The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-02-21
MY LITTLE
SISTER
By EDWARD L. SPENCER

was still kept from going about with
other boys nature rebelled against moi
having playmates, and those who were
responsible for me were obliged to
make some provision in that direction,
lived in the house in which l was
born, my father having died before and
my mother at the time Of my birth.
knew nothing about this, being taken
care Of by Mrs. Perkins. One day
she brought into my playroom girl
about my own age and told me she
had little sister for me. At that age
felt no great surprise as to the exist
ence of a sister, though / remember
asking some questions as to why had
never seen her before. would have
preferred brother, but was neverthe-
less delighted to be relieved of my
loneliness, and from that time forward
my life was very different from what
II had been.
Lucy was my sisters name, and since
we were kept from other children we
grew very much attached to each 9TH
er. was fiery little fellow. while
Lucy was of the quiescent kind. She
was always soothing me. There was
good deal of the boy in me or
might have become effeminate, playing
as did all the while with a girl.
think / did not miss boy associates as
much as / would had l not become so
much attached to Lucy.
The reason why was kept so close
at home was that my mother, knowing
that she must leave me to the care OF
others, had manifested to Mrs. Per-
kins, who was to bring me up, a fear
that / would learn badness" from
my associates, which she, my mother,
would not be with me to counterfeit
Had 1t not been for strong masculine
nature in me / would have been spoil
ed as result Of this motheriy timid-
ity. Mrs. Perkins engaged tutors for
me and for Lucy as well, and, being
educated alone, when we were fifteen
years old we knew as little about the
world as when we had been just
brought together.
1t was at this time that Lucy and
began to discuss our situation. Why
was it that we had no parents like 9TH
er children? Why had we never met
till we were about six years old?
These and other similar questions came
up for discussion, and we asked Mrs.
Perkins for answers to them. But she
eyaded giving direct answers, and we
We're no wiser than we were before.
All we could get out Of her was,
when you come of age You viii know
all about it,
When | was In my sixteenth year I
was sent to boarding school, where /
prepared for college, Lucy being sent
at the same time to girls seminary.
! was dreadfully homesick for Lucy,
and she wrote me that she suffered the
same for me. During my stay at school
there was no one to tell me anything
about myself more than / knew. Two
years after that l went to college, and
the period In which 1 was born over
which seemed to hang veil began to
interest me. was old enough to make
an investigation, but when Mrs Per-
kins said / would know all about 1t
when was twenty-one preferred to
wait One thing especially deferred
me, dread lest should find out some
thing would rather not know.
While I was at college Lucy discov- |
cred what was being kept from us, but
she did notstell me. came home one |
vacation during my senior year at col
lege and met her there. / threw my
arms about her and kissed her, as |
had been accustomed to do at our meet |
lngs, and was surprised to see blush
on her cheeks. / wondered at the time
what 1t meant, but 1t soon passed out
Of my mind.
However. from this time I noticed
q great change in Lucy's treatment OF
me- She seemed constrained | was
telling her one day of girl friend Of
mine who 1 liked very much. Lucy
looked serious. persisted in sounding
my friends praises, and Lucy suddenly
got up to leave the room. caught
her and. pulling her down beside me.
told her that she need not fear for my
deserving her for sweetheart or
wife, for would never marry and did
not see how l could bear to have her
marry. This seemed to satisfy her.
and she smised at me through her
tears.
| was twenty-one years old a month
after being graduated from college. A
awyer had notified me that he would
,all on me on my birthday, and he did
10. Lucy and l were both at home.
rhe lawyer said he wished to see us
.ogether and told the secret. My past
,r most OF it has been told Lucy's
was as follows:
Her father died when she was two
,ears old and her mother when she
vas three. Our mothers were sisters
,njoying an undivided fortune. They
lad arranged that we should be
,rought up together and for each 9th
#. The fact of our being kept in ig- 4
torrance that we were cousins was that
n the beginning Of our intimacy Mrs.
'erkins had told me she had a little
lister for me. She thought nothing of
/ at the time, but put off telling us
he truth till we had grown to an age
t which she did not like to disabuse ,
ur minds. Besides this, she thought /.
he plan OF our mothers to unite us
yhen we came Of age would be best {
erved by our being kept in ignorance