The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-08-30
A QUEER COURTSHIP,

ohiu uloNo up W tue uOOr one Q1Snu, anu
[ went out to get the package, to sec
brother Joshua's daughter Jemima on
the seat with Sam, chatting and laugh
ing away as merry as a cricket. I was
powerful glad to see the child, but
dreadfully mortified to find her tucked
i'll there with the driver. 1 told Sam
pretty sharply that he ought to know
better, for there was plenty of room in
side, and I didn't know what the board
ers over the way would think of it.
She was bound to ride outside, -
said Sam and a willful woman must
have her way"
"Why, it's all the fashion up our
way" said Mime. "The summer
boarders swarm all over the tops of the
coaches like SO many lovely bees but
if it hurts anybody's feelings, I'm sorry.
A school-marm must mind her p's and
g's."
" A school-marm ?" I said, wondering
what the child meant. Then she told
me she'd come out to take the poor little
widow woman's place ; that she'd writ
ten to Mr.. Steele, the schoolmaster, for
she couldn't get along at theschool there.
" 1t would take saint to put up with
their airs and their interference, and you
know L like to havo my own vay," Soid
my niece Jemima.
"Out of the frying-pan into the fire,
Mime" said. "The schoolmaster has
it all his own way here, and he's little
better than a brute. I've seen under
my own eyes woman's heart almost
broken with him." Then I went on to
tell how he'd tormented the poor widow
woman into giving up the place, and
how I'd seen her worry and fret till the
skin fairly dropped off her bones.
"Pooh pooh ~ said my niece "the
skin won't drop off my bones, aunty."
And L couldn't help thinking what a
pity it would be if it did, for winter and
finer and wholesomer skin never did
see. 1t was the kind that so often comes
with red hair, and lovelier color never
was in blossom than blOomedin Mines
cheek when she cried out:
"Ive got to fight it out somewhere,
aunty let him mind his own business,
and I'll mind mine %
couldn't, bear the thoughts of her
spirits and health being broken by that
dreadful Mr. Steele.
"Tll tell you, Mime," I said, as she
dried the dishes for me, "what we'll
do. You shall stay at home with me
and help about the shop; there's bon,
nets now and then to trim, and lots of
little knickknacks in worsted work to be
made"
"Now, aunty," said Mime, "a buffalo
would be less clumsy at trimminga bon
net than L would, and as for worsted
work -
"I suppose So" said, for could
uoo ebo ,yoe a1 70 faoob
The next morning she went to school,
and for a month or so everything went
right, and 1 didn't hear word of
complaint from. her. She made fun
enough for the schoolmaster, and said
he didn't know how to manage the boys,
and made himself more trouble than was
necessary that coaxing word of hers
went further than dozen slashes with
that rod of his but every one had their
own way, and it was none of her busi-
ness. She was getting along splendid
ly, and the smaller children were quite
delighted with a way she had of
picturing out things on the black
board. Mime was quite ready with her
pencil, and had made us laugh, Sam
Riley and me, many time by scrawling
off funny conceits on paper. Sam Riley
began to drop in at night, and L noticed
he was quite taken with Mime. Sam
was well-to-do, and, outside of his line
of stages, owned fine house down on
the main road. Sam didn't mind being
hit off himself once III while-him and
his horses and passengers and all he
used to sit back in his chair and laugh
till the tears rolled down his cheeks.
and look over at me, winking and blink
ing, and whispering, under his breath,
what wonderful woman she was.
"Shes as fresh and handsome as
rose" he would say when Mime was out
of the room "and what health she's
,Sot, and what spirits -
II could see how things we're going
Dear dear L used to sit and picture it
all out to myself, and think how nice il
woul@ be to have Mime settled near me.
for life. So when she came home one
afternoon from school, with a bright
spot burning on either cheek, an angry
flame in Nher eyes, and said to me that
war had ibegun between her and Mr..
Steele, / didn't so much mind, for 1
thought the sooner she got discouraged
the better. Sam was well ON to thirty,
and though Mines skin made her look
younger than she was, there wasn't SO
much difference as you'd think between
their ages.
"He's forbidden my illustration on the
blackboard, aunty," said Mime; and
though 1 didn't know one bit of board