Weekly Trinity journal., 1877-10-06
A QUEER COURTsHIP.

the little shop-keeper, rubbing her thin
hands together helplesslyl was writ
ing to brother Joshua away down East,
hund'edS of miles from here, and hap
pencd to tell him, among other things,
that the widow lady that helped teach
school here, and boarded with me, was
going away l didn't saya word one
way or smother about Mr. Steele, for
what did it matter to them whether he
was tvrant or not? l only wanted to
tell them Ia been at q good deal ot ex
pen~r ia fitting up the room, and didn't
mind her board money 81 much as | did
to have the chamber idle again, and no
body about tn. house hut myself, though
She wH~ poor company ut the best, being
Sicklv in constitution and low in spirits
the most of tn time, and after while
nearly driven crazy hv the continual
tsdge ngand hirkrring Of NJ Steele
She used IL come home at night that
worn ont. what with the wickedness OF
the children and Che eternal naggng of
the >chu lmr~ter. that I've seen her put
her head down on the table and cry iit 10
b. rnk her heart She said she couldn't
please him, do what >he might, and il
was running her nerves 70 SEQ him best
the boys in the way that he did She
ws> sure that hr'd break some of their
bones | tried to cheer her rs best
cnu 4. telling her that boys bones were
tough. aud III" little rascals deserved to
he paid mp tor some of their drviltrv.-
After nm hour or two she'd come around
again and be- com Portable, but. Ia me !
what was the usn ? The next day perhaps
she'd be worse than ever, and the crea
ture'> health began to fail so, | was glad
when She gave up and went away She
was verv d"wn-hearted, Sam Riley, the
stage-driver said all the way down to the
train, and he gave it aS his opinion that
Mr.. Steel was no better than black
hearted tyrant.
sam is such n good natured fellow that
it quite wore upon his mind, and he stop
ppd bit with me on his wav to the train
To talk it over. | wanted him to get
some little things for me st Pil<eville.
and Will" ] was making ont the memo
randum Sam told me- how he pitied
whatever poor body wn> to take that poor
c'eatnre', place.
You rAr Just fancy how | felt when
Sam drove up t. the dno' that night, and
| w'ut out Ia ct the package. to see
BROTHER ,Jn.hup'S dapght"r. JnmimN, on
the -"a' With sam. chatting md laughing
away -. mn"iv ass cricket ! wa pow
ertdl vlnd to -or m, chilA hu' drcsl,ullv
/ mortified t. soc her tucr cd in thnrn with
/ the driver. tod Sam petty >hsrp'y
! that ha ought tn know hrtier. Tor there
was plenty OF room inside, and | didnt
know what the hoa'der- over the way
w,u'd think OF it.
" Sh" wa bound TO ride outside" said
sam and willtul woman must have
her way "
" Whv, it> al the fashion up our wav,
said Mime. "Thc Summer travellers
sw,'' N AL over the tops of the coaches
like su mHnv lovely bees bnt il il hnrt
anvhodv's feelings, I'm sorry. A school
mann must mind her p, and as"
/" A school marm ?" / said, wonder
M she'd come to take that poor littl,
woman's plnce; that she'd written t.
Mr.. Steele rs soon a. any letter was reno
st home, for she couldn't get along al
the school there.
" 1t would take saint to put up will
their Mrs and their Interference, and you
know | like to have my own way" said
nv niece .Jemima.
Yes" | said, for | had known Mime.
! temper from child. Anybody could
see from her hair how fiery she was; but
/ the drar child wa> just MS the good Lord
/ hnd seen ii to mako her, and |, for one
never hold rrd-haired people accountable
| for freaks Of temper.
Only vou can see how ridiculous il
seemed to me- Tor her to teach under Mr..
/ Steele ''Out Of the frying-pa into the
! fire. Mime" ,aid. The Schonlma,teT
/ has it MI his own way here. and he's lii
/ tie better than n brute. I've seen under
my own eyes u woman's heart almost
broke with him" Then went on to
/ tell how he'd tormenled that poor widow
w"msn into giving up the place and bov
/ | d seen her worry and .rrt till the skin
fai' " dropred off her bones.
Pooh pooh :" said my niece "the
kin won't drop 1T my bones. sunty."
/ Aud l couldn't help thinking what Il
pity it would be IT it did, for winter and
/ tiurr aud wholesomer skin | never did
see. IL wa the Kind that so often come-
with red hair, aud lovelier color never
wa in blossom than bloomed in Mime.
/ cheek when she cried out
I've got to light it out somewhere,
aunty let him mind his own business,
aud III mind mine"
My heart iairly warmed to the girl as
/ -he -at opposite me at the table crunch
ing slice after slice Of toast between her
white teeth and devourng the dainties
one by one. The little widow had been
SO dnickv. and had such poor appe-
tite myself, that things came and went
upon the table and we're warmed up and
/ fused over till everybody got tired OF
seeing them. Then she was my own fesh
/ and blood, aud she had the Schoonmak
er nose little high with Mime and
freckled over the bridge bit-but shC
wa. bonnv, hhthe, fresh looking cres
ture, 50 different from the wretched littlt
woman That had Just gone away.
| couldn't bear the thoughts of hei