The Beaufort tribune and Port Royal commercial. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1877-1879, 1877-09-06
A QUEER COURTSHIP.

You can just fancy how I felt when
Sam drove up to the door one night, and
I went out to get the package, to see
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
in there with the driver. I 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
q's."
GA school-marm ?" / 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 st theschool there.
cit would take saint to put up with
their airs and their interference, and you
know / like to have my own way, said
my niece Jemima.
"Out of the frying-pan into the fire,
Mime" I 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 a woman's heart almost
broken with him." Then 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.
"Poohi pooh :" said my niece /; "the
skin won't drop off my bones, aunty."
And / couldn't help thinking what
pity it would be if it did, for whittier and
finer and wholesomer skin I 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:
"Pve got to fight it out somewhere,
aunby Leu ullu lnluu ulS 'oWh OuoAnOoo,
and I'll mind mine p
Icouldn't bear the thoughts of her
spirits and health being broken by that
dreadful Mr.. Steele. &
ell tell you, Mime" / 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 trimmings a bon
net than I would, and as for worsted
work -
CT suppose So" I said, for I could
see she was determined to teach.
The next morning she went to school,
and for month or so everything went
right, and I didn't hear a 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 a dozen slashes with
that rod of his; but every one had their
own way, and it was none of her bust
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 1 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 Ia 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.
"She's as fresh and handsome as a
rose he would say when Mime was out
of the room; "and what health she's
got, and what spirits J!
could see how things were going.
Dear! dear! used to sit and picture 1t
all out to myself, and think how nice it
would be to have Mime settled near me
for life. So when she came home one
afternoon from school, with bright
spot burning on either cheek, an angry
flame in her eyes, and said to me that
war had begun between her and MIR.
Steele, I didn't so much mind, for ]
thought the sooner she got discouraged
the better. Sam was well Oh to thirty,
and though Mines skin made her look
Younger than she was, there wasn't SC
much difference as you'd think between
their ages.
"He's forbidden my illustration on the
blackboard, aunty," said Mime; and
though didn't know one bit of boaro