The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1877-03-31
THE FAIRY TOOTH.

the street as fast as the snow and ice
would let me toward the residence of
Miss Constance Howard, and had ar
rived within a few doors of the house,
when 1 saw a small, plainly dressed
young woman cautiously decending the
steps, and then as cautiously, with eyes
bent on the ground, advancing in my
direction. She wore no veil. and as she
drew near to me studied her face with
pleasure. 1t was such a bright, brown,
honest, innocent face.
"Well, sir, | was looking so earnest
ly at this bright, brown, innocent face,
and not minding my steps at all, that l
never saw large lump of ice directly
in my pathway, and tumhling over it
in the most awkward manner, was pre-
cipitated into the very arms of the small
woman, my tall lat striking her full in
the face and then bouncing off into the
street. l regained my perpendicular in
time to hear half distressed, half. sharp
little voice excaim: "Oh, my tooth -
ami see a pair of peculiar gray eyes
raised reproachfully to my face, as
pair of wOOien gloved hands went up to
a pair of charming crimson lips. Be-
fore | could utter a word of apology
and regret she had glided, Sided or
skated away, and l stood looking like
fool, and wondering whether I'D bet.
ter glide, slide or skate after her, when
saw something glttering on the ice at
my feet. | stopped aud picked it up
fairy tooth You needn't look so hOr-
ror stricken, Earl, it wasn't real one,
of course.
| "Tlsn't likely could have struck the
young creature so violent a blow as to
/ knock tooth that had grown there out
Of her mouth without knocking her
down. 1t was false one, but the tint
| est had ever seen in my life, false or
real, | looked at it moment and put it
into my pocketbook. The first ques-
ton that l asked Constance, when she
came down into the parlor to receive
me, was:
( "Who is the small woman who left
this house short time ago-brown as
a gypsy, dark arched eyebrows, nose
I retrOusse, mouth like a baby's, gray
eyes, with queer look in them, and
wooden gloves -
"Pray, how long did you look at her?"
/
1.-TWO minutes" answered /.
"You saw great deal in two min
utes," she retorted, with dsagreeaDe
| laugh. "What capital traveller and
sight-seer you would make | You could
rush through gallery of paintings, for
instance, and carry away as many in
your minds eye as those unfortunates
who, not possessing your extraordinary
talent
"Don't chaff, that's good child" l
interrupted. "Who is she?"
"She," answered Constance, with a
curl of her lip, ''is a young person, one
of my Aunt Fidelia's favOrites by the
by, I'm not included among them, "
with shrug of the shoulders and a
grimace-"who comes here every after
noon, sundays excepted, to teach my
little sisters their A B C's."
"Well, sir, did nothing but think
about the brown faced governess and
the mite Of tooth all next day, and the
next, and at last'determined to find out
where she lived and send it back to her.
anonymously, of course. 1t was such
a ridiculous thing for man to carry
around with him. II it had been a
handkerchief, or glove, or ribbon,
or flower-but it wasn't.
GLOW to find out where she lived be-
came the question, solved for me by
sheer good luck that evening, when
went to call on Constance,
"Miss Howard was not at home, but
Mrs, Fairman (Aunt Fidelia) was, and
had message for me.
| I / iu w a I'd lu
ed, as entered the room, with outward
compoSure and dignity. You remem'
Der Aunt Fidelia? A slim, keen, blue
eyed, rather dramatic old lady, with nc
nonsense about her, and very decid.
ed way of speaking.
"Constance has gone skating" she
said. "Her orders are that you follow
her. suppose you'll obey them ?"
Cant stop aud rest few mo-
ments ?" asked l.
"The old lady smiled. 81 haven't
the slightest objection" she said; ION
the contrary, | shall be glad to have
you. like you as well as like any OF
them-perhaps little better. Have
you any news ?"
, "My news was exhausted in five min.
| uANog aBphAN NV ~ aAA w Nhb blou
probation of Aunt Fidelia, who, like
most old ladies, delights much more in
talking than in listening, aud who in
i've minutes more q never could tel
, how she got there, but it was through
no questions of mine) began to hold
! forth on the subject above all others
would have choSen-the nursery COVER.
, ness.
"Such dear little thingl" she said
: land SO kind to her widowed mOtherl -
a poor seamstres,, unable ON account OF
her delicate health, to sew half the
time. / can't imagine what she would
] do if it were not for Daisy" And dc
, you know, old fellow" said Douglass
breaking off in his narrative to take 9
long Whit at his cigar and send tieecy
ring floating upward, THAT if had
: been asked to choose a name for her
that's the very name I'd have choser
I Daisy. A bright, sturdy, constant
) frank faced little flowers, making pleas
J ant the fields and meadows and rOal
sides. Are you smiling? Beg pardon
thought you were; and ! didn't wonder
at it. The girl is the life and light o.
the humble place she calls her home
and tO the eyes Of her mother there il