The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-09-11
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
Aunt Amanda
BY Jane Osborn
EIcopyriRht 1920 by the Mcclure
~. Newspaper Syndicate.)

Sitting lnQOOTb D9Slue LAS ~
room lamp intent on getting, ,t tIe
PerkInses to whom she played the
role Of big sister and mother com.
bfned, Ii was not that Farmer
Perkins was any less prosperous
than the other farmers but II
would have gone against the gram
to pay out money to have THIS
( mother work done when Laura
could do It just as well. In the
meantime Laura didn't get any
young company" In fact she neY ,,
er did get any and II was not untl
FARMER Perkins decided to ask
Widow Rollins down the road to
share his fireside and the Widow
Rollins accepted that Laura ever
had any chance for the. pleasure
and filtration that she had missed
In her girlhood.
But she had for too long been
lied to the duties OF the kitchen
and the mending basket TO take
i4Ssry gracefully to the art OF find
ling a. Hllitor then--ror obviously
Ehe onl Z. thing left for Laura to do
now was to marry and get home
of her own. "Of course, l want to
have a place where | can do my
bHh GOOhAuA anu dlAt 4Sa@AA1 "OAAh
explain, but don't know us l
want to get q man just to make
cruller for IL" But the fact was
that there was man that Laura
would have boen quite willing to
1cook and mend for for the rest OF
her life had he been disposed TO
aske her TO accept his hand. This
was Widow Rollinss son, who
when that lady came TO, NARY
Farmer Perkins, naturally was
squeezed into the Perkins farm
house 10 live.
She's a real nice girl" the
mother had remarked to her son
IN confluence. But she's got sucA
fcarrytng on about that Aunt
Miranda cruller sci? You know
some OF the women around here
got the outfit. Laura was one OF
mem. It has the cutter and spe.
clal rolling pin and the kettle and
the basket Eor the crulIers WINE
they are In The hot fat. Well there
( are one or two thing about 1t that
( Laura didn't like. Ihe basket
doesn't slip into the Kettle just
? the way she wants It to. So she
aunt Amanda on the package and
she makes UP her mind she has
got 10 see her. II never occurs to
her that maybe Their Isn't any
aunt Amanda, that maybe 1t IS
just picture on the box cover"
Edward Rollins had listened
without any great interest. His
mother always changed the sub.
tect in that way. lie had wanted
3. TO talk OF Laura but his mother
apparently preferred to talk about
cruller sets. He had wanted to
sound ibis mother on a subject that
lay near his heart He was TWEEN.
ty.slX, Just starting GU; for him.
SELF In the hardware business, with
z Ill that he owned IN the world in.
avested in STOCKS OF hammers ANA
nails and carving knives and wash
qshotlers-an endless variety OF
Equipment for the farmer and his
wlfe. 1t was quite out OF the
k4pe5tion now TO ask Laura to mar.
Wy him IL that involved making
/ home for her. What Edward mad
hoped was that for the present his
mother and Laura's father nigh,
let them board in the old Perkins
farmhouse, But Edward, always
somewhat in awe of his mother
and not having asked and re.
&cetved her consent no never got
20 that further point OF asking
Laura to be his wife.
Laura was twenty-five that
autumn after her fathers marriage
when she went OIL to the city to
make her own living. And Laura
herself seemed TO be the only one
In the community who didn't real.
izeS that, with no special education
or training save tnat OF a house.
wife and no special talent or aptl.
tude save considerable good sense
the future was not very promising
for her.
Seems as If the only thing snt
can do is to be somebody's hired
girl" Quoth the new Mrs. Perkins
Tor the benefit OF her son and hel
husband, both OF whom WINGED
under this remark.
Then old father Perkins died
and Laura came home for the FUN.
eral; was gone back TO the city
Pd no one was the wiser concern
iHS her mode OF making a living.
i truth must be told rift can't
in the Perkins-Rollins household,
In part due no doubt to the settle.
ment Of Mr.. Perkinss estate. AT all
events those of the Perkins brood
who kept in touch with Laura did
not enjoy Mrs. Rollins good will,
They moved away and Laura was
no more heard Of.
In five years the hardware bus.
mess as carried on by Edward Rol.
Inns had prospered 10 the point
where he was In a position to set.
tie down in life on his own and az
his mother, the present Widow,
K Perkins had now under consider
\ alton an alliance with old Deacon
Bradshaw, union of which her
son did not approve, she was anx.
tous enough for her son to marry.
Edward was not lacking In
Friends among the younger girls OF
the village who might concetvabiy
look with much favor upon his
SUIT.
"And remember Edward" the
mother laughed one day when she
4 had called at his store, you once
lhad me worried for fear you'd mar.
~ that carrot.haired Laura. don't
suppose you ever gave her a sec
ond Thought
u wonder whatever became Of
her" said Edward, ana It was not
the first time that this question
had occurred to him.
It was funny" unused the
mother. Said she was going to see
Aunt Amanda, she Thought It was
Q real aunt Amanda that put. out
those cruller sets. So I suppose
she went and looked up those Aunt
a Ia a.