The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-08-04
MRS. .BLYSTER'S ROMANCE.

MRS. BLYSTER>S RUMANCE
Mrs. Sims boarding school was
high building and it stood on a hill
My. room was in its third-story, and
had often sat looking out over the cit
from its "sightly "windowss( (as.P Peggy
the maid, called them.) The hill wa
nearly conical in shape and terraced o
two sides, my side being one of them
At the foot of the hill ran broad
handsome street, and on promineu
corner of this street, in plain sight fror
my windows, stood a large, ramblin
old mansion, about which we girls ha
woven many romance. We wondere
who lived there. Ladies and gentle
men promenaded through its pleasan
grounds; carriages rolled up to its wild
gateway many times every day; profes
sional-looking gentlemen went in ant
out of it. What could it beP
One day I found out. There was grea
excitement that day in Mrs. Sims
boarding-school. I had been feeling il
for some days. My head ached and my
tongue was dry and hot. The doctor
said at last that I had the scarlet
fever and must be removed at once
Better take her home" he said
"She isn't fairly sick yet"
"Home!" groaned Mrs. Sims. "Doc'
tor, she lives in India"
"Good gracious" said the doctor
and he scratched his head thoughtfully
At last he said: II have it! Here's
DR.. Dolby's hospital right down here
Just the place for her" So | was
wrapped up and driven to "Dr. Dolby's
hospital" which PROVED to be no Other
than the dear, rambling, romantic old
house which, with its wildly over,
grown hut delightful shrubbery, had
so long been the object of our specula'
tions.
They put me to bed in a large, quiet
room. The open fire looked wonderfully
pleasant. A quaint, old-fashioned tea
service, with cherubs and gillyaowers
and various other incongruous designs
on it in blue, sat appetizingly on the
round table at my bedside. Three OF
four easy-chairs were mingled amone
the others, and in one of them, after
was nicely tucked up" and ready to
90 to sleep, I beheld-yawning already
ana casting wishful eyes toward her
own white cot near by-my buxom
nurse, Mrs. Blyster, who had been en-
gagged expressly for me.
How fat and good-natured she looked
And how the white cot creaked when
she finally sought repose!
The next morning I was worse, and
tor several days / tossed in delirium and
pain, but by week more the fever be-
gan to abate and Mrs. Blyster said, re-
assuringly:
"You hain't dead yet, miss, and
what's more you hain't goin' to be-
not with Sarah Blyster to see to yep
Then good Sarah Blyster gave me a
motherly kiss on my forehead, fumbled
over my already painfully tucked in bed
clothing in an attempt to express still
more torcibly her affectionate zeal for
my welfare, and sat down with a sort
of good-natured grunt at the back win
dow.
/ closed my eyes and was just about
falling asleep when I was aroused by a
half.suppressed sob,
whats the matter?" I said, family.
To see happy Mrs. Blyster in tears was
too much for me.
"She's dead, miss; the woman It lives
in the little house back. They're q
hevin her funeral this blessed minute. u
"A friend of yoursp" | was i'm
pressed almost to tears myself by Sarah
Blyster's manner.
"Law, MOI" said that lady, starting
up and assuming her own radiant coun-
tenance again: " And what I'm a
whinin' around here and givin' her the
blues for, I'm sure don't know. Cheer
up, Sarah Blyster, cheer up!"
I smiled family and soon dropped of
into the nap which Mrs. Blyster's sob
had interrupted.
A day or two after Mrs. Blyster was
snivelin'," as, she expressed it, again
by the back window. / was stronger
and better now, and asked, checrfully
"Not another funeral, hope, Mrs.
Blyster?"
NO" said that worthy lady, still
unable to attain her wonted serenity
"but there's boy-her boy, I s'pose-
a-workin' much inside, and he.and h.;
he's q shakin' out her clo'es and
a-foldin' 'em up, and 1t does seem s if
some O the female relatives oughter be
a-helpin' of 'em."
Surely it did. There was considerable
pathos in the way Of stating it, in spite
of the female relatives" which only
showed that Mrs. Blyster had mingled
much in scenes of woe herself and knew
how they ought to be conducted.
Il wouldn't look that way" said,
soothingly; "try the other window"
~ did," said Mrs. Blyster, "but my
eyes would 60 that way somehow
everything shows so plain from here.
There was q blacF alpaca, as good as
new. see her out in it the very day
I come here to take care of you. She
took sick the very next day, I reckon.
for I see her curtain was down and the
doctor there, and now ! think she's
dead, and there's that alpaca dress re-
mindin' them!" and Mrs. Blyster sobbed
again.
I had been sitting up for some time.
"I'll lie down, now, Mrs. Blyster," l
said, hoping to divert the good creature
from her sorrowful reflections. And in
arranging my bed and getting the
cherubs and gillyfowers set in order for
my tea she forgot the alpaca dress and
its departed owner.
But only temporarily, for, two or
three days after, sitting solemnly and
almost tearfully again by the window,
she began in the tone which people use
when they are telling the particulars. "
"You jest orter see them, miss''-for
I had utterly refused to glance in the
direction OF the grief'stricken house
"it's SO ouchin' like. He's a.siftin'
the ashes now, miss. She done it thai
first day we come. She had on an old
calikar- they gave it to the woman
next door afterward; and then she
slicked up her kitchen and put on the
alpaca and went out a-callin' or some
thin. She seemed to think q lot of her
neighbors and they of her. I see they
had a houseful at the funeral"
mercy !" I exclaimed, quite out of
patience with Sarah Blyster's prying
disposition. "You shouldn't be look
ing in at their windows, Mrs. Blyster;
isn't polite"
Humph |" said the good soul, with
some spirit. " amt a-lookinr in at