Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-05-13
Tales and Sketehes.
From the Cornhill Magazine
CHARLIA.

CHARLIA.
| had fallen i'll (very injudiciously Tor
my own comfort) SO far on in the autumn
that, when l was ordered to- the sea, the
northern bathing places were beginning
to grow empty. ITO imbibe iodine, ~ said
my Doctor; which is to be recommended
as far more majestic prescription than
that of merely breathing sea-air; and my
niece, who had come to my help, was ev-
identity much impressed. and respected
the ailment which required so erudite a
remedy far more than she had done be-
fore.
She was widow, with three young
children, and was glad of the opportunity
to give her two little girls change to the
lovely spot in Wales which was chosen as
our destination. There were glorious
views of blue mountain ranges, and
stretches of green and purple sea with
endless varieties of color, for US, the
elders; sea-weeds and pebbles, and plen-
ty of shipping to delight the young ones;
and drives for us all, as began gradually
to improve, up into mountain glens and
green lanes, where the hawthorn berries
were as red as the fuchsias in the cottage
garden. Even pass" was not quite out
of reach of the strong ones. a
Our time passed very pleasantly; the
place thinned every day, but this was no
grief to us. The smart young ladies with
indescribable hats, the drabby old ones
with trailing gowns, were rather amusing
at first to watch, but when the novelty
wore off their garments, fearful and won
derful to behold in combinations Of color
and shape, and of the jackets and hats of
the men, which seemed to have been
chosen from an ascetic desire to make
themselves hideous, it was rather o relief
to get rid of them all The few mice peo-
pie kept themselves to theirselves," as my
old maid observed, while we were quite
sufficient for our own amusement.
We had great many acquaintances,
however, of Ole kind or another; for the
youngest OF my niece's children, aged
eight, was a young person of most so.
cial turn of mind She knew every dog
and ca: by its name in all the lodging
houses near. The old washerwoman who
spread her clothes on the beach to air, and
fastened them down with stones, was her
particular friend. Il can help to pin
them tight for her, you know" We knew
all about the milk-woman's little girl
through her, and the mother Ofthe donkey
chair driver, demoralized as usual by the
shifting population of watering place.
"a bad little chap" said his unpreiudiced
parent.
There was q small boy with hip COM
plant three doors from us, in whom she
took lively interest. "He's the son of
sailor, Mummie, and he's seven years old.
Auntie, do hear; you're not listening. And
his names Jem: and he's brought up
pussy what was going to be drowned, and
he gives il half his milk
Very bad for him, poor little man
scrofulous, daresay," said prosaically.
"Ob, Auntie; how can you say it's
bad p cried Janet. her eyes sparkling with
wrath at my want of poetry. "And he's
hung up little strings with knots to them,
and he makes her-that's the Kitty-do
her 'gymnacts' every day up them. And
when she's tired he makes her go to sleep
in hammock he's made for her with
string, and he's hung it up in the window,
only think ~ After which we had in the
little lame boy to tea. Another day it
was-"Look at that old crooked gentle
man, with a comforter and two sticks.
Sarah says he was once in the horse SOL
think and rode at the saw
ages somewhere a great way off, and
spitted 'em on his great sword like so ma
ny toads." es
But toads are not made to be spitted.
hope you don't think so, dear?" said |,
somewhat anxiously.
"Oh, no! Auntie, and Willy, doesn't
neither: for l never heard him say so.'
Willy was her brother, and an authority
without appeal in her eyes on all points OF
morals and manners.
After this we always had kindly nod
from the paralytic old Colonel to his ad-
mirer. Janet was not exactly a tiirt. but
she decidedly preferred the society of gen.
tlemen as more amusing.
So we went on till we knew the biogra-
phies, mythical or real, of half our neigh
bors, including that OF our landlord, a
silent, rather stern-looking man, who went
of every morning (to something in the
Customs" said Jane) in coat somehow
one of naval uniform. Seon
we heard how Mr.. Davies had been in the
Royal Navy. and the name of the ship.
and OF his captain, and the model he. had
made of the ''Warspite," and many inter-
esting particulars concerning her tonnage.
Also OF the only daughter OF the house who
had been at ''such q genteel school on the
dent here how very faithful was the re-
por). land her name is Charla (wasn't
it funny name p because the Captains
name was Charles. and he was her god
father. And Mr.. Davies says, i want my
little girl back very badly;' he calls her
his little girl. and she's eighteen, Auntie
Isn't it funny? And she sings so beanti-
fully. he says. The men of Harlech,' and
All through the Night Iwant to hear
her very much-and it has a chorus.
Don't you think she may come home be-
fore we go. because want very much to
see her' Do ask Mr.. Davies to fetch her,
Auntie."
am afraid my interest in Miss Charlia,
in spite of her curious name, was not at
all thought up to the mark by the ardent
Janet.
We had gone on very happily for three
weeks, when my niece heard suddenly that
her only boy was i'll with scarlatina at
school. Scarlatina means scarlet fever In
an anxious mothers ears, and she was OF
course longing to be off. 1t was so much
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