Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-03-14

lIGdICO Ji4C 81 DtIO1C
"But how many have you treated
so" he asked, with a smile; and I
couldn't help thinking how handsome
he looked in the silver moonlight.
Everybody has always done what
ever [ want them to do" [ went on,
stamping my foot.
" And consequently spoiled you,"
said he.
"What did you love me for, if I'm
not-not nice?"
+" Because | knew the moment / saw
you, you wee thing, you were my fate
l thought you were nice then, and
wanted to take you in my arms the
moment you smiled at me-"
"And now"
"And now l think YOU bad-temper-
ed, selfish, wilful, unreasonable little
girl"
" Indeedl" and I wrenched my hand
away, but not before he had kissed it
with the most provoking GOODNESS.
" Then We'll part, unless you change
your opinion Immediately, and promise
never to speak to Meta Brooke, again. :"
" [ shall make no such silly promise,
Barbara"
Good gracious! the idea of his calling
me Barbara
g [ have promised to drive her to the
depot tomorrow"
" You return to the city together"
" We return by the same train, rs we
have done a dozen times before"
" Co." said [, almost beside myself
with rage. I" | never want to see you
again.
care you sure, Barbara" he asked
"quite SIRE? [ think you had better
wait for a DAY or two before you ban
ish me. If by the day after tomorrow
your birthbay-you still hate me,
send me word to that effect. and I will,
the moment your note is read, accept a
position offered me this morning, and
start for a home beyond the sea. Good
night Miss Darling"
:" Goodnight, Mr. Ditto"
And he strobe away up the road, and
| picked up my ring and stole into the
house, and cried as though my heart
would break 1t was so cruel Of him
to be unkind to u poor little thing like
me.
The next morning, as [ sat on the
front porch darning the children's stock
ings-dear me 1t seems to me every
time notwithstanding time comes
around that there never could be an
other family with SO many legs as ours
Anthony drove past with Meta Brooke
at his side.
l MD behind the stocking basket I'M
til they were out of sight, and then [
flew to my desk and wrote as bitter a
note as woman twice my size could
have written, and [ sent it to the village
pOstOtfice that very evening by our lit
tie servant-maid.
Our little servant-maid is q pretty lit
tie maid with large honest gray eyes, a
small red mouth, bright chestnut hair,
Il pleasant smile, q reat plump figure,
and II remarkably cheerful disposition.
And Il clever little maid she is, too-can
wash and iron and cook and do hun
dred other things: but she possesses
one taste which interferes sadly with
the performance of her domestic duties
the most insatiate hunger for Iitera-
ture, which she gratifies whenever she
finds an opportunity, in season or out
of season, morn, noon, or night.
Potatoes ana stews are burned, bread,
cakes, and pies baked to cinders, doors
left open all night, breakfast delayed,
lunches forgotten, dinner served too
early or late-all on account of this love
of reading which characterizes our little
serVant-maid.
She nearly drowned baby once, while
giving her her bath, by letting the dar-
ling's head slip under the water, while
she devoured a story in Hmper'S Weekly
she had taken from table nearby.
She let my canary escape while she re-
moved his empty seed cup with one
hand, and held HeIen'S Babies in the 9TH
er, her eyes being fixed on the book.
She spilled the soup one dinner-time
over papa's immaculate white vest,
while trying to peep at the magazine he
was glancng over. She set the hot fiat
iron on our best damask table-cloth,
and left it there to indelibly imprint its
triangular portrait, while she hastily
read an interesting murder case in the
morning paper.
She could scarcely be got out of bed
mornings, because she was tired and
sleepy from reading the book she had
distracted from the bookcase the night
before, and when she did get up she
actually sat before the dreary-loeking
stove for half an hour or so, intently
perusing the various scraps of newspa-
per with which she should have been
lighting the fire.
In short, if she had not been the most
devoted, sunny, unselfish, fond-of-us-all
little creature, it would have been utter
ly impossible for us to have stood the
many mishaps and disasters that
Sprang from our servant-maid'S deYO-
ton to literature As it was, papa said
to her when she drenched him with
soup, Another occurrence of this ma
ture, and you 60" And mamma said
to her when she nearly drowned the
baby, Really Eleanor, if any thing as
dreadful as this happens again, we must
part" And [ said to her when she
freed my soug-bird, "The very next
wrong thing you do while reading"
and [ made significant pause and
looked
Yes. miss said Nellie. meekly,
with the tears in her gray eyes, which
didn't prevent hers, as soon as she
reached the kitchen, bursting out with
g Why, why, why didst thou leave me?"
to tune of make UP of a strange COM
bination of cold Dan Tucker" and
" The Russian Hymn"
But with the exception OF a turkey
nicely roasted and sent to table retain
ing its crop and one or two other super
t1uOus appendages to a turkey when
roasted. on account of Red as O. Rose as
She, and forgetting to put the yeast in
the bread one night beause East Lynne