Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1878-05-01

shaded; and Amy spent several min
utes before her eyeS fresh from the
noontide blaze, could distinguish the
objects of stately furniture, the mirrors
rejecting obscurity, the black pedestals
with life-size busfs Of bronze, and the
dark pictures that filled these cheer
| ees rooms.
4 A lady entered, and Amy arose,
trembling. The lady was in travelling
costume, and carried, as il in act of de-
payture, sachel and blanket-shawl.
She motioned to Amy to be seated, and
herself, in stiffest possible attitude, ap-
propriated an armchair. She was tall
and gaunt and severe. With sharply
assumptive and grating voice she enter
ed into examinations:
How old are your?
II shall be twenty-one in two years."
."Too young. Where were you edu-
Gated? What are your qualifications
To whom do you refer? What system
do you use in the study of languages ?
What method do you employ in teach
ing music, and in drawing and water
color? Give me your answers as ex-
peditiously as possible. The train starts
at Has; the carriage should be here at
this moment. l am going to Montreal
for month, and am unwilling to leave
my niece alone. We have been singu-
larly unfortunate in the applications
we have received, and I see now at a
glance"
Every cloud has its silver lining, and
the compensation Of an incessant
talker is the meagre opportunity afford
ed to the respondent for any gushing
redundance of self-betrayal or after re-
pented confidence. If Mrs. Edgerly
had been less absorbent of the situation,
Amy would have Jared worse. For
having named her school, adding nerv-
ously," And my teachers were fond of
me, very fond Of me-" and having, with
what seemed to herself happy inspir-
alton Of the moment, referred for per-
sonal qualifications to her brother and
the family physician, and abiding rap
idly to modern languages, with vague
sprinkling Of Pendergrast, Otto, Ollen-
dorf, Legendre, and, with some spright-
illness, asserted that her music teacher
had taken finishing lessons from Timm,
and used both Bertini and Muller, and
her drawing-master studied in Paris,
and finally declared with real warmth
that she loved dancing, and could teach
dancing, she was sure, quite well, be-
cause she had taught Jack, the most
awkward boy in the world, to waltz in
the parlor without overturning the
vases, or tangling himself in his part
ner's gown, or dashing through the
window-sash, Us no teacher before could
ever do, her resources of self-recom-
mendation subsidized. Inquiry beneath
the surface might perhaps have proved
fatal.
But Mrs. Edgerly icterposed. "And
our cook has given us warning. IT'S
pity, for although she has fiery tenn
per, she pleases brother. With difficult
ty l have persuaded her to remain a
month. The waitress, too, expresses
dissatisfaction; the seamstress, think,
is more reliable; but altogether the
household is in state particularly un-
fitted to be managed by mere child
like my niece Martha, who, however. is
head of the house, and you will call
her Miss Martha, please. And need
for the place an experienced person.
But really, as this is the last moment,
and you may be better than no one,
perhaps had better engage you for one
month; provided, of course, that your
credentials"
"The cab is at the door, mem, and
says he's late, and must hurry up; and
oh! here is Mr.. Rainor himself"
And a gentleman entered in some
haste, merely saying, rs was presented
to Miss Jennings, twill see you in
few moments" and hurried his sister to
the carriage, she all the way endcavor-
ing to impress upon him how very un-
favorable an opinion she had formed Of
the capacity and experience Of the new
governess, "to be engaged only for a
month, you know; and it was necessary
to have some one at once"
Her last act, as the cab drove off was
to thrust her head through the window,
with an expression of dire solemnity,
and say, with a groan, Brother, we've
gone through the woods TO pick up the
crooked stick at last"
Mr.. Rainor returning to the parlor,
supposing that his sister had arranged
all preliminaries. only said, show soon
can you come, Miss Jennirgs?"
Tomorrow morning, if you like"
answered Amy.
"Let it be, then, by ten, o'clock, so
that may present my little daughter,
and see you established before l go
down town."
"Just what you might have expected
from such willful girl" said Amy's sis
lor k,,b,Vl whn uyaS nat