The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-11-06
Continued from Page So

| feared, and a little mousse very MANU.
. for sorting berries in. had had its
foundations undermined, and disap'
peared beneath the face of the water;
| also.
Under such propitious circumsta noes
Aunt Mary sat by her own particular
window and looked sternly and severe
~ out across the garden and down the
road. Lucinda sat by the other window.
sewing Lucinda hadn't changed mate
rally, but her general appearance
struck her mistress as more Irritating
than ever. Everything and everybody
seemed to have become more and more
irrita ting ever since Jack had been dis
inherited. Of course, it was right that
| he should have been disinherited, but
/ Aunt Mary hadn't thought much be-
| forehand as to what would happen
afterward, and it was too aggravating
! to have him turn out so well just when
| she had lost all patience with him.
And to have such a beautiful character
1 all OF a sudden-just as if education
| had been his temptation, and seclusion
and illness were the guardian angels
| arrived just in time to save him from
| the evil effects thereof.
1t hadn't occurred to Aunt Mary that
people keep on living just the same
even after they have been cut out Of
your will. And she had never counted
on Jacks taking his bitter medicine in
the spirit he was manifesting. For
Jack, who had never written letters
Except to Mr.. Stebbins) had become a
ready letter writer now that he was
shut up and i'll (for he was i'll at the
house of his friend in the city,, and his
letters to her were not bit like him,
being sweetly pathetic. They came with
touching frequency, and their polished
periods fell upon Aunt Mary with the
persistence of the proverbial drop of
water.
1t seemed that the poor boy had hau
the misfortune to contract measles, and
in his weakened state the disease had
nearly proved fatal You can perhaps
divine the effect of this statement on
the grand-aunt. and the further effect
of the words, but never mind, Aunt
Mary with which he concluded the
brief narration
Aunt Mary had tried to snort and had
shifted instead; she had turned back to
the first page, read the words, "An my
head has been shaved, but I don't care
about having any more fun, anyhow"
and had let the letter fail in her lap. |
Every time that she had thought since
of 'our boy" her anger had fallen ho.-
ter upon whoever was handiest Luz
cinda (wlo was used to it) lived under |
a f1gurative rain of cinders and thrived /
salamander-like in their midst: but |
Arethusa-who had come up for a week
found herself totally unable to stand |
the endless lava and boiling ashes, and
fed back to the bosom. of Mr.. Arethusa
the third morning after her arrival.
I've got to go. I find,'' she had yelled,
the night before her departure.
i certainly wish you WOULD replied
her aunt. I'm a great Deliver in mar
ried women paying attention at home
before they begin to pry into their
neighbors' affairs It's a good idea.
Most generaliy--most always"
This was bitterly unkind, since Are
thusa was in the habit of taking the
long journey purely out of sense Of
duty and to keep Lucinda up to the
mark; but grateful appreciation is
rarely ever salient point in the char
acter of an autocrat.
I'm glad she's gone" Aunt Mary
told Lucinda, when they were left to-
gether once more. she puts me be-
yond all patience. She chatters gibber-
an hour at time, and then, all of a
sudden, she screams: Dinners ready
or something equally silly, in a voice
like carvin' knife. It's enough to
drive a sane person stark, raving mad.
It Isl
Thus it was that the mistress and
maid were sitting alone together, with
the June rain falling without
There's Joshua with the mail,'' Aunt
N--ry said, presently. He's tryin' to
hold Billy an hold the letters an whis-
tle all at once. Why don't you go to
him, Lucinda? Can't you hear a whis-
tie that I can see? Or, if you can't
hear the whistle, can't you hear me?
Do you think whoever wrote those let
ters would be much pleased if they
could see you so slow about gettin'
them? Do
And just here the old lady, turning
toward Lucinda, perceived that she had
gone-Heaven knew when. She felt
more vexed than ever at finding herself
to be in the wrong, rubbed her nose
impatiently, and waited in a. temper to
match the rubbing. +
My Lord how slow she isl" she
thought. We'll, if I don't uae of old
age first, I presume I'll get my letters
some time. Maybe
AS a matter of fact, the door had
blown shut behind Lucinda, and the
latter parsonage was making her way,
with well-hoisted skirts, around the
house to the back door. She didn't pass
the window where the Argus-eyed was
looking forth, because that lady had
strong opinions of those who let doors
bang behind them without their own
volition
Five minutes later the maid did final
iy appear with one letter.
II thought you was waitin' TO bring
to-morrow's mail at the same time,
said Aunt Mary. icily.
Then she found that the letter was.
from Jack, and Lucirda was completely
forgotten in the pleasure of opening
and reading it.
Ilcasa "A L.