dining-room.
Now, Josephine, if the table is ready,
/ want to see you about something up
stairs
/ At the door of her room Josephine
paused, looking in establishment at the
bag and its contents, which I had left
spread out in the middle of the room.
why, Miss Annie said she re-
proachfully, how'd you come to be
looking over my things?"
How had l, indeed? | felt sudden
ly convicted of a very unladylike act.
However. it would never do to betray
Aunt Tilda's part in the matter.
preferred answering her question with
another.
How did those things come to be
there Josephine?''
We'll. lemme see," said she; that
petticoat l just put in there this morn
! ing when 1 clared up my room IT
looked SO shiftless lying around"
But, Josephine, it should have gone
| into the wash yesterday"
"Yes'm, 1 know; but I forgot" she
! said parenthetically; ''and that thar
soup-ladle was SO black, l knowed it
would distress you, SO l just put it in
| there till I could get time to scour it
up 1t burned down in that bean soup
we had last Friday" She spoke as one
who gives sufficient explanation.
And that pie?-lemme see we'll
now, Miss Annie, there really amt nc
good reason why that pie should be
there" said she, shaking her head judi
cially, and looking sympathetically at
me- as if together we had discovered a
cuprit.
Josephine, my tone was fittingly
stern, this is too bad
Yes, Miss Annie. But I might just
stay home from school this afternoon
and wash that petticoat and sccur up
that ladle, and that thar pie could be
chucked in the chicken-yard." Her
tone was that Of one offering advice to
a perplexed friend.
mo, Josephine" 1 returned decided
! ly. you can put that skirt asoak now
and wash it out when you get home
from school tonight"
"All right, Miss Annie" very cheer
fully. But you'll show me how to
piece down them sleeves, won't your
said she piously, as she gathered UP the
bag
Yes, josephine
II suppose it was old Miss Tilda as
found the bag she remarked in a
matter-of-course tone, as she left the
room
Before we We're married I had plan
ned to make an ideal home for John.
But such a combination as Aunt Tilda
and Josephine had not entered into my
calculations. l did not want to give
up Josephine. She had the making of a
valuabl servant in her Besides ]
had grown fond of the child. If only
John would see how hard it was for
me to live with Aunt Tilda, and find
some other home for her He probably
thought that Aunt Tilda was almost
like a mother to me.
A few evenings later, however, some
thing happened which led me to sus-
pect that my husband was not so ut
terly stupid as I had given him credit
for being
| We We're at dinner I always enjoyed
the dinner-hour. John was at home,
at leisure for the rest Of the evening.
The fire burned cheerfully in the CRATE,
and our few pieces of glass and silver
sent back a hundred CLEANS for every
ray of light. John was in an unusually
| "a rlrV oln
just coming in. TT will be a good
thing for the country to have a mar
| for President who knows his own
mind" said he cheerfully.
Yes assented Aunt Tilda skeptical-
ly, 'ff only he will hold UP to it when
! he gets to Washington"
| At this moment / looked up. Jose
| phine. who stood directly behind Aunt
Tilda's chair, was nodding her head
| in exact imitation. She had so altered
the lines Of her face that, except for
color, the two faces were strikingly
alike. 1t was a dusky shadow of Aunt
! Tilda.
| l glanced apprehensively at John. He
had dropped his napkin and was stoop-
ing to reach it. Was it the ghost of
smile disappearing behind his mus
tache as he raised his head?
had not time to decide Josephine,
with her usual propensity to get found
out" had placed herself directly in front
! of a lamp. Aunt Tilda, looking UP
suddenly. caught sight of the shadowed
bobbing curls on the opposite wall.
You may pass me the bread, Jose
phine." she said sharply.
And poor Josephine stepped meekly
to the other side of the table. her face
as expressionless as wax dolls. Just
| then the door bell rang vigorously, and
Josephine disappeared to answer it,
IT'S that Durfey man. she said
shortly, taking her place behind my
chair where she could escape my re-
proving glance.
Deacon Durfey?" said John. "You
| go in and entertain him. Aunt Tilda.
while Annie and 1 finish our dessert.
/ We will be in pretty soon"
| So Aunt TIlda left US. and John
brought his coffee around near the fire
by me, and We talked of things which
We're somehow never mentioned when
Aunt Tilda was there. Josephine was
! busy in the kitchen, and from the par
/ lor came continuous murmur Of
/ voices. John listened with a twinkle
IN his eye.
They seem to be very we'll enter
tot i