Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1871-12-28

ever been called accountant; for tie
public is very iorgetful, having so many
thing to remember Gust look at a
newspaper y and people took to calling
him count, just as if he had always
been a real nobleman.
Now, his manners, AS we have stated,
were very polite to the tradespeople,
which made it seem all the more likely
that he was man of title; so they
went on trusting HIM very much indeed,
and he soon left off trying to add up.
At last, however, when they found that
he did not receive remittances, and
could not produce a patent Of nobility,
and never wore a star, or an order, or
went to court, or anything Of the sort
(you know what / mean), and that no
carriages with footmen ever came to
his door, they felt that in justice they
could not allow him to run up such long
bills. The result OF this was that the
count had very little left to live upon,
and gradually got weaker and weaker,
till at last he felt that his end was near,
and that it was time to make the nee
essay arrangements.
As he lay upon his bed, it occurred
to him that his great fanlt in life had
been want of economy and having
heard that money increased in savings
banks he called his little daughter to
him aud said
my dear, can only leave you one
poor copper penny-piece. But mind
you must be sure and put that in the
savings bank, where 1t will grow more
and more"
" Yes, papa, T." said the little girl, who
had one day been rebuked by neigh
Dor for saying A" father to count
And so he died, and she was left to
shift for herself. The penny she found
in her fathers left hand waistcoat peck
ct, and she resolved to say nothing
about it to anybody, but Immediately
to look out for savings-bank to put 1t
in, according to her fathers directions.
IL
OF course sho did not look like a
/ nobleman's daughter, for her hair was
/ all anyhow, and her clothes in rags; but
/ the people took to calling her countess
all the same, considering that she had
/ inherited her fathers title. As for get
ting living, she used to go ont to work,
and especially to wait upon people who
were poorly, and as she always asked
! but little, and was most beautiful
nurse, she did not want for food aud
/ lodging. One Of the first places, if not
! the very first, she ever went to after her
fathers death was toy-shop, where the
mistress was i'll. When her engage
ment was over, this mistress, who had
/ been much pleased with her, said:
"Now, Countess, what shall | give
you Cor your services"
"If you please, ma'am,n said Count
ess, "the little savings bank that | see
in your shop window
The mistress thought this was q
great deal too little; but her husband,
who was stingy man, gave her bad
pinch, and whispered in her ear:
! "Why should You give her any more
/ than she asks 7 Give her the savings
bank and have done with her
So Countess got the toy savings
bank, aud went away happy, to seek
another engagement.
III.
Now, Countess was most generous
child, and what was running in her
head wa. just this she thought to her
self, at is such great pleasure to do
4 kind things, TO help the weak and nurse
the sick, that it is shame to take any
thing for doing it; especially now [ can
put my penny in the savings bank,
where. as papa told me. it will grow to
DO more and more" So she made up
her mind TO go ont helping and nurs-
ing, but took no wages for il, only now
md then an old frock, or pair of
woru-out shoes, or something of that
sort, you know When people found
she did not uamo price for her ser
vices, some of them said, "Oh, that is
her pride; she thinks it would demean
her 10 take wages being countess. "
They SAID "demean, not knowing that
the proper word Is bemean;n but
then, what can you expect from folks
that have such stingy thoughts For,
of course, 1t was only an excuse, though
they were all glad enough to take adj
vantage Of it, and get help for nothing.
There were two exceptions to this rule,
bat one of these was far topoor to pay,
and the other died suddenly before
giving the necessary orders.
must here tell YOU that there was
another reason why people did not pay
her wages. AS she grew older she be-
came uneommonly pretty; and one of
the songs she used to sing Tin a low
voice, when the people sine had nursed
were getting better and could bear it,,
had IN it the words, My face is my
fortune, sir, she said So shnry pco-
pie, and even people who were not
usually what YOU would call stingy,
would look at her, thinking of
their own plain daughters, perhaps,
would observe: