Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1878-01-30
FeH.

girls were the bellies of the place. Who
was it told me that Julia Lawler was
the belle of Rushtown, and that Dolly
was the incest little thing in the world |?
I'll 20 down and prove the assertion"
All this in soliloquy as Mr.. Thos Bar
dell donned his daintest walking dress
drew on his lavender kids, put on
his ylossiest silk hat oyer his crop cf
curling hair, and surveying his hand
some, faultlessly-attired self in the
long mirror, sallies forth.
Rushtown was collection Of county
seats, mile from populous borough,
and the Bardell place was one Of the
most stately Of the many superb houses
of which it was composed. Thomas
Bardwell my hero, was the nephew OF
the late owner Of the Bardell place,
asd on the death Of that gentleman
had inherited his entire property, great
ly to his own amazement, Mr.. Julius
Bardsll, deceased, having quarrelled
with every relation he had in this world,
and announced his intention Of leaving
every dollar TO charity.
That he did not, but, relenung, made
will in his nephew's favor, and
brought Mr.. Thomas Bardwell from a
college in Germany where he was fin
ishing his education, to Rushtown.
He was twenty.four, an orphan,
handsome and talented, aud had some
private fortune before his uncle's death.
That he was unspoiled, modest, and
one who held all women as little lower
than the angels, may be attributed to
the fact that he had a mother who was
true Christian lady, who loved him,
and whose death, when he had just at
tanned manhood, was the heaviest sor-
row of his life.
Rushtown was an unexplored coun-
try to my hero, but DR.. Laled being the
only physician in the place, his resi-
deuce was easily found.
The hall door stood open, the parlor
door was also stretched inyitingly wide,
and after vaninlv waiting for the ring to
be answered, Mr.. Bardell stepped in
side the vestibule.
A veico high above his head, and In
the parlor called
Tom, is that you:'
The speaker, Dolly Lawlor, whose
name be it here recorded was Mabel,
but who had been called Dolly from her
cradle, being at the paint over the
French window. heard a voice say:
1t is Tom certainly
Hand me my soap that's good fell
low said Dolly, from the lofty perch
where she WAS seated, facing ths back
windows, You know am afraid to
look down or turn around on the ladder,
l am so sure to get giddy.'
Where is the soap?' came q voice
muflled by laughing.
Close down by the ladder, where it
has just dropped. Don't dare to laugh
at me sir, for 1 am in tho depths Of af-
fiction. Papa has invited the heir to
that Bardcll place to drop in without
ceremony. Did you ever, aud we just
in the middle of spring cleaning ? So
left Jane to finish up stairs and came
down myself to make the parlor decent.
There goes my brush Hand it up ;
that's dear
The brush was handed up, Dolly not
daring to take her eyes from a level,
already feeling her head spinning with
giddiness.
I'VE can't be grand, Of course, and
the house will look mean enough after
Bardell place, but we can clean, she
continued, scrubbing vigorously at the
point. And you know, Tom he is sure
to fall in leve with Julia, and it is such
a splendid chance for her, poor dear
| She does so hate our economies, She
has gone over now to Mr.. Sampson
to finish her blue muslin, and abe CAM
help clean, because it will spoil hel
hands, and they are so pretty. Julia u
lovely ia blue, because her skin is 90
far if her hair and eyes are dark. She
will just be perfect when she IL
rich, Tom. l hope she will have him
and papa and can jog along forever
We don't mind cheap things as poor Ju
liza does. There that paint can't b'
whittier. I'm coming down, and yos
can move the ladder over to the othe
window for me, Tenn
But. cautiously descending the lad
der, Dolly only caught Asetn!
glimpse of tall figure out at the gardeI
gate.
well, she said, tugging at the heav.
ladder, if Tom was in such hurry tina
he could not move the ladder, he nigh
at least have waited to say good morn
ing
Then being the sweetest tempered o
women, though merely a rassably pref
lty girl, Dolly ascending the lasde
again, soon forgot Toms rudenesss il
the absorbing duties she had uadertak-
en-.
In the meantime Mr.. Thomas Bar
dell, shaking with laughter, wended hi
way homeward, inwardly determinini
TO make his next call at DR. Larlor'
when Miss Molly was less engaged II
the task of claiming pain and the diff
Guilty ofmaintaining her equilibrium.
For that must baSe been Miss Dolly