The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1878-03-28
OurLittle Servant Maid,

OurLittle Servant Maid.
| never thought so little of Barbara
Darling as | 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 ewes
that saw nothing, and utterly oblivious
to the fact that her dear, rosy checked,
brlght-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
sumfin 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 a loud, long and
fearless cry herself, and even then Bar
bara only pulled her dress out of the
dlmpled little hand, and said, in a decid-
edly unamiable manner, ooh, 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 ga fairy" the
young women "a dwarf"
She was the eldest of eight children j;
had no accomplishment, unless singing a
ballad or two passably well 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 ut for a year before he, with
heart still untouched, had met "wee
Bal" 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 mantle, and
sottenlng his heart, let her steal into it,
and then being bury sort of a little
body, he couldn't get rid of her after
ward.
Miss Barbara Darling" said the pro-
voking Ned Parker, mir. Anthony
Ditto" and we Eyes VEIN Bah Oar
lingl burst out laughing, 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.
Papa and mamma were delighted with
the engagement, and so was |, for of
course | loved him dearly; and yet for
the life of me | couldn't stop what he
called " flirting" though I'm sure
didn't mean it for that You see every
body is SO very kind to little woman
that 1t Is almost impossible for me to be
dIgnlhed. 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 going to marry him? >
and he used to look, oh! so very grim and
ogrelsh, and lecture me on the impro
priety OF my conduct, until | felt myself
the most miserable of sinners; butt
don't know how to account for i'll
always forgot the lecture as soon as it
was over, and was in disgrace again i'm
mediately
Well, the other evening-Fourth of
July eyenlngit was-a party of us Young
folks went to the village green to see the
Pyrotechnic Il had TO consult the diction-
airy before | yentured on that word) dis
play, and arriving there rather late,
found ourselves the last corners, and con-
sequently on the outside of the crowd.
Ned Parker and | tried to push our way
to the front, but we couldn't; and |
didn't see a thing, excepting few
rockets and blue-lightS, until the very
last, when Ned lifted me in his arms 50
that might ut last catch 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.
Anthony was few feet away, talking
to Meta Brooke; and when Joined him,
expecting TO meet with terrible fruwn,
he greeted me with a charming smile.
And all the rest of the evening he was
as amlable As possible, and though he
had several tive-minute chances to scold
me, never said a reproving word-never
even referred to the George w, episode,
but he did worse-he fiirted himself.
That had never dreamed of, and
must say that thought, at the time. it
was real mean thing for a great tall
fellow like him to do to revenge himself
on mite like me.
Yes, he fiirted for two long, very long,
hours; and when (the party called at
our house, the children proposed kiss
ing game, he, my naughty, reserved
lover, Joined in with the bold Brooke
girl, and choose her for partner" every
time, kissing her on the mouth-and she
has a pretty mouth-as he did so.
| should have liked to box her ears.
and his too for that matter-but didn't
of course not. | sauntered about with
Ned Parker, and looked up into his face
as though every moment | discovered
some new beauty in it; and when Meta
bade me goodnight (Anthony could find
no excuse for offering to walk home with
her. her brother Dick being there). |
kissed her, and hoped that she had
enjoyed herself.
" Oh! very much-very, very much,
indeed, said she, hinging a look which
she meant to be tender, but it wasn't
she has big, black, shallow eyes-at