The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-11-27
DOLLY,

ans III Sunu0rs IN b6L1leQem, HSQn-
sylvaDia, he said. cts the only place
where one can catch a flavor of age in
this cursedly new country"
The little fellow, from his yellow
Dundreary whiskeTs to his dainty gait
ers, was mere exaggeratiOn of his
mothers aesthetic sensibilitjes. If na-
ture had thrown in to boot little back
bone, or stomach, or passions, it would
have been better, but no matter. As
things were, one was not surprised the
country Jared on him. The old Mora
Wan town had apparently contented
him he had made studies of the bridge
and the quaint Eagle hotel, and the
fortress-like Brother and Sister and
Gemein houses, which the first settlers
built in the wilderness, of solid stone,
and which stand now unaItered in the
village street, solid enough to last for
ages. He had the gray, massive piles
IN crayOns, and in water-colors, and in
oils, with the yellow harvest sky behind
them, or a thunder cloud, or the pale
pink of spring dawn. H6re was a bit
OF buttress with wild ivy flaming red
over it there was a dim interior Of q
stone corridor, and an old woman,
cloaked, with velvet slippers and blue
handkerchief on her head, sat on high
backed bench, lingering the dusty strings
OF an old violin, which she had Just
taken from its case.
THAT" he said, "is one of the old
Sisters, Frau Baum. The Moravian
missionaries come home to these houses
when their work is done, and find shell
ter and repose. Life in them is but a
long, calm twilight. That violin was
unearthed one day from some closet
where 1t had been buried almost q
hundred years. If it had been knock
ing about the world IN that time. lust
think OF the thousands Of waltzes and
dances and song tunes it would have
given to people It would have been
worn out, or at least have been common
and unclean. But there it lay, with all
its music, sacred and dumb, unwakened
within it. I like to think of that"
L could not follow the young mans
fantastic talk. These houses seem to
have had secret enchantment of some
kind for yOu," I said, turning over the
loose sheets; and just as I spoke I
guessed that 1 had found the enchant-
ment. took up a carefuIly-fnished
picture of the door of the Sister house.
a deep arched cut in the stone. In it,
as IN a frame, was young girl looking
0H@~-N WIN q ROOu-OYe before
she disappeared in the darkness, There
was another sketch of the same Young
woman standing in the graveyard. her
hands clasped, her eyes bent Thought
fully on the rows Of fiat gray stones at
her feet.
&C. portrait, George ?"
Yes" He hesitated. "The niece
of old Sister Baum. She is nothing
but child-has lived her sixteen years
in that old house, just as pure as
flower that never felt the outside air.
Did you ever see innocence or unseIf-
lshness shine so transparent in any face?
DOlIy-that Is her name-DOrothea.
That is poor picture enough; the real
Dolly, with the simmer of yellow hair
about her face, is fairer than one of
Correggio's Madonnas."
Thought Dolly much less insipid than
any of those virgins, who, surely, were
only Immaculate from sheer lack of
ideas. There were inexhaustibIe re-
sources of honesty and friendliness, and
sweet temper, In this soft, pink tinted,
face.
''Your Dorothea could bear the out
side air." I suggested.
She Will never be tried, I hope, 4"
suddenly shutting the portfolio with a
scowl Surroundings make life, as
a background & picture. This little
girl will not leave the Sister House IN
til-until I come back for her."
He went on to convince me and him
self of the wisdom of marrying her.
The ordinary run of American girls
were necessarily tainted by the public
ity of their training and free manners.
This girl ha dbeen reared in a secIusion
equal to that of French convent, etc,
etc. The Fannings, mother aud son,
who stood on q level above considera-
ton of wealth, oonventlonality, or even
birth. l thought that there was every
probability that Dolly's hiatory. as It
had begun like story in a cheap mag
azine, would end in the same romantic
groove. Mrs. Tanning was precisely the
woman to rejoice at her daughter-in-
laws picturesque antecedents, more
than IN a dover of Pennsylvania Central
stock, and would go through society
making out of Moravians, and old sis
tiers. and Gemein Houses a halo for this
gIorifed Manenna.
George Tanning had been gone for a
year, however, when, being on a visit
to Bethlehem, I heard mention of an
auction sale of some old chairs and
crockery belonging to a sister Baum,
who had died the week before certain
lovers of rococo furniture bewailipg an
ancient clock, which had brought TWEEN
ty-fve cents, and a priceless haTpsichord
sold for frewood. Dolly, I learned, had
been carried off by cousin, living In
Pennsylvania, who charged herself
with the girls keep" She was, they
assured me, " s helpful young woman,
a good housekeeper, aud the best hand
with children" which is more than
could be predicted on sight of any pic
tured Madonna of southern Europe.
Dolly and her fortunes had died out
of my memory when, a couple of years
later, I landed from an old-fashioned
stage-ooach, with a dozen other passen-
gers, late at night, at the door of a pre-
tentious inn In q country town In the
Allechanies. It was raining hard out
side cross women in waterproofs,
whining little boys IN knickerbockers,
lunch baskets. screaming babies in crush
ed. white-plumed hats, umbrellas, and
gaping leather valises, were huddled IN
one damp mass In the whiteE ashed par
lor. a kerosene lamp faring on tue man
tie-sheIf, and lady boarder, with rcd
chignon, calmly played Twilight
Dews" on the piano.
Suddenly, enter to us-Dolly. Her
marvellous hair not in a fTOwzy halo, bus
tucked up IN a comb. She was ready,
low-voiced she wore an apron with the
pockets full of keys. 1 knew her the
moment she opened the door. She
went quickly, q1ietly, Done and another.
Yes, NADIA "A, the rooms are ready
Yes, the fire is burning quite clear.
And You are all back already? Where
are the dear children Let the baby
come to Dolly. shall have time to
put her to sleep presently, All, how