The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1878-04-16
0urLittle Servant Maid

l never thought so little of Barbara
Darling as l did that July afternoon
when she stood by the window with a
pout on her lips and a frown on her
brow, looking out On the road with eyes
that saw nothing, and utterly oblivious
to the fact that her dear, rosy-cheeked,
bright-eyed little sister was Juggling at
her skirt with one small hand and hold
ing up her doll with the other, while
she piteously complained, "There's
sumtin berry awful wrong er matter wifi
my baby, Barba; hers broke in her side,
an can't cry any more to save her life,"
until the speaker, as though to make up
for this deficiency on the part of her
. baby" burst into loud, long and
fearless cry herself, and even then Bar
bara only pulled her dress out Of the
dimpled little hand, and said, in decid-
eddy unamiable manner, "Oh, botherW
Barbara Darling was not pretty, that
is, not very pretty-at least there was a
diversity Of opinion about her. The
young men, abiding to her eyes and
hair, spoke of violets and buttercups;
the young women, on the contrary
young women are so unpoetical when
by themselves!-sneered, "Blue china
and molasses candy" the young women
said it was lawfully babyish;" the
young men called her "a fairy" the
young women Ga dwarf"
She was the eldest of eight children
had no accomplishment, unless singing a
ballad or two passably we'll could be
called one; was eighteen years old, poor
and-and-well, to tell the honest truth,
rather high-tempered. And yet she had
for lover handsome, talented, proud,
wealthy Anthony Ditto, the match tina:
all the girls in her circle had been max
ing eyes at for a year before he, with
heart still untouched, had met "wee
Bab," as he called her.
How he came to notice her at all good.
ness knows, unless the comicality of the
introduction struck through the dignity
which enveloped him as a mantle, and
softening his heart, let her steal into it,
and then being a bury sort of little
body, he couldn't get rid of her after
:. ward.
"Miss Barbara Darling" said the pro-
voking Ned Parker, "Mr. Anthony
Ditto;" and we Eyes VEIN Bah Oar
s:lingl burst out laug hing, the names were
50 odd following each other in that man
ner, you know; and from that moment
we were excellent friends until the day
we ceased to be friends and became low
ers. "-s, y.s
Papa and mamma were delighted with
the engagement, and so was I, for of
course loved him dearly; and yet fo1
the life of me I couldn't stop what he
called flirting" though Pm sure ]
didn't mean it for that. You see every.
body is so very kind to a little woman
{: that it is almost impossible for me to be
digni6ed. She gets used to being treated
like child, and accepts pet names and
. bouquets and bonbons and gloves, and
the best Of everything, and talks and
laughs and sings with pleasant people Of
the opposite sex just as child would.
Now Anthony didn't like it-absurd
fellow! wasn't 1 going to marry him.
and he used to look, oh 50 very grim and
ogreish, and lecture me on the impro
priety of my conduct, until l felt myself
u, he most miserable of sinners; but
don't know how to account for it
always forgot the lecture as soon as il
was over, and was in disgrace again i'm
mediately =. =.
Well, the other evening--Fourth Of
July evening it was-a party of us young
fokswe to the village green to see the
pyrotechnic Il had to consult the diction.
ary before I ventured on that word) dis
play, and arriving there rather late
sssfound ourselves the last corners, and con
ssequently on the outside Of the crowd
Ned Parker and I tried to push our way
to the front, but we couldn't; and ]
didn't see q thing, excepting few
rockets and blue-lights, until the very
last, when Ned lifted me in his arms &c
that / might at last catch a glimpse Of
Washington blessing his countrymen
and women with one fire hand, while he
pointed to Roman candle that had gone
up Just then with the other.
9 6 Anthony was q. few feet away, talking
to Meta Brooke; and when I joined him,
expecting to meet with q terrible frown,
he greeted me with q charming smile.
And all the rest Of the evening he was
- amiable as possible, and though he
Mad several five:minute chances to scold
me, never said reproving word never
even referred to the George W., episode,
but he did worse-he flirted himself.
That I had never dreamed of, and /
must say that thought, at the time, it
xtas I rfsal mean thing for a great tall