The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1875-11-17
Vol. XII.

With which be slipshodded ovel
to the closet near the desk anc
producing therefrom large broom
began 10 sweep vigorously. "WisE
you'd come earlier, Quiggs," said
Snaggles' young men, as the dust
greeted their nostrils; but Quiggs
only grunted and swept on the
more vigorously. When the store
was nicely cleaned be betook him.
self to the pavement in front, and
was still sweeping away there
when Miss Leonora Snaggles made
her appearance through the door
in the rear Of the store-which,
by-tbe-bye, communicated with
the apartments occupied by the
Snaggles family-and, accompani-
ed by hsr father, pompous-look.
ing, purse-proud fellow, was Install
ed at the desk in due state, queen
in her own right, who gazed sen
timentally off into the distance
with her large, dark eyes, and cap
tivated Snaggles' clerks immedi-
ately with her beauty and grace.
Yet she was not at all as they i'm
agined her to be. Her hair was
dark, her complexion brilliant, but
her manners were tinged with the
utmost sadness.
"She has the air Of q martyr"
Thomas Gibbs observed ; whereat
Snaggles' clerks all nodded their
heads afirmatively, though they
hadn't an idea what it meant; but
it sounded we'll and seemed roman
tic. When the clerks were intro
duced to Miss Leonora Snaggles,
she raised her eyes with strange
ly sad look, bowed gravely,
and lowered them in such a way
as to display to advantage the fine
fringes of her eyelashes. "By
Jover' affirmed Gregory, "that
look Of hers and that way of hers
are just stunnin'."
And so Miss Snaggles was placed
upon her throne-a position she
occupied with dignity and grace,
though she did not always make
change right, and seemed at times
not quite as absorbed as she might
have been in her business, but sat
often for hours al a time reading
poetry and devouring novels and
nanching on chocolate drops, for
which by-the-bye, she was contin-
ually dispatching the errand boy,
Quiggs. But whatever she did
Snaggles' clerks thought bewltch-
ing; and she keeping them at a
distance, yet had them all her de-
voted slaves, so great was their ad-
miration for the dark-eyed beau
ty. Gregory was sure she was
desperately taken with him, and
that was the reason Of her fond
ness for poetry and candy; whilst
Gibbs rejoiced in his secret heart
that be was such a stylish, we'll
dressed fellow, it was no wonder
all the girls liked him. But old
Snaggles was a great spy upon Le-
onora, and often spoke sharply
to her about mistakes in the
accounts and darkly limited at the
banishment of poetry and novels
from the desk, whereat his daugh-
ter would sometimes burst into
tears, and disappear amidst the
sympathetic regards of Snaggles'
clerks. One day Snaggles limited
at something which set Gregory
and Gibbs frantic.
"You foolish girl, you!" said
the enraged man-Snaggles We
mean-as he stopped at the desk
and distracted a volume Of Owen
Meredith from Leonora's hands.
"Here you've been two months
in this store and it hasn't cured
you yet? | believe I'll leave you
alone to your fate-poverty and
tomfoolery, Miss spaggles. Yes,
I repeat,poverty and tomfoolery !"
And Snaggles' angry hand having
caught at the blue and gold vol
ume of poetry, and thrown it vio-
lently across the store, it landed
upon the Uranium of Quiggs, who
stood by one Of the counters dust
ing the books. Quiggs started
abruptly, and an angry flush stole
over his face. Leonera lifted her
fearful eyes and smiled beamingly
upon him. She was always so
good and condescending! The end
of this scene was Miss Snaggles'
disappearance for two whole days,
and the reinstatement Of her fa-
ther at the desk and meanwhile