Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1881-06-02

kissed, or had not kissed, his nose
through the fence, when he had en-
deavored to bell her eat with tin can
at its tail.
AS she came down upon him, she
stopped.
care you one of the scrvants?"
81 am your servant, miss, if you
please. What can | do for yOu?'
al mean, do you belong to this
hOuse?"
"Yes, | am the outside man-sort of
guide; | take parties fishing and pic
nicing to the woods. l drive the pho
ton for ladies' who are too timid to
drive themselves, and | somtimes go
out with ladies on horseback"
"What is your name, please?"
"Nick Won Dam, at your service,
miss. Is there anything can do for
you?'
"Yes; | want a man to do just the
things you mention to escort my
mother and myself, while we stay here
to all places about. But l want you
altogether; that is, we want your eX.
elusive service, if you can arrange it. "
"Oh, certainly; can fix it with Mr..
Foster, the proprietor, and then | will
devote myself to you alone-'eXclu.
sively.'"
Miss Lillian blushed slightly, and
said:
"My mother will compensate you, if
you are faithful"
And he answered: II assure you,
miss, will be to you very faithful"
Again she blushed, and said that she
would see her mother.
TO put up the conspiracy upon this
girl and her mother, and somehow to
get even with her for splitting on his
nose, had become a full-grown scheme.
1t was easily arranged with proprietor
Foster, and with his comrade-when
he assured them it was only for lark,
and that these people were once his
New York neighbors the fence.
Thus was the acquaintance renewed,
and Nicholas Won Damenberg, Esquire,
became the hired servant, guide, and
valet de place of Mrs. Mercer and her
daughter Lillian.
i
So long as the parties remained at
the Gcysers, Nick Won Dam, us he was
designated, was subject to all sorts of
jokes turn for the practical one he
was playing upon the Mercer ladies,
mere et.Mc.
"Will you allow your servant TO Or
der up my horse, Miss Mercer?" said
one of the young gentlemen to her on
one occasion.
"Oh, certainly she replied. "Nich-
olas, will you be kind enough TO order
up the gcntleman's horsc?"
The gentlemans horse came up, but
with a bur 50 deftly arranged under the
saddle that upon mounting, the gentle
man" was tossed over the horses head.
During the week "Nicholas,' who
had made terms for indefinite employ
ment at "siXty dollars a month and
found" made himself useful in num-
bcrless ways - cscOrting the ladies,
while riding, dancing and picnicking
doing camp duty; cutting bait and bait
ing the hook of Miss Lillian to fish
carrying her easel and camp-stOol over
the hills to romantic glens; holding the
sunshade while she sketchcd: some
times with the mother on lonely hill
sides, and sometimes with the daughter,
in sight of the house or camp.
Whenever he and Lillian were alone
together, he addressed his fair cOmpan-
ion with studied courtesy of the well
bred gentleman. His language was
then of the choicest, his remarks fin
ishcd; lie talked of books, of art and
music. Once he surprised her by tax
ing the brush from her, to explain by
his practiccd touch suggestion Of the
perspective. Whenever they were in
the presence of the mother, or of any
third person, he dropped strangely into
bad grammar spoke in German patois,
looked the clown, and acted the awk-
ward man-Of-all- that he affected
to be. When alone, she called him
familiarly, "Nicholas," and on two oc-
casions Mick" In the presence of
strangers "Nicholas' become "NIr. Won
Dam"
10 Lillian he explained that he had
been servant to Il gentleman in the
University of Heidelberg; and there
in association with student life, he had
had the opportunity of instructions in
art, and especially in music. That at
the beer halls he was permitted, with
pipes and lager, to indulge in songs and
chorus with students.
Leaving the valley of the Geysers
the Mercer party made the grand round
of California sights-with the evel
faithful and intelligent valet, the al
ways respectful and most handy Nick
Won Dam. They visited the Yosemite
that grand chasm reft in the Sierra
with its matchless rocks and its splen
did waterfalls; the beautiful Lake
Tahoe-up among the primeval forests
of pine, a splendid sheet of crysta
water, mirroring blue skies, and circlet
by grand old forests that shadow the
pebbled margin of fabulous depths
Together they had idled upon our oceal
shores-the pebbled beach at Pescadera
and the pine-shaded pools of Monterey
J Together they had Travelled through
California's semi-tropical south-amit
its vineyards and its orchards of orange
lemon and olive. For her he ha(
plucked the red clusters of pomegran
: ate; and once when her hands had beer
, occupied, he had modestly placed the
flowers in her golden hair-above hel
glowing face, rosy with the flush thai
had permitted such liberty from tht
hands of a menial, and which, for {
day, entailed upon our friend Nick The
= severest dignity-to make him fee
that he was a servant, earning sixty
a month and expenses paid.
!, In June the party had gone dowr
from San Luis 0bispo to sketch thu
, "Moro"-a solitary rock upon the shore
, standing out where the waves WASHED
its base. The horses had been detach
ed from the carriage, Mrs. Mercer
= disposed of in u swinging hammock
within shady willow group, easel ant
, camp stool nicely arranged, and Mis-!
Lillian hard at work with brush ant