Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-10-04


he was the one person who seemed 70
think so 1t was quite sufficient for me.
When my graduation day came was
much excited to think how absolutely
grown-up would appear to him IN my
first long frock, but when came 10
him after the exercises were over, ne
looked at me as if he were sad, and
said, Child, how little you are!
That was dreadful disappointment
to me. but when l reminded him how
he had always told me / was tall, he
laughed, and said: you were tall for
a school girl, but you're very little to
be the mistress of house"
That puzzled me; but on the way
home. driving up through the valley,
he told me more about what he meant.
He said: Nov that you have stopped
being a child you are going to be
very gay young lady; going to have
fine gowns, and dance about like
butterfly; and you're going to keep on
being my little girl; but at the same
/ time l am afraid you will have to be
| a little lady Of the house, too, and take
! care Of me, and Abby-now that
Abby's rheumatism Is so bad-and go
to call on the ladies who we're your
mothers friends, and are going to De
yours Do you think you are tall
enough to do all that?"
| was so surprised and SO happy that
Rugged him right there in the buggy,
and said: EDO you really mean It," Fa-
Their laughed, Just as he does to cover
up being rather serious, and said:
"You are your mothers daughter. for
she was little fair woman, but there
was never anything too big for her to
manage
was happier than ever to hear him
say that-he SO seldom spoke OF
mother-and the idea of a whole house
to manage, and of sitting at the foot
Of the table, and calling on grown
UP married women seemed to me as
merr yand exciting as going to parties,
and having beaus.
| ] had not been In the city for
year, spending my last vacations at
the ranch at Menlo Park; and though
knew from what Halle had told me,
that the city was very different. yet
when got out Of the buggy in front
Of the house the look Of the street
startled me. For moment even the
house seemed strange. But that was
|
about it. AS far as one looked up the
hill there was nothing but thick houses
and queer little shops were crowd1ng
I'D the block SO close that we had the
appearance of being almost down town.
Even inside the house looked different,
but quite beautifully different, done
over with lovely fresh papers and Jap
anese mattings, but what touched and
pleased me most Of all was to find the
picture of mother. which had used to
hang over fathers dressing table, now
| in my bed room, above my bed. "YoN
need It now more than l do he said.
and though couldn't see Just why
needed it, loved to look at it. The
] amusing part OF 1t was that mother IN
4 the picture was holding me--a little
me--a baby two years DID, Myself
would never look out at me. But
mother looked always, with the same
half brave, half timed glance, when,
sitting on the bed, made her my COLI
| fidences.
! With all my new responsibilities, and
my ne wclothes felt as IL l had some
how been done over too. Yet IL was
surprising how quickly became used
to the pa.Ger Of my long petticoats
around my feet as l walked, the weight
Of all my hair upon my head, and ny
stately pouring OF the tea at the foot
of the dinner table. Fathers friends
were always coming in and out, and
Saving to luncheon or dinner. and with
their high silk hats. their elegant bows
to me, and their laughing at things |
said which were not in the least funny,
at first they confused me not a little.
] But I grew accustomed to them, too:
4 l grew even to like them, especially
Mr.. Dingley, fathers greatest friend,
who was the district attorney. He was
a big, dark man, with broad face,
and frown that never came out OF
his forehead. He looked frightfully
severe, but / soon found out he was
really quite easy going, much more SO
than father, and often l could get
around Mr.. Dingley when father, for
all his being pleasant, wouldn't have
given an inch. But father said he had
spoil me. BY that he meant not so
much Mr.. ,Dingley. who was the same
to everybody, as Sonora Mendez. who
had been mothers greatest friend. She
had been New England girl, who, in
the early days OF California, had mar
ried a Spanish gentleman. She was
lovely to me. 1t was at her house
that I went to my first ball. Except
the Fergusons', hers was the only
house in the city with rooms large
enough to dance in, and that ball is
| still the most dazzling can remember.
/ I wore rose colored tulle skirt with
a peasant waist Of rose colored satin,
and father, for great surprise, had
given me pair Of pink silk stockings.
/ No other girl in town had such a beauti-
full thing, and in the dressing room
they would not let me go down until
! / had shown them. The lighted dancing
rooms and all the strange people, and
my tall partners made me nearly die
of shyness, but danced two large
holes in the, toes of my lovely stock
ings, and afterward father leased me,
and said he found he had suddenly be.
come very popular with the young
men. He had never been so called
upon in his life.
| But most of our parties were not
4 Aozs .~As