The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-11-02


clay-but a negrcss with presence lik
cloudy Summer night-that brough
an atmosphere of thick darkness will
herewith teeth glaring like so man.
marble slabs ranged round the mouth O
coal-pit, and way of looking at ont
with the whites of her eyes thorough,
impressive.
"a very remarkable domestic =
thought Miss Becky, and she could no
have thought more strongly-by reason
of her nature-if Madame Migand hac
brought tame gorilla into the apart
ment in the same capacity.
Pears like young missis done rims
TO- Saurp said the concentration O
midnight, with a majestic wave of {
voluminous white apron.
II want my fortune told, Saur."
"Ki-yi! Yous tink ole Saur kin tel
fortin! Glare to goodness, Missy Mego
Imos' forgitp
Nonsense, Saur! A true witch.nevel
forgets which way to stroke the black
cat. There is my handl You ought tC
be able to read good fortune out of it
1t is clean, considering the age"
To be shuah, tits clean, but dat goi
nothin' tall to do wild de fortinp
And Saur adjusted an immense and
carefully-wiped pair of iron-bowet
spectacles astride the low bridge between
her involuting orbs.
"You's got a mighty leetle ham, Miss,
MegO, but it done go fur to hoP a heeI
oh trubble. De las part OBJ you ms lifi
gwine fur to be de mos cumfurtublest
You's he'd bad spell when you's half
growed pickaninny, and you's los {
tiien'. 'Spect like as not young missy
marry gin-two, free times but keep /
eye out, Missy Mego; you's fin fa's,
sweetheart un'er paintee face, an {
treu lub un'er a brac cloak! Sho, e
long dar, honey! dat all ole Saur kir
tell!''
The widow smiled queer little smile
across the table; the cuckoo upon the
mantle few out from its hiding and
cooed its melancholy note of time; the
dOor-bell startled the silence with sud
den peals, and Saur rolled away.
"Hi, missy, tits dat disrespectabul
Massa Richard Mego. He in de blue
pahlah. He done look like skeercrow
in cawn6el-like de berry ole debbel
hese'f. He gone fo' to say dat he had
on monkey dress, an he tOtched youn's
dominoesl"
"You are crazy, Saur. Show him in
here, and let us know what all this il
about. 1t is the quickest way 10 dispose
of him"
:" He done show hese'f in," grumbled
Saur, and voice behind her, round and
full as if from Stentor's lungs, called
out:
"a fair evening, ladies! What were
you saying of me, cousin mineT'
"Ah, Dick, you should not follow 81
close upon your announcement unless
you would verify the truth of the old
proverb in regard to listenersl But why
this priestly dress? What confessional
have you been ravishing Of its secrets?'
Mardi-gras Mardi-gras, madame
Would you ruin my reputation with
Miss Smooth by insinuating that
would, under any pressure of circum-
stances, obtain goods under false pre-
tepses"
"Are you going to the ball, Richard
Migand?'' asked the fair relict of his
cousin, frown distorting her small
mouth and struggling with the nervous
muscles about her dusky eyes.
eyes; and brought dominoes for
you and Miss Smooth, it you will con-
descend to cover your charming faces,
and look down upon the city in carnival
clothesw
Madame's face frightened.
"The thing of all things that / should
like |" she said and Miss Becky Smooth
again bowed too kindly for the safety OF
the complacent countenance, thinking,
no doubt, while the small cords in the
thin neck squeaked assent, that she
should never know quite how eccentric
was the relict of Migand unless she fol-
lowed her out in all the unusualities
about which the dear world told her.
"You's mind old Saur, missy, an keep
a eye openI' said the black, as she tied
the lace full over the widows pretty
face. "You's never kin know wher'
you'm gwine fo' to fine it, but dere's de
ham -writin' on de wall eberywher'-
leastwise for denis dat's got de vision.
Pears like as if dar's sumfin gwine to
come long oh dis masticatin' derange-
ment. Ole Saur feel it in her bones
clare to goodness / dop'
What bewitching, bewildering whirl-
igig of red devils and white angels, of
gray nuns and spangled dancing girls,
Of monks and mountebanks, Of fauns
and fairies, of courtiers and clowns, OF
noble DANES and bare-armed milkmaids,
of booted cavaliers and rafting plowboys,
Of drab. backed Quakers and red-breasted
Bohemians at this mardi-gres ball!
A sensation of dizziness Overcame
Miss Becky Smooth as she looked down
upon it for the first time. The hoarse
roar of the multitude, broken by shrieks
of laughter, by shrill, many-voiced cries
of delight, by ringing huzzas and the
high notes of French horns, came to the
attenuated maiden's ears like the far-off
echoes of some dream-orgy; but the
widow of Migand leaned far out Of the
box, painting to join the tumultuous
cosmos below, intoxicated with its music,
its madness, its changing, many-colored
lights, and watching the dancers with
nervous foot until her eye had singled
out from that giddy throng two walters
conspicuous even in this carnival OF
license and folly.
at is impossible, Miss Becky" said
the relict of Migand; "no gentlemen
could 80 transform himself"
But Miss Becky still thought the Rob-
ert Macaire clasping in mad abandon
the scantclothed beauty with whom he
danced wonderfully like that pinkest of
pinks, Daisy Gordon, and she kept her
eye upon the crownless hat, and smiled
in an amiable way as ever and anon a
break in that hameleon-hued wave of
humanity gave her a clear glimpse of
the noble drunkard's face blotched with
paints, of his famc-hot eyes dis6gured
with poultices, all framed in disheveled
hair against dizzy background of color.
By and by there was a rustic Of drapery
and a moving of chairs in the next box.
Then came a popping of corks, a clink
Of glasses, and voice said, all too loud
for prudence:
To our royal selves, ma beiieP'
The relict of Migand drew suddenly
close in her chair as there followed a
nause and after n soft feminipe trahla