Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-06-10
PRUDENCE
OF THE PARSONAGE
THE FAMOUS STORY OFAHAPFY FAMILY
10 BIEzDe/Hl1esko17 -,
Cssr.sexr 1915 By IN. Bos,s.Ar.,r,l Co.
CHAPTER I Continued
PETEY DINK
US STORY OFAHApFY FAMILY
'Y EHe/Hz1eskozz

YO6-fOr some ministers Qaugn-
\ ters," assented Prudence. But is
4 sadly unsuitable for me. You see,
\ father and mother were very enthusi-.
tiastic about the first baby who hadn't
arrived. They had two names all
picked out months ahead-Prudence
and John Wesley That's how I hap
pen to be Prudence. They thought.
as you do, that it was an uplifting
name for parsonage baby. I was
1 only three years old when Fairy was
born. but already they realized that
they had made great mistake. So
they decided to christen baby number
two more appropriately. They chose
Frank and Fairy-both lighthearted,
happy. cheerful names. It's Fairy"
Prudence smiled reflectively. But
things went badly again. They were
very unlucky with their babies. Fairy
~ Prudence by nature, and am Fairy.
She IL tall and little inclined to be
Sfat. She is steady, and industrious,
and reliable, and sensible and clever.
In fact. she is an all-round solid and
worth while girl. She can do any
thing and do 1t right, and is going
to be college professor. 1t is sad
thing to think of a college professor
being called Fairy all her life, isn't
It'll! Especially when she is SO digni-
ned and grand. But one simply can't
tell beforehand what to expect, can
one? .ss
sFather and mother were quite dis
couraged by that time. They hardly
knew what to do. But anyhoy they
were sure the next would be boy.
Everyone predicted boy, and so they
chose a good old Methodist name
Charles. They hated to give it John
Wesley for they had sort of dedicated
that to me, you know-only l hap
pened to be. Prudence. But Charles
was second best. And they were very
happy about it, and-it was twin
Girls! It was quite blow, guess.
But they rallied swiftly and called
them Carol and Lark. Such nice mu-
Ssical names! Father and mother were
both good singers and mother splen-
did pianist. And Fairy and l showed
musical symptoms early in life, so
they thought they couldn't be far
wrong that time. It was bitter mis-
take. It seemed to turn the twins
against music right from the start.
Carol can carry tune If there's a
strong voice beside her, but Lark can
hardly tell the difference between Star
Spangled Banner and Rock of Ages:
1.-THE neighbors were kind of
amused by them and mother was very
sensitive about It, So the next time
she determined to get ahead Of fate.
mo more nonsense, now, said mother.
Its almost certain to be boy and
~ oP$ 60
and Billy for short We all liked the
name Billy, mother especially. But
she couldn't call father anything but
William-we being parsonage people,
you know. But she kept looking for
ward to little Billy-and then they
changed it in hurry to Constance.
And after that, father and mother
gave the whole thing up as bad job.
There aren't any more of us. Connie
settled the baby business In our fam |
lily"
Mrs. Adams wiped her eyes and
leaned weakly back in her chair,
gasping for breath. well, I swami"
was all she could say at that moment.
While giving herself time to recov-
er her mental poise she looked criti-
cally at this young daughter of the
parsonage Then her eyes wandered
down to her clothes, and fingered, in
silent questioning, on Prudence's
dress. 1t was very peculiar color.
In fact, it was no color at all-.no
named color Prudence's eyes had
followed Mrs Adams glance and she
spoke frankly.
II suppose you're wondering if this
dress is any color! Well, I think it
really is, but it isn't any of the regu-
lar shades. It is my own invention,
but I've never named it. We couldn't
think of anything appropriate. Carol
suggested Prudence shade but I
couldn't bring myself to accept that.
OF course, Mrs. Adams, you under