Smyrna times., 1873-12-10
MISceILU ID e o IT, S.
Jake'S Luck.

&Tls CO Cnlnk OI IL poor, WaSneu-OuC AMANDA
Liza, with her check aprons and faded calicoes
to think of her turning out an heiress
Whew it takes my breath away. What'll
Jake do now, | wonder?"
Miss Jennie Smith was an acknowledged
leader in the Squimps academy. She had
maintained her rOtund person and round good
natured face in spite of sour bread and scant
rations. We thin and starveling girls looked
up to her as a star of the first magnitude. We
clustered around her in high conclave, as she
sat on desk in the school room during the
temporary absence of our worthy preceptor.
oh, she'll never think of Jake again"
cried sharp-faced girl in the corner.
"Pll bet she will" rejoined Miss Smith,
slapping her hand energetically on her old
grammar. Miss Smith had "big brothers."
which may partly account for the vim with
which she was wont to express herself But,
oh, don't | wish it was me! To think tha.
Amanda Liza, that l used to lend my old col
lars to-
Young ladies, Miss Bimm p cried warn
ing voice; whereat Jennie, with more haste
than dignity, abandoned her lofty position,
and there was general stampede for seats as
Miss Bimm, the head teacher, came sailing
in, followed by Mr.. Squimps, the principal,
black, tall, and solemn as the shadow of lamp
post Now for stricter rules, longer lectures
on propriety and a general surveillance founded
on certain recent occurrences
What would Mr. Squimps say? Ay, to be
sure that was always question OF importance,
| and Mr. Squimps always said a good deal.
Here was an especial theme for his eloquence :;
for this case Of poor Amanda Liza, who had
been his bond slave for ten years, cuffed and
cornered, making no sign, and at last turning
| out to have relations of her own and heap
of money, and leaving his establishment " for
good and all in his absence, was little too
much tor human nature, as he declared for
Mr.. Squimps did not disdain to descend to
iamlllar collOqulalisms" once in while as
relief from the high mental strain of too much
Latin and lexicon.
Mr.. Squmps should have been a public
speaker-so his wife declared, so all his friends
atirmed-Only the trouble was he would never
have known where to stop. There was no
cork up" to him, the girls declared. Once
given little rope, small vexation, an acci-
dental jarrlng of his arrangements, and Mr..
Squimps flowed out into llmitess rivers OF
rhetoric. lie argued his point down to the
last whittle, wound up splendidy touched up
his de-whlskers, looked, round for applause
turned over his Wristbands aud, before you
knew it, began again.
This was splendid opening, this of Amanda
Liza %a girl whom hehad taken out of "pure"
charity when her folks died of fever: cir
whom he had educated, brought up in hisver,
family, and-and-and-Mr Squimps felt him
self possessed on this occasion of all the stock
in trade necessary for an orator.
And Mr.. Squimps like father to hel
too! cried Mrs. Squimps, elevating her shrv
eled little hands
Mrs. Squimps was small wrinkled lady.
rustllng about of an afternoon in stiff volum.
inous silk, SO little, so shrivelsd she seemed
to rattle In 1t as she walked like withered
kernel In a walnut shell. She had had the
beneht OF Mr.: Squimps eloquence the greater
part OF her life aud was much like a worn out
text-thin and thumbed and faded
The good lady was humbly aware of her def
ciencies. A mere bit of quartz, she did not
attempt to shine even in her husbands reful.
gence. All real authority in her department
was delegated to Miss Bimm, who carried
things with an air, taught the higher bran.
ches," and took the lead
Mrs. Squimps meekly took the kitchen, emf.
nently filter, as her husband declared, for that
department, which was the foundation of al
others. The foundation prepared under Mrs
Squlmpss supervision was not very substan
tlal. But elegance was the aim, gentility the
law, at the academy, as Mr.. Squimps observed
and no one asked twice for the same dish. Ar
army OF hungry girls, he remarked privatel,
to Mrs. Squimps, would devour all before
them unless properly restrained. Under thi.
aspect sour bread and chill pancakes were ia
dicious.
Amanda Liza, the girl about whom we were
} all just now in JJilrore, had assisted Mrs
Squimps and ths maids in the kitchen of
morning, likewise of an evening; between
these she generally sandwiched the thin hou
OF study which was denominated her " "educa
tlon." She was slim, drooping-eyed littl
thing, who never spoke up for herself; and i
Jake hadn't spoken up for her once u a Will
l think she would scarcely have held her own
even under Mrs. Squimps's motherly sway.
"Old Jake" as we called him, was a black
eyed, ragged lad of eighteen, the factotum o
the school, general fag, bcot-black, and boy-oi
all work to the establishment, with an occa
sional elevation to coachman. Jake was sub
ject to state of chronic outbreak, restive, fol-
getful of rules, and dreadful sassy." tn
maids declared. But Jake had his ideal, an
that ideal was Miss Mandy Liza" Her pal
patient face, her soft quiet voice, were potter
= with him. The girl was really poorer tha
> Jake, lower in the scale. and with no appt
rent chance Of rising from her bondage; bu
she reclted with the young ladies, and it wa
Jake's high ambition to bel her through wit
A her chores and get her into class. Jake
e guardianship Of the girl was an accepted ia,
IN the school and village round about. No be
dared play any tricks on Amanda Liza.
Jest you wait till get my luck and L
teach you u was Jske's admonition, accou
panied with clinching of his sturdy fist th
ably seconded the argument.
IL The girl took it all very quietly, in her ge
s. tie way, and seemed to have kindly rsgal
IA for Jake-mending his coat occasionally
darning bis stockings thing Jake gallant
declared " she shouldn't do never again
wouldn't have no ladies waitin' on him.
Ladies The girls used TO nudge each 9TH
and smile; but for all that they we're very GOO
to Amanda Liza, whose faded dress and me,
. ways set her apart from the noisy youthfune
Of the rest Of u.s. We never begrudged d
extra polish which Jake in his capicity Of boo
black bestowed upon her shoes, and we did q
laugh when those same shoes made their a
pearancc one day adorned with resplende
pair of steel buckles, which were afierwar
discovered to have been abstracted from 4
cOachman's rig in which Jake occasionally d