Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1903-01-09


Dear Uncle Joe I want trip pass to
| Cleveland and back for Cousin Emily, for
| boat after next. It's all right
"KATHERINE DINHAM."
"Then it is all right, since katherine
says So" said Uncle Joseph. 1T must
be quite awhile since Emily has had a
boat trip. | don't remember sending
| her pass. She deserves a Dozen"
Next Katherine wrote to Tie most
promising of the three railroad men:
Dear Uncle Peter: 1 want passes for
Cousin Emily from Cleveland to Buffalo,
New York, Washington and Boston, and
any place else you can think Of and back
| to Cleveland again. She's going down by
boat. It's all right
"KATHER1NE DENIIAM."
"Bless her soul, of course it's all
right" said the railroad magnate,
making out passes with his own hand.
Her Cousin Belle wrote II pages
when she asked for pass from Mil
waukee to Chicago. and | had to get
her letter typewriter before l could
read it,"
Katherine displayed such a deep and
mysterious interest in the postman the
following week that Cousin Emily be-
gan to fear that the chaperoning of
young woman of II was a position of
no light responsibility.
The mystery was explained, however,
when Katherine appeared one morning
in Cousin Emily's doorway, with ra-
diant countenance, numerous slips of
paper and a work-basket.
"There!" said Katherine, with dane
ing eyes. "These are all yours!"
"Mine!" exclaimed Cousin Emily
"What are they?"
"a little of everything" replied the
plotter. "a lake trip, railroad trips,
jaunt to Washington. trip to the sea-
shore, a run to Boston, another to New
York-you're to stay month if you
want to-"
"Katherine, you told"
81 didn't! | never said a world"
"But you explained"
Nothing" said Katherine. "This
family's too large and too honest for
explanations. Here, if you must cry,
take my apron. But you haven't time.
You're to go the minute the others
get back. I've come prepared to sew
on buttons by the quart and braid by
the mile. You'll have to have some
clothes, you know. It's a blessing
your spring suit is so newt"
The day of Cousin Emily's departure
dawned. The relatives that went to see
her off formed a scattered procession
that reached from one end to the other
of the long ore dock. Now that their
of TO : no all
realized that quiet, unobtrusive, help
full Emily had lived all her life in the
little village without a glimpse of the
word beyond.
Really" said Katherine's mother,
waving a handkerchief energetically
after the departing boat. Pm afraid
we've all been abominably selfish.
We've given Emily half dozen homes
among us, to be sure. and we've pro-
vided her with all she could eat and
wear; but I'm afraid we haven't been
quite as thoughtful as we should have
been about her pleasures. Now
come to think of il, she has always
been the one to stay at home; and no
one has ever heard her complain"
Katherine tipped her hat Overt palr
of telltale eyes, and grabbed a small
nephew by the arm just in time to save
the boy from disappearing over the
side of the dock and herself from the
necessity of a reply.
With Cousin Emily gone, the family
seemed singularly incomplete. No
one else could put the Perkins baby
to sleep. No one else could battle the
Denham baby to his satisfaction. For
no one else would Grandfather Den
hams Cruel attain the proper con-
sistency. And it suddenly became evil
dent that no other member of the fam
lily was competent to make butt nholes
in the Denberry twins shirt waists.
{ When, therefore, just five days after
her departure, Cousin Emily walked
in unannounced, she was greeted with
Joy, as we'll as with no little astonsh-
ment.
"How in the world" gasped Kath-
crime, almost dropping the Perkins
baby in her surprise, Ibid you get back
so soon?
"Soon." cried Cousin Emily, Selling
the baby and shedding tears of JOY
down his neck. Soon! It's been the
} longest week | ever lived. | was SO
homesick for this baby, and the Den
ham baby, and Grandfather Denhan
and the twins, that / left the boat the
moment it touched the dock at Cleve
land and came home by rail on the
very first train"
But you had no pass"
: 81 had money!" said Cousin Emily
triumphantly.
> "Do you mean to say that with q
pocketful of passes to Washington and
: Boston and Buffalo and New York, and
everywhere, and boat pass, besides,
gasped Mortified Katherine, that you
bought and paid for a ticket, and
wasted all those passes?"
"Yes, | dol" said Causin Emily, hug
ging the Perkins baby ecstatically "I'd