Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1903-05-28

Dear Uncle Joe: ] want q trip pass to
Cleveland ana back for Cousin Emily. Tor
boat after next It's all right.
KATHERINE DENHAM.
"Then it is all right, since Katherine
says So" said Uncle Joseph. 1T must
be quite awhile since Emily has had
boat trip. | don't remember sending
her a pass. She deserves a dozen"
Next Katherine wrote to the 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
70 Cleveland again. She's going down by
boat It's all right.
KATHERINE DENHAM."
"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 a 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 position of
no light responsibility.
The mystery was explained, however,
when Katherine appeared one morning
in Cousin Emily's doorway, with ra-
diant eountenance, numerous slips of
paper and a work-basket.
"There!" said Katherine, with dane
ing eyes. "These are all yours!"
"Minel" exclaimed Cousin Emily.
"What are they?"
"A little of everything" replied the
plotter. "A lake trip, railroad trips, a
jaunt to Washington, a trip to the sea-
shore, a run 10 Boston, another to New
York-you're to stay a month if you
want to-"
katherine, you toldl"
81 didn't never said q 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 70 see
her off formed scattered procession
that reached from one end TO the other
of the long ore dock. Now that their
attention was called to the fact, all
realized that quiet, unobtrusiye, 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. I'm 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 it. she has always
been the one 10 stay at home; and no
one has ever heard her complain"
Katherine tipped her hat over a pair
Of telltale eyes, and grabbed 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 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 il suddenly became evil
dent that no other member Of the fam
ilywas competent TO make buttonholes
in the Denberry twins shirt-waists,
When, therefore, just five days after
her departure, Cousin Emily walked
in unannounced, she was greeted with
iov. as well as with no little astonish-
ment.'
How IN luE NVAAAf EaS tNA NAN
crime. almost dropping the Perkins
baby in her surprise, did you get back
so soon?"
"soon!" cried Cousin Emily, Selling
the baby and shedding tears Of joy
down his neck. soon! Its been the
longest week I ever lived. / was so
homesicl1 for this baby, and the Den
ham baby. and Grandfather Denham
and the twins, that left the boat the
moment it touched the dock at Cleye-
land and came home by rail on the
very first train"
But you had no pass"
81 had money!" said Cousin Emily,
triumphantly.
30 you mean to say that with a
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?"