The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-08-21
NEAR-SIGHTRD.
SOPHIE MAY.

came so near drowning in that cane
summer before last that they took
great dislike to the water, and hav
hardly gone near it since, except {
drink. So last summer they though
they would make journey by land a
far as their money would go and, f
exc it out, they took one of Beecher
works and a book of DiO Lewis to sci
on the way. Phil can talk and he toll
the people in the little out-of-the-wa,
towns that Beecher was quite a popula
writer, as good as Mrs. Southworth
with rather a moral tone. So he solo
off his books and sent for more, whil
Ben was clearing the frog out of hi
| throat.
They had capital times, stopping t,
| see elephants and things, till by and-by
they came to town in Iowa Its 81
| large that don't dare to tell the name
! of it-and there they stayed day or two
with a friend of Ben's; and, as theil
money was low, they decided to cal
that the end of their journey. It seemed
to be very lucky that they should have
happened along just at that time, fOl
there was two young ladies IN the
family, who had been teaching drawing
and music in an academy, and wanted
~ RO DdCh IL bLlClI lOL4Cn LII GllG Gft5b +,
and " could they go in company with
the young men ? Q, how nice it would
be "
Let's see ; Phil was eighteen that
June, not fresh any more, but almost
cut and dried into a soph o, Phil, I
didn't put '' :" to the end of that
Bless your old heart you are a dear,
nice, gullible darling-so you are and,
though you do get ~ sold 4" sometimes,
we know 7our brains are sOund-sound
for boy. Not that Phil can see into
things as we girls can near sighted to
begin with, and won't wear spectacles.
And that state of things does place a
body at the mercy OF an 1nfeeling world.
His objection to spectacIes is, that
they would make him look like pro-
fessor of Greek. You see he thinks he
looks as old as anybody, and feels older
yet. 3
Well, these young ladies were named
Ann Shotwell and Fanny Hit. Miss
Hit was nice, friendly little thing.
Ben couldn't remember much about
her but as for the other one-Miss
ShotwelI-he said she was a sumner
seemed to carry ali before her ; and
people gazed at her when she came into
the cars. -.....
[ couldn't make out what the secret
of it was. for Ben's descriptive powers
are weak.
WAS it her dress ?''
He couldn't exactly say.
''S She was got up killinglY. Those
what-you- calI-'ems sewed on the skirt
with a tassel to 1t, hitched on some
where, and some fzzy-my-jigs around
the head ; lots of fummy-diddle tackled
to her somehow.
All he could describe nationally was
her boots.
French kids, all fOWered of, and
fitted like ducks foot IN mud pud-
de-"
But if Ben can't talk he can see, and
there's where he has the advantage of
Phil. He saw at once that Fanny Shot
well was a played-out coqUette, and
s'foured her face, and streaked on a
little red. :" That must have been be-
fore they began travel. She wouldn't
dare be painted in the cars would she /?
with dust blowing so.
She wore two long braids Hopping
down her back and Ben thought they
were g a dead sure thing for Certain, .
and grew on her head. But gust of
wind happened to blow under them and
he happened to see where they were
tied on a-n
That finished him, he said but he
did not mention 1t to Phil, for Phil was
growing very gallant all of a sudden.
Just fancy that boy She was a
dozen years older than he was, If she
was a day, and ought to have been sort
of a good auntie to him, and told him
when his collar was one sided, and
helped form his manners. But instead
of that the old thing undertook to firt
with him. Ben said it was fact.
When they stopped at the hotels she
played and sang straight at Phil. Her
voice was sweet, but too much IN her
throat to suit Ben. He hates operate.
Bat it took Phil right off his feet.
"Did you ever?' said he to Ben.
IF she sings like that now, what1l
she do by-and-by? 2"
Why, how old do you call her }"
said Ben,
'.About Kate's age, I guess replies
Phil.
I was sixteen that month Ben
thought he should choke. Phil was
very far gone indeed, and it was hard
work getting him to bed, he was so ab-
sorbed in the moon.
Ben didn't go into particulars, and I
had to picture it out for myself but l
could almost seem to see the whole
thing those two ereatures-Phils and
the aneieut-sitting together IN the
cars smiling at nothing; Phil strOk-
ing his chin, where the g undeFfrlDge
Ought to be; popping TO fad ancient's
old handkerchief, or open the window,
or shut it /; saying twill you allow
me ?" when she can't fasten her old
gloves.
When / can't fasten g77y gloves, its
s'Why don't you take your boot-but-
toner, Kate. That'll fetch it." But
this is "anOther, not sister," as the
song says and it makes all the differ
ence, you know.
Shouldn't wonder If he is quoting
poetry at her. He despises poetry ;
but he's learned two or three lines,
hearing me say them over. Antiquity
smirks and rolls up her eyes TO the bell
rope.
wish I did know how they do it
these hirts. Not that I would act so
myself It would be more exeusable
IN little girl like me; but, young as
lun, I'd scorn such silly behavior,
Phil runs his fingers through his halr,
and leaned forward In the most iRsin-
uating manner to hear her talk, with
the cars going rattlety bang. And there
are Ben and the other one looking on
laughing in their sleeves.
They go by the Canada route, and
stop at Niagara Falls and the night
before they get there they travel little
in the evening, and reach Niagara about
I ten O'Clock. Now, here is where the
Jokes comes IN.
It was a lovely evening. Diana
that the mOon-was daintily picking
her way through The white clouds over.
head, and Phil and Miss Ann Tiquity
sat looking at her with a very moon
struck expression. They had talked