AUNT BETSEY.
AUNT BETSEY was sister to Hesper’s father. Her husband was comfortably
situated, and they had no children. They lived in a large,
old-fashioned house, where everything was convenient, and there was
no one to trouble them. She was one of the most precise, prudent,
pains-taking women in the world, and was also very peculiar. Every part
of her house was as neat as possible, and she never allowed any one,
not even her husband, to change the place of a single thing. On the
floor of her sitting room was a handsome, home-made carpet, of aunt
Betsey’s own manufacture. The hearth rug, also, was her handiwork, and
from its originality, is worthy of particular description. The pattern
was a great yellow flower-pot, containing a huge bouquet on a dark
ground. In the centre of the flowers was a monstrous white rose, and
around it a profusion of leaves, buds and blossoms, among which might
also be seen a bird, a butterfly, and a bunch of cherries. She was very
proud of this, first, because she had planned and made it all herself;
and second, because it had won a prize at an Industrial Exhibition,
several years previous.
In this room, directly across the wall overhead, was a great wooden
beam, such as is often seen in old-fashioned houses. In this beam was
inserted a stout iron hook, and upon this hook hung a large cage,
containing several canaries. The reason why this cage was placed so
high, was because aunt Betsey was also very fond of cats, and kept
quite a number. She allowed them to sleep on her rug, to chase each
other about the room and frolic over the tables and chairs just as
they pleased; but when some of them came bounce into her work basket
and upset everything, she would scold in good earnest. Besides her
birds and cats she also kept a great many flowers, and her plants
were the admiration of the whole village. On account of the leaves
and dirt she kept them all in her kitchen. The windows were towards
the south, and in the winter she kept a fire burning all night, lest
they should freeze. Her flower-stand was constructed in the form of
a pyramid, each shelf being filled with rare plants, while upon the
very top was a splendid cactus in full bloom. People said that aunt
Betsey had nothing to do but to make herself comfortable and happy,
but she thought quite differently. What with her birds, cats, flowers
and housework, she was always busy. All the time she could spare from
these she devoted to fancy needle-work, which consisted of bead-bags
and purses, needle-books and pin-cushions, lamp-mats and embroidery.
She was also engaged upon a satin bed-quilt, which had occupied her
at intervals for several years. It was made from bits of satin, cut
into a diamond shape, not more than an inch across; these were basted
upon paper, and then the edge of a sufficient number sewed together in
the form of a star. There were stars of all colors, filled in between
with others of black satin. Even to aunt Betsey this seemed an almost
endless undertaking, but she was determined to persevere, for she was
quite sure that when it was completed it would win the first prize at
the Exhibition.
One morning, as she sat by her open window, busily engaged in matching
her stars together, she chanced to see aunt Nyna coming up the street,
leading simple Johnny, who, as usual, carried Fido under his arm, while
Bose followed behind.
“Good morning,” she said, as they came near, “What’s the news?”
“Good morning,” replied aunt Nyna, “I have just been down to see thy
brother, and find him much worse.”
“Worse! why, what’s the matter?”
“Why, two or three days since, he hurt his foot very badly, and I
suppose he went out again too soon, for he has worried it into such a
state that now he is quite sick.”
“Mercy me! Do tell!” said aunt Betsey. “Well they are always in
trouble. Almost every day I drop in there, just by way of encouragement
and to tell them how things ought to go, but of late I have been so
busy with my bed-quilt I haven’t had time for anything else. Well, I
suppose that now I must go or they will think hard of me.”
“So I would for poor Hesper’s sake,” said aunt Nyna. “She has just as
much as she can attend to, and it is hard work where there is so much
to do and nothing to do with. I am taking Johnny home with me to keep
him awhile, and if thou wouldst just take the other two boys a few
days, it would be a great help to Hesper.”
“Mercy me!” exclaimed aunt Betsey, raising her hands in astonishment,
“I should as soon think of taking two wild Indians into my
house--besides I should never get my bed-quilt done in the world.”
“Well, and what if thee shouldn’t? It would be of little consequence
compared to helping the poor girl.”
“Really!” replied aunt Betsey, very tartly, “I should like to know!”
She commenced sewing again very diligently, without looking up or
speaking another word, so aunt Nyna turned away.
“There, I am glad she’s gone!” said aunt Betsey. “Somehow or other I
never could bear that woman, with her theeing and thouing.” She tried
to settle down to her work and feel as quiet and comfortable as before,
but her conscience troubled her sorely.
“Well, if I must, I must,” she said at last, starting up. “I’ll go and
bring them home with me, and bear it like a martyr.” She rolled up her
bits of satin, drove all her cats out of the room, and then put on her
bonnet and shawl.
“It won’t do,” she said, “to go into such a family empty-handed, though
where their wants are so many, it seems almost entirely useless to give
them anything.”
She gathered together some broken victuals--tied up a bundle of old
cast-off garments, and with this under her arm, she set out.