Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-12-09
Small Sisters
Reflections

WIN = nave CoLue DaCK, ana she
was almost like she used to be before
she engaged herself to poor Mr.. John
and got to acting reformed. I actually
saw her with a broom in her china
hands, sweeping off the front porch.
Tip, darling" said I to my pre-
cious pet dog, I'VE smell a rat, don't
Wen
Tip pricked up his lovely ears and
shifted. Then he barked three times.
Yes, Tip smelled a rat, just as 1 did.
We went around to the front porch,
and l began to pull off dead leaves
from the honey-suckle vine-just help
full, you know. But what did Fan do
but make a pounce at my legs with
her broom and shout at me:
Here, child" she said, what are
o making that mess for? 90 away
and take that beast with you!"
Then she hit precious Tip with the
broom. That was enough for me. Tip
and I are very patient, but when once
we are aroused Fan should beware of
u fangs!
went into the kitchen then to mix
sweet Tip a salad. I do SO love
white grape salad. But the maid got
me to go away by telling me that
n was going to make a four-layer
angel cake with pink mint filling and
that might have a piece before any
of TIE family. So Tip and 1 went out
to the swing to think.
Fan sweeping and angel mint cake
all on the same day! 1 looked at the
sky a long time, but it did not seem
to be falling.
After hours and hours We had a
scramble lunch on the kitchen table
and then mother took me and sweet
Tip up to the bath tub for our daily
purifier. Because neither Tip nor I
whimpered once when she got O a in
our eyes she. told me that pool Mr..
Johns mother and three sisters, lust
home from Europe, were coming to
call on her and Fan. She said 1 was
to act like a little lady and show the
visitors how nice I could be.
Il will, mother" I promised, but I
crossed two of my fingers while 1 was
saying it, and that means mot" under
your breath.
l had a miserable afternoon, sitting
prim and uncomfortable on the win
dow seat up in mothers room. That
tyrsnt Fan wouldn't let me go out for
fear I'd get messy. But 1 had an idea.
About three o'clock a big auto ma
chine flew up to our house on wings
of dust. 1t wasn't poor Mr.. Johns,
though, because that just has room
for two, Fan always says when I beg
for a ride. Anyhow, a woman in
black silk who was almost as fat a.
our laundry stove stepped out. After
her came three skinny girls with more
puffs on their heads than even Fan
wears. The three were as like as
sardines in a box, and toilet water
whew!
Then for a frightfully long time I
heard's Fans company voice talking
a lot and sweet mothers voice once
in a while sounding sort of scared and
timid and poo Mr.. Johns mothers
voice, which sounded like that of our
iceman, and now and then a frozen
chirp from one of the ~sardines. Well,
at last when my patience was worn to
a fragile I heard the clinking of
glasses and the rattle of plates.
Our maid had had to put on the lit
tie white cap and black dress and it
was mothers best gold and white
dishes and bohemian glass sherbets.
Precious Tip was crazy to go down,
but I was Putting the finishing touches
to him and wanted to do the job right.
Fol of course I'd not been sitting
there with my hands folded.
/ had ferreted out an indelible pen
ella purple one. a love! I had pried
up his teeth. They were simply gor-
geous the way 1 fixed them, but Tip
didn't seem to like the taste of that.
Next l colored all his white spots. His
ears We're simply stunning. When he
was trimmed l did my fingernails and
my teeth and touched me up under my
eyes, as I've seen Fan do. / was quite
struck with myself. l think l looked
like these pictures of Circassian beau
ties.
Just as l had finished I heard FANS
company voice calling like sweet per-
fume: Dear, don't you and Tip want
a little cake?"
Did we? Tip was down at one
bound. In my sudden fright, 1 put
my hand to my face and happening
to glance in Fans mirror it seemed
to me that I looked a little weird.
| Rut never saw diai
Down | went, swirling my skirts the
way Fan does, and up I marched to
poor Mr.. Johns mother, my hand out
stretched. She grasped it.
"Oh!" she gasped, dropping my
hand and holding up a glass eye on a
stick to hypnotic me. l suppose.
What a very Objectionable looking
little grill"
Mother and Fan hurried Tip and
me out of the room. Fan was awful
ly rude and sweet mother was frown-
ing and angry.
Fan cried all the rest Of the day.
She told poor Mr.. John on the phone