The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-12-18


and repenting at leisure Well, L hope
my fair cousins viii not be the cause of
such a catastrophe; but | must leave
you here, as / have a patient in this
house. - And he hastily ran up the
steps.
Left to himself, Tom sauntered slowly
along, thinking of the young ladies
whom he had Just seen. 1t must be
confessed that little Violet occupied but
a very small portion of his thoughts,
which were filed with Ida and Adele.
''But l doubt if either of them ever
saw dish-towel,r was his concluding
reflection, as he reached his boarding
house.
Weeks passed on. Tom was devoted
in his attentions to the Misses Renshaw.
Rumor had assigned him first to Ida,
then to Adele, and waited with impa-
tience for the time when the engagement
should be publicly announced.
Meanwhile, almost every day brought
some good and sufficient excuse for him
to call at Mrs. Renshaw's pleasant
house new poem, the latest song. an
invitation for a drive, or a plan for an
excursion. OF Violet he saw less than
of the other sisters, although they were
very friendly, and he treated her with
the same brotherly frankness as Harry.
One lovely June morning he present
ed himself at Mrs. Renshaw's at quite
an early hour, intending to invite the
three sisters to pass the beautiful sum-
mer day in long country drive. He
noticed that there was some delay in
answering his ring, which was not usu-
ally the case with Mrs. Renshaw's well
trained servants; but at length he heard
a light footstep, and in another moment
the door was opened by Violet. She
had a broom in her hand, and dust
ing-cap covered her bright curls; but
she bade him good morning with as
much cOrdiality as usual, and invited
him to enter, adding:
I" please walk into the dining-room,
for am just sweeping the parlors."
Secretly wondering, Tom obeyed. As
he turned the handle of the dining-room
door, there was sudden rush, hasty
bang of a, door, and hurried eXclama-
ton of &" O Violet! how could yOu?"
and he found himself in the presence of
the fair Adele, although for the moment
he scracely recognized her in the sloven-
" dressed girl, with disheveled hair,
who stood by the breakfast table dab
bling the cups and saucers in some
greasy water, and wiping them on a
towel which, to say the least, was very
far from being spotlessly clean. She
colored, and with some confusion said {:
"Ah, good morning, Mr.. Meredith.
SO you have come to find us all at work
this morning. 1t happens that we have
for our three servants a brother and two
sisters. They received this n orning the
news of their mothers dangerous illness,
and mamma at once gave them all per
mission to 90 home. We supposed {
could get a woman who sometimes does
extra work for us, but she was engaged
for the day, so we are obliged to do the
best we can ourselves. L assure you, -
she continued, with a little laugh, which
Tom had often thought pretty and en-
gaging, but which now sounded false
and affected, - that l am by no means
accustomed TO such work, nor have
any desire to become So
!" Can not you allow me TO assist
you?n asked Tom, politely. q wa;
brought up on farm, and have otter
washed dishes and made myself gener
ally useful in the kitchen"
"You!" exclaimed Adele, i'll such al
astOnished tone, that Tom could not for
bear laughing.
''Yes, certainly; why notP' asked
Tom.
"Oh, l don't know-only thought
YOU never did any thing" stammereC
! Adele; then endeavOring TO seem a
| ease, she said, . Yes, if you will help
please take this teakettle into the kitchel
/ and set it on the stove"
Tom seized the kettle, and THROWN!
open the door leading to the kitchen
was crossing the room toward the stOv
when his progress was arrested by tn
| sudden appearance of Ida from a store
room beyond If Adele looked slovenl
and disheveled, what shall be said {
Ida? An old dress, dirty and torn, slip
tpers run down at the heel and burst OF
at the sides, no collar or ruffle, very Iii
tie hair, instead of the magnificer
tresses he had so often admired, an
what there was hanging uncombed aboI
her face, no wonder that Tom started
blank astOnishment.
A heavy frown took the place of th
usual smiles, as she curtly bade hll
good morning. Tom muttered an apo
ogv for his intrusion as he deposited h
burden on the stove, and turned to II
trace his steps Just as Violet entered I'll
! dining-roOm. She did not see him, bu
) addressing Ida, said
- Run away, now, Ida dear, and dres
/ before the callers come for you. hay
= already sent Adele upstairs, and wi
= finish the dishes, now that l have dor
my sweeping"
You have been long enough abOl
: it, hope, muttered Ida, ungraciousl
| but nevertheless availing herself of h
: sisters offer with much alacrit
! "Here are the dish-tOwels, Violet, A" 81
T. said, extending several greasy, blac
e ened articles to the young girl.
1 Tom had been meditating an escap,
{ not an easy affair, as the sisters stoC
t directly in his path; but at the wol
| dish-towels he involuntarily stopped al
1 glanced around.
:, a. No wonder my grandmother ca
1 toned me, p" was his first thought, as t
soiled towels met his sight, and
! hastily approved the look of disgu
which crossed Violet's face as she la
0 them aside, and, opening a drawer, S
took from it a plentiful supply, soft, d
l and clean.
Ida and Adele had both disappeare
: and Tom ventured to renew his offer
: assistance to Violet, who started a litt
y as she for the first time noticed his pre-
: ence. But she recovered her composu
, at once. and quietly answered, as 5
deity filed the dish-pan with clean, b
suds-
Il mo, thank you, Mr.. Meredith,
a shall do very well without assistant
q My sisters have not left much for me
IS do. You had better walk into the pi
lor, and they win soon join you"
,e g No, indeed, A" replied Tom. u W
s. take myself out of the way, with apo
re gies for my untimely intrusion, unl'
you will really let me be of some seryi,
IN And believe me-" he added earnes
10 with an admiring glance at the neat
ID tie figure tripping SO lightly about I
er kitchen, and mentally contrasting
I'd with her two sisters, ''you win ma
4 me very haDpV bV allowing me to h,