The Van Buren press., 1878-09-03
VAN BUISEN, ARK, SEPTEMBER 3, 1878.


and sparrows fitted tamely across the
faded sward.
Amy gazed at this wintry park while
she stood in the doorway of the strange
house waiting for some one to answer
the bell. She waited long, and when
the door was opened, the face that re
sponded to her timid "Miss Jennings !;
an answer to the advertisement for gov
erness,' was so stern and repelling, her
heart sank with sudden chill This de-
pressing impression was not lesscned
when she entered.
Alady entered, and Amy arose, trem.
bling. The lady was in travelling cos
tune, and carried, as If in act of depart.
ure, a sachel and blanket shawl. She
motioned to Amy to be seated, and her.
self in stiffest possible attitue, ap-
proprated an arm chair. She was tall
and gaunt and severe With SHARP
assumptive and grating voice she entered
into examination
"How old are you|
:" / shall be twenty-one in two years, :
"Too Young, Where were you edu
Gated ? What are your qualifications
To whom do you refer9 What system
do you use in the study of languages
What method do you employ in teaching
music, and in drawing and water color
Give me your answers as expeditiously
as possible The train starts at III AS
the carriage should be here at this mo
ment. l am going to Montreal for a
month, and am unwilling to leave my
niece alone And our cook has given us
warning. 'Tis pity, for although she
has fiery temper, she pleases brother
With difficulty ! have persuaded her te
remain month. The waitress, too
expresses Dissatisfaction the seamstress
| think, is more reliable but altogether
the household is in a state particularly
untitled to be managed by a mere child
like my niece Martha, who, however, is
head Of the house. and you will cal
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, per
haps had better engage you for one
month; provided, Of course, that YOU
credentials"
"Thc cab is at the door, mem. and says
he's late, and must hurry up; and-oh
here is Mr. Rainor himself"
And a gen tleman entered in some haste
merely saying, as he was presented te
Miss Jennings, II will see you in fes
moments and hurried his sister to th'
carriage, she all the way endeavoring to
impress upon him how very unfavorahl'
an opinion she had formed OF the capa
city and experience of the new governess
"to be engaged only for the month, yol
know; and it was necessary to have som
Her fast act as the cab drove orr, .v..
to thrust her head through the window
with an expression of dire soemnity, ant
say, with groan, "Brother, we've gone
through the woods to pick up the crook
ed stick at last"
Mr.. Rainor returning to the parlor
supposng that his sister had arranged
all preliminaries, only said "How sool
can you come, Miss jennings"
"To morrow morning. if you like,
answered Amy.
"Let it be, then, by ten O'Clock Sc
that may present my little daughter
and see you established before go dowl
town"
"Just what you might have expected
from such wllful girl" said Amy's sis
ter-n~law to her husband, who was pet
rfed with astonishment when he learn
ed that his pretty, sprightly sister
who seemed to him "all smiles ant
who "just out Of school, had been re
I ceived most lovingly on his part into hi
aflluent home, had engaged to "go a
governess."
alt is a girlish freak" he said e"
cannot consent to it. But Amy shock
ed him into acquiesence by tempestu
Gus outpouring of her story of home
sickness and unhappiness and although
he was sorely puzzled to conceive hoy
his wife could have been cruel to Amy
or rather how Amy could have imaginet
his wife to be cruel, he finally-consider
ing that the engagement was only for
month, and Mr.. Rainor happened to b
known to him as one of the most estim
able of citizens--gave his reluctant con
sent, saying to his wife, caressingly
She'll come back to us, Matilda, at tn
end of the month, quite cured of he
girlish homesckness.
So Amy appeared the next morning
by ten o'clock in the breakfast-room o
Mr. Rainor. and was presented to his lii
tie daughter.
The child was an angular, awkward
girl. with sharp, delicate features and i'm
me- Sc black eyes that seemed to be peer
ing forth from an extremely active intelli
gence with a suspicious vigilance that tt
Amy was really formidable.
~ had hoped she would have resem
bled her father" thought Amy, despair
ingly. 81 like Mr.. Rainor. But thi
child is Mrs Edgely in miniature. Wha
shall do with her ?"
Little Miss Martha, clnging devoutly
to her father, received ber new governes
as she would have received the gift o
some wild and unknown animal, who's
claws or talons or teeth it were well t
beware of,
Mr., Rainor, glancing at his watch
found that he was too late to go through
the rooms and look over school books, a
he had intended; but he said, kindly, a
with Martha's fond assistance he wa
putting on his overcoat to go down town
"You will examine the ground to-day
Miss Jennings. Matte will assist you
There will probably be some things tha
you will want. Perhaps you had bette