Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-01-11
or tried TO teach ne, 70 put 70 sgood and eas,ess

q tried TO teach ne, 70 put 70 sgood and earnest
But .you have never been in earnest
yet about any tAang, and you'll not be in earnest
now. You know instability is your falling, Bar
bara," said Mrs. Feathcredge. hopefully
Barbag as face clouded.
sYen lnox you deserted the choir pursued
1t wore my spirits oat irving to harmonize
elements % discordant,' said Barbara, the tears
"Then you abandoned your picture, when
every one said you were sure OF the gold medal"
% know it - said Barbara, triumphantly,
That Is the very reason why abandoned it.
better than mine; better than any thing l could
ever hope b do; but the Thrcevit influence
would have carried every thing against him
at wasted great deal Of time and caused
great deal of bitterness said Barbara.
" All bscanse of those Elmcrs!'' cried we, in
dignai,tly. And now you are ready to ruin
81 certainly have no wish to do them an III
turn" replied Barbara, with a sigh. at is
time, ] think, that that old enTity died ont; but
l don't suppose that the Eimers themselves
would accuse me of intending them good turn
boys, = =
'Of course not,'' cried wilhelmina. "Not
they! declare, Barbara, you are wanting in
proper pride. should think the very fact that
those boys are the employees of the family enemy
:. But 1 am in earnest" said Barbara. ~
Nill carry itout though every one Of you OPP
:. Hunt" said Uncle Joseph.
Even Uncle Joseph" added Barbara
boldly; but she glanced at him timidly as he
turned on his heel and walked out of the room
We felt that Barbara had committed dread
full offence. Mrs. Featheredge sobbed piteousy
IF this turns out ill, as it is sure to do" said
judith, !" Barbara can never say that she was
s.Such lawless, dirty creatures!" said Clemen-
tina, with a shudder.
Always in some disreputable scrape,- said
Wilhslmina, scOrnfully.
doned, You know" -
We might as wen have talked to the wind.
Poor things!" said Barbara: ..If all You say
Is true, and don't deny word oft, how sorely
they need helping hand!"
Don't suppose, for one moment, that they
will get help from u.s." cried the family chorus.
" We do not intend to be inveigled into com
hitting or countenancing any such nonsense
Then III try IL Alone" said the misguided
girl, as she left the room.
titade under the great horse chestnut. She had
pencil and piece Of paper in her hand. oh,
II che would only be content to write poem
about the irOn,min boys! But We knew that she
the very picture Of INSTRUCTED talents.
IL.
"Barbara's course does not surprise me-
Obstinacy is Featheredge falling, as well
know" said Uncle Joseph, who, being q Three
yit, naturally referred Barbafa's good traits to
eur side of the house. T" The more oppose her,
the more determined you make her. Take no
must die a natural DEATH
Uncle Joseph was the family oracle. We in
variably followed his advice, for he had made so
to doubt his wisdom. We were careful to desg-
nate Barbara's insane undertaking by the ma me
he had SO appropriately bestowed; and, in ac-
and acquaintance to witness that we discounte-
nanced a course calculated to bring an un-
pleasant notorety upon the Threeyit family.
We rigidly abstained from all questions in re-
gard to the affair, but there was enough idle
tongues in Our town to keep us well informed;
and we soon Learned, to our intense chagrin, that
Dear Tncie yoseph with 20 his Ss
shrewdness, had endeavored to cheek the Ito us)
obnoxious enterprise by hiring Tony Roberts
under the horse-chestnut. We thought that
there was no other room in the town available
for Barbara's purpose; but the widow Barjee,
unfortunately, had dilapidated wing to her
rented at five dollars a month. 1t required a
week, and nobody knows how much money, to
put this place in repair; and much longer than
hour and a half could be more agreeably spent
In that sorry retreat than in a tavern.
Barbara, at first, was evidently much dis
couraged, though she said not word about the
trials that must have beset her at that time.
The room was open three evenings in every
week, and on Thursdays our young lady inva-
what was due to her position in society, and
mortified us continually by the callous indiffer-
ence with which she heard the comments of our
fashionable friends.
One evening about week before Christmas
Judge Gregory called. He had been away for
several months, and, as Barbara was a special
favorite Of his, he came, he said, on purpose to
hear from her own lips some account of all the
nonsense she had been guilty of during his abb
sence. We were glad to hear him say this. He
was shrewd, practical man, Of the world, for
whose opinion Barbara had great respect; and
we assured ourselves that his dictum must in
duce her to rehnquish work 30 distasteful to
her family.
with a twinkle in his unfathomable eyes, ssteli
me about this crusade you are waging against
'The most Quixotic thing you ever heard Of,
sir" said WilhelmiDa, carefully pinning her
sofa-cushion with th> white lilies In dimity
Let us hear it, Barbara" said the Judge
I" How did You happen to strike out such a
scheme for the exercise OF your admirable
pOwers?"
!: You may well ask that said Mrs. Feather
edge, ruefully.
sBy thinking, and then by working, sir"
"oh, sy, no doubt; but how did you happen
AS a friend Of the family, 1 feel obliged to take
notice Of 90 cratic 9 proceeding"
Thanks, judge" said we Threevits.
. DdEOdI8 eccmc0 sulspOStu W HcAVatc, OUT
Judge Gregory fixed those determined eyes Of
his upon her, and she was forced to a full con-
fession. e.r-
al happened" she said, "to overhear q con-
versatiOn between two of the irOn-mill boys 1
was returning from walk, and passed them,
sitting on Lowther's stile. They had book APP
parently full of pictures; think 1t was Q dime
novel. They we're criticising the work; but it
is necessary to repeat any Of their remarks, ex-
cept the one that made such an impression upon
me- The larger boy, whom recognized a. one
Of the most awless Of ALL said with an oath, that
the finest thing he had ever read was 'The
clustering Barber Of Battle Alley thought
about it an the way home, and had the Gu,
riOsity to get the book, but it was SO full of
ghastly horrors could not read it,"
The judge laughed. ESQ., said he, ''this
reading room is, in reality, the work Of the
(, clustering Barber eh?" Ff
We applsuded, for we thought this sally q par
ticularfy good hit at Barbara; but she did not
seem in the least Disconnected.
You see, SIR" she continued, sit seemed a
dreadful thing that the poor boys should have
nothing better to read than horrors so demorali-
zing as that book contained; and felt that some
thing ought to be done. The more i thought of
it, the more imperative seemed the necessity Of
supplying the lads with purer and healthier
literature; and could not dispossess myself of
the conviction that this was the work designed