The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1907-07-19
When the Circus
Came to Town
By SUTTON
Copyright, by Joseph b. Bowles.)

Miss Lappin was standing at the big
Miss Lappin was never in q good hui.
NOR while making cake. She was SO
particular about beating the batter un-
I'll 1t was all studded with bubbles,
! and she worried and fused all the
time 1t baked, fearing it would be
too we'll done or not done enough.
Naturally her temper and patience did
not amount to much during the proc
ess.
Marie, her niece, sat at one of the
windows of the kitchen, that opened
into a garden filed with lilacs, roses
and geraniums. She was a pretty
girl, with a clear red and white com
plexion, beautiful teeth, dark eyes and
in striking contrast with these
charms, hair as yellow as a marigold.
She resembled not in the least her
aunt, who was a tall, angular spinster,
Aunt, will you let me go?' Marie
had asked the question a dozen times
within the last few minutes, and Miss
Lappin had pretended not to hear her.
Suddenly she compressed her lips
so tightly that they were lost in her
face. She beat the sponge with such
| vigorous strokes that a number OF
small bubbles appeared and broke
on its surface. mo: l won't let you
60" she snapped, so it's no use'n
! you settin' there teasin'. l amt
thinkin' of lettfn' o go, so there's
! an end to it. After awhile you'll be-
lieve that when l say a thing l mean
it. 1 won't let you go there, or to
any other party. You know without
astin' l never let you go anywheres."
will you please tell me why you
never allow me to go anywhere? Will
you tell me just why you eve let
me have a good time like the other
girls of Boisville?" the girl asked,
calmly.
Miss Lappin let her spoon fall into
the butter. She rested her hands
! upon her hips and faced her niece.
well, Marie, bein's you want to
know 30 bad, I'll tell you this much.
| don't let you go round like the 9TH
er girls because of the kind Of a
mother you had. When you wuz left
an orphan, with not one in the wide
world to e to you but me, l took
you on made up my mind I'd raise
you an never let you git like your
mother IL l could help 1t. l hate to
say n word ag'in' the dead, but your
mother wuZn't much, Marie. You
know ~ well as l do, an that's well
enough, that you mother went an
ran OF with a German professor,
leavin' you a little thing Of three, an
my poor brother broken-hearted."
Boisville had gossiped a long time
about Miss Lappin and her pretty
niece Marie. They said: Marie looks
just like her mother. It'll be too
bad II she takes after her, too; but
Miss Lappin is a little hard on the
girl. My goodness, youth must have
it's fling. an if it doesn't, somethin's
sure to happen. Young folks will be
young folks. Even if her mother
wuzn't much. Gracious, that amt
no reaso Marie should be shut up an
never let go anywheres. An she
dresses her like a holy show, for fear
she'll git proud or any one'l look at
her"
Marie received invitations to every
thing going on in Boisville, for all
liked her, and all felt very sorry for
her. They pitied her as the victim
of a tyrannical spinster who was de-
termined TO cut the girl from all So
cial life, because, unfortunately, her
mother had furnished Boisville with
it's one scandal.
So Marie was always asking her
aunt: Aunt, may l go?" and Miss
Lappin was forever answering her:
mo; you can't CO." 1t was rather
extraordinary, under the circum.
| stances, that the girl was never seem
ingly ill-natured or %resentful because
of these refusals. When her aunt
said mo" she appeared perfectly sat.
isfied, and then would ask her permits.
| sion to go somewhere else in a few
days.
One day in early summer Marie,
| who had been out on an errand, rushed
into the kitchen, where Miss Lappin
| sat sewing. She threw a parcel down
on the table and seemed quite breath.
less. "Oh, aunt, there's a circus here
/ she cried. 1T came in this morning.
l met some Of the girls and they are
all going in a crowd tonight. They
want me to 60 with them. Aunt,
may I go?"
Miss Lappin dropped her sewing in
her lap. She pushed her glasses up
on her forehead. Marie Lappin,' she
said, you must be gettin' crazy, for
sure. You wantin' to go to a circus.
A girl 10 years Of age. Why, Marie,
you must be gettin' soft'nen of the
brain. No, Marie Lappin, you can't GO
| to the circus"
Every we'll, aunt" Marie said. but
| not as humble rs usual.
'Ill tell you what I'll do. I'll let
| you go an see the parade" Miss Lap.
| pin cried suddenly. "Ill let you stay
out this morning till it's all over"
Marie murmured her thanks for this
! concession.
The girl left the parlor and went
| tate hor nuyr mann o~o-S-- -