Middletown transcript., 1906-07-21


brother is preparing to take his
| place among these track makers,
i tits only proper that bis sisters
should keep abreast Of the times
Liz they would DO companions for
him. Naturally, he won't feel
/ any interest in the tittle.tattle Of
| village life, now that his mind
Twill be filed with higher and
more important matters
And the sisters graciously nj
lowed their names to be present.
ed for mem bership by Miss Gar
/ vim, somewhat to the surprise OF
the club members, none of whom
really had an idea of the mental
possibilities hidden beneath those
very shy, prim exteriors.
If the sisters had been students
from the real love of learning,
their patient digging among the
dry bonesof the past ages, to say
nothing of the systematic care
with which the current news of
the day was CLEANED from the
pages of newspaper and maga-
zine, would have been an undi-
luted pleasure; but they were
not, either by nature or practice.
Tt was solely their intense love
for their boy, added to natural
craving for social enj oyment. that
4 prompted this mental activity on
their part, Miss Amelia would
far rather have spent the morn
! ing hours in those pleasant house
| hold duties that had been the
real business of her life from the
time when, mere slip of girl,
Ishe had become the responsible
head of her widowed fathers
house; while Miss Betty sighed
whenever she thought of the
yards of linen waiting for the
dainty stitches upon which she
SO prided herself.
/ Perhaps they may have felt a
little hurt that boy in his home
letters never referred to this new
departure of theirs. To be sure,
it was very entertaining to hear
al about the college life-its
| social side especially-for Jack
was first Of all lively, fun.lov-
ing boy, and his pictures Of the
merry sports incident to college
life, had for his home keeping
sisters all The charms of novelty.
/ Still, Miss Amelia especially, was
Ia little startled at the slightly
irreverent tone in which the lad
spoke of the great lights of the
university, and his suspicious
intimacy with athletic sports and
their champions.
y
We expect the boy to take his
part in the athletic contests, like
other students, she confided to
her sister; but really don't want
him to look upon the champion
in a baseball game with greater
reverence than he shows to the
president Of the college.
And in his next home-letter.
Jack read in a tenderly-worded
postscript the caution that Miss
Amelia felt was needful, but
which had a bit of her own heart
strings about it, like the silken
thread that bound loves missives
in the long ago before gummed
envelopes were invented:
Dear Boy: We want you to
have a good time, but don tforget.
what You are there for, and what
cruel Disappointment it will be
to US, who love you so dearly if
you don't hold your own with the
best and brightest in your class.
But what an excitement that
first homecoming made in the
quiet household. Jack was com.
ing home, and his chum with
him, and the house was literally
turned upside down to do honor
to him. Such baking and boiling
and frosting of cake, such creams
and jellies, such pies and pickles
one would have thought that
the sisters were preparing to en-
tertain a royal prince at the very
least.
Miss Betty hemstitched bed
linen and towels, and wrought
faithfully with aching eyes to
finish the sofa pillow with Boys
class monogram embroidered on
it, asa surprise for him. Then,
too, they must have some pretty
new gowns for themselves, some
thing not too young, but light
and cheerful looking, such as
would be pleasant tn boys eyes
and-Boy liked flowers, SO they
must have them all over the
house, to give it a bright, pleas.
ant air.
.e51 /