The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-02-16


ing order. I shall never, never be
/ able to replace Louisa. offered he1
fifty dollars to stay with me, for
didn't know how on earth I was go
ing to manage without her-just as
| was going TO New York, too. But
she had a pack Of silly nonsense into
her head about some young French
man or other that she wanted to
marry Marry, indeed! Such people
haven't any business to marry, and 1
am sure LOuisasWill live to repent it. f"
Thus Miss COrnelia Bydexter rat
tied on, quits certain that the trivial
ties of her daily life must possess
deep interest for her auditors, for no
one had ever Yentured to tell the
millionaire's daughter that she was a
] fool 7 heard her without hearing,
although was listening all the time
the plan which had flashed into my
head seemed so ridiculously visionary
and yet so simple. And when she
rose to take her leave rose too, trem-
bling slightly and clasping my hands
nervously together.
! Papa / began, "I-I have been
thinking about it, and if you and
mamma do not Object-n
| ''Well ?' Papa looked a little sur
! prised; perhaps because it was so sell
dom that / ventured in his presence
to express an opinion of my own. ~
should so much like to go to New
| York with CorneIia!n
''You dear little thing =" said Miss
Bydexter, smiling, and patting my
| hand with her mother-of-pearI ham
died fan; ''you will be exactly like a
| fairy princess"
Where the similarity existed no
| body knew, nor did Miss Bydexter
take the trouble to explain. She was
accustomed to have people take her
meaning for granted.
Mamma looked at me in beWiIder-
ed way, a soft reprOach shining out of
| her eyes. / could read her face as it
were an open book. Before papa she
dared not say out the truth: I'VE
want the money for our remit Oh,
| how can Octavia be so strangely for
getful of our household needs ?"
Every well, assented papa, in his
| grand Lord Chesterfield style. "Jean.
nette, bring me my desk. And fill
that musty old standish with fresh
ink. Do you hear, child"
And while Jeanette, who knew
that ink in our house was among
things that were, fiuttered into the
corner bakery to borrow little out of
the gray stone bottle that always
stood on Mrs. Bailey's cash desk, papa
went on, talking lOftily, of the pro-
| bable pleasures that I should enjoy in
the great metropolis Of the Western
world.
''I am told that the coming season
promises to be particularly brilliant
| in New York, ;" said papa, graciously; !;
| land I only wish ladies''-with a
stately bow toward Miss Bydexter,
which would have done no discredit
to Department TurveydrOp''-''th
I was young enough to be your escort.
Jeannette, you have been a long time
bringing that ink; butnobody hurries
themselves to perform nag behests
nowadays"
"Papa," pleaded poor Jeannette,
turning red and white, "I went as
quick as I could"
Papa did not notice her words, but
with shaking hand, and many an
unnecessary flourish, he drew the
check for the last hundred and fifty
dollars we had in the world until the
next dividend day, six months of,
should re-enforce the fountain of
Pactolus. And all to deceive Miss
BydeXter, who wasn't deceived in
| the least.
'Here my daughter" he said, fold
ing it deliberately and handing it to
me, while mamma looked on in
! breathless dismay, and Jeannette's
| eyes grew bigger and bluer than ever.
1 followed Miss Bydexter down to
| the door, and the wheels of the big
chocolate-colored Bydexter carriage
were laundering off over the uneven
pavement, when mamma came down
also, looking pale and perturbed.
/ 4 i, y IL. l.
chow could you
"Hush, mamma ~ put my hands,
with a little hysterical laugh, over
| the soft, maternal lips.
Here is papa's check do you sup
pose I would take it?' -.--------'
But" persisted mamma, looking,
| if possible, more bewildered than be-
fore, 81 thought you were intent on
going to New York ?''
| $50 am ~
"Then how"
Mamma, I am going to have
| forty dollars a month. / am going
as COrnelia's companion. Pshaw
why do TniBce matters? I am GO
| ing to be her maid, neither more nor
less"
''Forty dollars a month. f" Mammals
faded eyes frightened. "But Cor
nelia Bydexter's maid :" And her
| countenance fell again. I could not
| but smile.
'It will be no such terrible matter
after all, mamma. On the contrary,
| it will be fun. CorneIia is as good
natured as she can be, and you know
very well / am an adept in hair-dress-
/ ing and lace-mending and frilI-flut
| ing, thanks to the best of mammals,
who knows every thing, and has
| taught her daughters the same ~
"But what would your papa say?''
grasped mamma, hardly, as yet,
realizing the conditions. l felt my
self grow pale.
"Papa! But he must never know.
We viii keep our counsel, mamma
| you and / and Jeanette. All that he
need be told is that I am going to
New York with COrnelia Bydexter,
and that is true enough"
And mamma took me lovingly into
her arms.
"Octavia, ought we to ask this sac
rifice from you?"
Nobody asks it, mamma; it is my
own free-wiIl offering. And Oh,
mamma, / could not look DR.. Morti-
more IN the face when / remember
that his bill has lain unpaid for six
months 90
And mamma, also remembering
this sternest and most ineOntroyerti-
bic of faetsy had no more to say,
''It seems SO strange ~ said Miss
1 Bydexter. "The idea of you being
my maid, you dear little aristocratic-
looking thing! And you used tC
write my compositions for me al
school, tool Dear, dear, only t.
think OF it! Take care, Octavia
that bunch of curls comes in first
under the braid, you know. And how
came you ever to think of it?D
u "Nonsense ~ I cried briskIy. HTht
, long and short of it is that / want
money and you do nOt-so don't let's
say any more about it.n