Page:Samantha on Children's Rights.djvu/93

 "To go out!" sez I; "do you mean to the barn?"

"Oh, no," sez she; "to go to parties."

"To begin at nine o'clock to dress you to go to parties! Why, for the land sakes, what time do you git home?"

"Well, usually before mornin'," sez she, "along about four."

"Along about four!" I gasped, "and you don't git any sleep nights until morning—till it is time to git up! For the land sakes!" sez I. "What time do you gen'rally git up?"

"Well, usually before noon," sez she.

"Before noon! Why," sez I, "at noon all my work is done for the day and I'm ready to sit down and rest, and you lose all them golden hours, full of beauty, in bed."

"Well, Aunt Samantha," sez she, wantin' to please me I could see, wantin' to like a dog, "I've tried not going' to bed at all, but I'm not strong enough to go entirely without sleep."

"No, indeed!" sez I. "I should think not. Why, a ox hain't strong enough, let alone a delicate young girl like you."

"But," sez she, liftin' her sweet, innocent face to mine, "what can I do, then, Aunt Samantha?"

"Go to bed at the proper time," sez I. And unconsciously, I spoze, I put so much common sense into my axents that they sounded ha'sh; she looked kinder skairt, and sez she:

"But, Aunt Samantha, if I go into society I must do as the rest of 'em do."

Mekanically I lifted my eyes toward Heaven and sez,