Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-01-22
THE MISSING FORTUNE.
BY LUCY III. HOOPER.

BY LUCY III. HOOPER.
WHAT comfortable thing holiday is
TO us tired-out idea inserters! There's a
compound worthy of German philoso-
pher I wish Christmas came six times a
wear: don't you, Patience? Why, Patti
ence-sister Patience-you cannot surely
be asleep? My first evening home, too,
of all eveningsl Patiencel wake up, /
say, Patiencem
'FWhat wouldst thou with me, AIDE
laide?"
as that quotation from Shakespeare,
you sepulchral female?"
"No-Kotzebue. Didst never see The
.Strdnger?'
"I should like to see a stranger just
now-one that would made himself agree
able. feel restless: | want to talk, and
do believe you are half asleep again.
Patience, such somnolency must surely be
a symptom of approaching illness-brain
disease or typhoid fever most likely. 1t
isn't natural it's lethargic."
"Leth-what? Say that again, please,
could not take the whole world in at
once"
"Patience, don't be provoking. Talk to
me little, please: / want to be amused.
And you have not told me one syllable of
news. Amy new scholars coming after
the holidays?"
"Two-Teesie Wilson's little sister,
and"
'Teesie Wilson! That child is well
named What a torment the little witch
is. Confess now--don't your fingers often
ache to give her a cuffiingS"
Sometimes Then Rosie Gray is COM
ing back, and have the promise of two
more-Mrs Ralston's Oldest girls. The
school will be full again when they come,
and think matters look very fairly alto
gether And you? How are you getting
on, Adder"
ooh, very we'll The children tease
sometimes, but Mrs Jamison is very kind
and always upholds my authority. And
then the girls are really fond of me, and
the whole family made me such pretty
presents / must show them to you as
soon as my trunk arrives"
We were alone in the world, we two
sisters-Paticrce Carr, the schoolmis-
tress, and /, Adelaide, the governess. Ten
years before we had known the extreme
of luxury-a house in the fashionable
quarter of New York, horses, carriages,
servants, French dresses and diamonds
for Patience, broad sashes, worked mus
F., Inns and velvet suits for me. That was
when Antarctic Mail was selling at 100,
and Richard Carr, our father, was con-
sidered one of the shrewdest and most
successful of Wall street spectators.
Then, one bright day, Antarctic Mail took
downward leap, and carried my fathers
fortune with it /; his reason followed, ana
in the end his life. SO one morning a
woman and child patience and u set
forth into the world to seek, not our for
tunes, but our daily bread. There was a
difference of twelve years between Pa
tience and myself-years that were ex-
pressed by neat row of five little graves
with elegantly carved tombstones out at
Greenwood, where our brothers and Sis
tiers slept calm slumber that no depre-
citation in Antarctic Mail had power TO
disturb. Our mother had died when /
was only two years old she too had gone
where Wall street ceases from troubling
and the bulls and bears are at rest so
Patience took care of me tor six long
years, and then / being eighteen, went
forth to win my own bread as gov
erness
/ cannot say that the usual adventures
which novel writers describe as Detailing
every young woman, whether attractive
or otherwise, who goes out as governess,
ever happened to me. No handsome
youth, the only son of the family in which
taught English, French, the rudiments
of German, music and drawing, ever fell
at my feet and besought permission to re.
move me to more congenial sphere.
found cut no dark and deadly mysteries,
no hidden maniac or undiscovered crimes
nor was / ever subjected to series OF
petty sights and injuries from narrow
minded meres de famiue. / was usually
very we'll treated and fairly paid, so !
never had chance of posing myself
either as victim or heroine OF ro-
nance At the time of which / write |
was indeed as pleasantly situated as 1t is
possible for governess to be. My EN-,
ployers were cultivated, kind hearted
people, my eldest pupils intelligent, we'll
broughtup- girls, and the rest OF the call
dren not more unruly or tormenting than
healthy children, especially boys, are
apt to be- So that particular Christmas
Eve Of which write found me very much
inclined TO enjoy my holiday, and fully
prepared to enter into all the little testiy-
tiles OF the season which might fall to
my share.
1--WE are TO have roast turkey for din
ner tomorrow" remarked Patience after
brief silence
"G0ura111de, "a I"
"And what do you say to matinee
as pleasant method OF passing the
day ~ :,
You know | love play above all
things Where shall we gos-to Wal
lacks? Booths? the Fifth Avenueg"