The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-08-30
OUR STORY TELLER.
A QUEER COURTSHIP.
[Harper's Weekly.l

the little shop-keeper, rubbing her thin
hands together helplessly). | was writ |
ing 10 brother Joshua away down East, |
hundred of miles from here, and hap |
pened to tell him, among other things, |
that the widow lady that helped teach |
school here, and boarded with me, was
going away. / didn't say a word one
way or the other about Mr.. Steele, for |
what did it matter to them whether he |
was a tyrant or not? / only wanted to
tell them I'd been at good deal of ex-
pense in fitting up the room, and didn't
mind her board money so much as | did
TO have the chamber idle again, and no
body about the house but myself, though
she was poor company at the best, being
sickly in constitution and low in spirits
the most of the time, and after while
nearly driven crazy by the continual
badgering and pickering of Mr.. Steele.
She used to come home at night that
worn out, what with the wickedness of
the children and the eternal nagging of
the school-master, that I've seen her put
her head down on the table and cry fit
to break her heart. She said she couldn't
please him, do what she might, and it
was running her nerves to see him beat
the boys in the way that he did. She
/ tried to cheer her the best could, tell
ing her that boys bones were tough, and
the little rascals deserved to be paid up
for some of their deviltry. After an
an hour or two she'd come around again
and be comfortable, but, la me! what
was the use? The next day, perhaps,
she'd be worse than ever, and the Great
ure's health began to fail so, / was glad
when she.gave up and went away. She
was very down-hearted. Sam Riley, the
stage-driver, said, all the wary down to the
train, and he gave it as his opinion that
Mr.. Steele was no better than black
hearted tyrant.
Sam is such good-natured fellow that
il quite wore upon his mind, and he
stopped bit with me on his way to the
evening train to talk it over. / wanted
him to get some little things for me at
Pikeville, and while / was making out
the memorandum, Sam told me how he
pitied whatever poor body was to take
that poor creatures place.
You can just fancy how felt when
Sam drove up to the door that night, and
/ went out to get the package, to see
brother Joshua's daughter Jemima or
the seat with Sam, chatting and laugh.
ing away as merry as a cricket. / wa:
BIhu 10 Sce Tile cHllu, Du
dreadfully mortified to find hel
tucked in there with the driver. / told
Sam pretty sharply that he ought tt
room inside, and | didn't know wha
the boarders over the way would thinl
of it.
She was bound to ride outside" sale
Sam; and willful woman must hav,
her way"
"Why, it's all the fashion up ou
way" said Mime. "The summe
boarders swarm all over the tops of tn
coaches like so many lovely bees; but
it hurts any body's feeling, Pm sorry. /
school-marm must mind her p's and as
A school-marmT' / said, wonderin
what the child meant. Then she told m
she'd come out to take that poor littl
woman's place; that she'd written t
Mr.. Steele as soon as my letter was rea
at home, for she couldn't get along a
the school there.
Z" 1t would take a saint to put up wit
their airs and interference, and yo
know l like to have my own way" sal
my niece Jemima.
"Yes," / said, for had known Mime
temper from a child Any body coul
see from her hair how fiery she was; bu
the dear child was just as the good Lor
had seen fit to make her, and /, for on
never hold red-haired people accountab
for freaks of temper.
Only you can see how ridiculous
seemed to me for her to teach under NJ
Steele. "Out of the frying pan into tt
fire, Mime" said. "The school-ma
ter has it all his own way here, and he
little better than a brute. I've see
under my own eyes woman's heart a
most broken with him." Then / wei
on to tell how he'd tormented that POI
widow woman into giving up the plac
and how I'd seen her worry and fret ii
the skin fairly dropped of her bones.
Pooh! poOhp said my niece; "tl
skin won't drop off n,y bones, aunty."
pity it would be if it did, for whittier al
finer and wholesomer skin | never d
see. 1t was the kind that often com
with red hair, and a lovelier color new
was in blossom than bloomed in Mime
cheek when she cried out:
I've got to fight it out somewhe1
aunty; let him mind his own busine.
and I'll mind minep
My heart fairly warmed to the girl
she sat opposite me at the table, crunc
ing slice after slice of toast between h
white teeth, and devouring the dainti
one by one. The little widow had be
50 finicky, and had such poor appel
myself, that things came and went up
the table, and were warmed up a
fused over till body got tired
seeing them. Then she was my o,
flesh and blood, and had the Schoc
maker nose, a little high with Mime, a
freckled over the bridge bit, but s
was bonny, blithe, fresh-looking ere
ure, so different from the wretched lit
woman who had Just gone away.
] couldn't bear the thoughts of i
spirits and health being broken by I'll
dreadful Mr. Steele.
"Pll tell you, Mime" / said as $
dried the dishes for me, "what we'll {
You shall stay home with me and he
about the shop; there's bonnets now a
then to trim, and lots of little kni,
knacks in worsted-work to be made"
Now, aunty," said Mime, "a buff;
would be less clumsy at trimming a be
nets than / would, and as for worst,
work"
al suppose So" | said, for could
she was determined to teach.
The next morning she went to scho
and for month or so everything We
right, and didn't hear word of co
plaint from her. She made fun enou
OF the school-master, and said he did
know how to manage the bows, a
made himself more trouble than v
necessary; that coaxing word of h
went farther than a dozen slashes w
that rod of his; but every one had tn
way, and it was none of her busine