Sharp County record., 1881-08-25

Italian Ministers. Dora conversed with
each in his own tongue; then she would
plav and sine to Won Held all the sum-
mer evenings, while the perfume OF
rare flowers and the flood of moonlight
made a sort of witchery in the room.
The Count said to her one day: " |
never cease to wonder at your varied
accomplishments, your taste, your per-
feet seif-possession and perfect-pardon
me-" He stopped, checked by the slow
gaze of her brown eyes; but she under,
Stood the compliment as plainly and
with less sacrifice of dignity than if she
had received it in words. You have
nothing of what expected to find in
this new country. You would tit
European court"
"Thanks," answered Dora, with the
languor proper to much be-fattered
woman. Il hope you won't be shocked
by such crudities as still exist in our So
ciety here"
"O,n responded Won Held, ''under-
stand me, pray. like all strong char
acteristics. Independence, freedom OF
speech, originality of thought, quaint
ness of expression, l admire, even If
they are not always in the most refined
taste"
Dora smiled and understood another
and subtler compliment that embraced
even her surroundings.
Won Held's patience with Phil, the
most noisy of Yankee boys, made Papa
Warren remark, with a significant
laugh, "You see, Sarah, Ourguest wants
to be friendly with all the family"
Friends the two certainly were, and
went off on long tramps and fishing ex-
cursions together. On such occasions
the boy, finding the foreign name too
hard, addressed Won Held as " Mr..
Count" or oftener with only the jolly
O. sayr'
One day Phil screamed from long
distance down the river bank Git was
Phirs peculiarity to yell his converse
tions across wide distances): Mr..
Count, l say, to-morrow'S the Fourth.
You'll have to get up early ii you 60
out with me-"
go yes, I'll get up. It's your Ma
tional holiday"
"Bab and me always get up early to
fire crackers. Got a bite?"
"No. Is Bah the dog?"
Dog? No; Bab's girl"
A laborer in a field across the river
looked up, and answered, "Hallo!"
thinking the remarks were addressed to
him. ''Aint talking to you,", Phil ex-
planned, fortissimo, then trumpeted out
the information: "Bab is Barbar Chase.
She's my cousin. Her mother is IA
thers sister. Her fathers dead. She's
awfully poor. We amt. But she's a
nice girl. She's seventeen. She's a
little taller than | am. I'm thirteen.
I'll soon catch up to her.N
"rm glad to be in New England on
your great National holiday" said Won
Held to Dora that evening.
80, you mean the Fourth of July.
Let me see. It's tomorrow. Such a
dreadful bore! but we keep out of the
blare and glare here. Fortunately the
grounds are large"
"Then you don't care for the day"
"Only children and the lower orders
celebrate these dreadful National fetes.
Of course patriotism must be popular
ized and this is the unpleasant, noisy
form it takes"
"You are entirely cosmopolitan; you
have no National enthusiasms," re-
marked Won Held, politely observant.
Then he strolled across the lawn to
smoke cigar.
While he was gone box arrived by
express. Mr.. Warren ordered it brought
in, and explained, "Its full of fire.
crackers for Bah"
"Surely, papa" exclaimed Dora,
"that child Bah isn't coming here to-
morrow"
"Why not?"
d" Because she's such queer, plain
little thing that"
Samuel, youought to know BETTER"
demonstrated Mrs. Warren, "than to
let Count Won Held see such a girl as
Dora's cousin"
"Nonsense! Bab's not very stylish,
but she hasn't got money to buy that
sort of thing. She's my sisters child,
anyway, and l mean to give her all the
fire-crackers she wants, and a place to
fire 'em off in" Mr.. Warren was
conscious ofhaving done but little prac-
tically for his niece, and was tenacious
of doing something sentimentally.
"lt's your own fault" snapped the
wife, with an energy born of her new
ambitions, d" if the Count is disguised
with such queer-looking relations"
Barbara was dressed in common
coarse blue flannel when l last met
her." said Dora.
"Don't you worry about the Count
Mr.. Warren answered, soothingly.
"rve shown him all the mills and the
Boston house. He'sno fool. He won't
mind Bah any more than he minds
Phil. Moneys money, my dear; moneys
money"
The family Gas 1ll-luck would haveit)
were seated that evening in full light,
the weather being cool, and into the
parlor came the dreadful Bah, dressed
in the condemned blue flannel. 1t was
an old dress, and not pretty; nor was Bah
very pretty girl. She was rather small;
had warm reddish hair dressed in two
hard, ungraceful braids; good, fearless
gray eyes; skin slightly freckled nice
dimples, little cleft chin, and fresh