The Penn's Grove record., 1882-01-28

Of yours, little mother, induced you to
bring Blue Peter out of the olmshouse,
who set fire to the barn. Well, III
show her about the supper.
Christina followed me-dumb and
watchful-from kitchen TO dining
room, while ] laid the table, prepared
the mullins, fried chicken and made
coffee.
She did not offer to touch anything
or to help me. But the next morning
when l went down to make ne break
Fl st, there was the table laid, ard the
chicken, mullins aud Golfer, precisely
rs she had seen them the night before.
She was faithful and initiative as a
Chinaman, and she was already a
good cook and dairy maid. She
lesrped a few words of English, aud
with them she showed her gratitude
for any simple kindness shown her.
We fancied, too, that she took pleas
uFe in the beautiful country aboather
| It never looked more beautiful than
1t did that summer. The great
orchards were red With fruit, constant
showers kept the forests pure in tint,
the wild rose and sweetbliar covered
every field and roadside.
But the poor Norwegian was wretch
edly unhappy. Her unsmiling face
and wide, : d eyes seemed TO carry
misery into the barnyard and dairy,
aud leaveued the very bread we ate.
When she wa safely in her own room
| heard her stifed sobs until late in
the night.
zone is almost tempted to remem-
Der your convict theory, " said mother,
a%nxiousiy one day.
at doesn't matter. Wen keep her
if she were Lucretia Borgia herself" l
said, luxuriously leaning back in The
roeking-chair on the porch. 1.-THE
idea of being free FROM pots, pans and
br, oms at lastl'
We tasted u comfort at leisure
brought out some fancy work and
books which we had never hoped to
find time to read.
Then came a letter from Julia Webb.
Ii Vas a thunder clap in III clear sky.
Julia was a cousin only by the sheer
est courtesy ; a beauty a spoiled heir
ess a belle wilma dozen lovers. She
was coming en- route to Newport, to
spend a week with us.
Very likely some of these trouble
some men will follow, to find how
your hermitage suits poor little but
terfiy me" she wrote. "But sou win
| make them welcome, darling suntie ?
There is a Count Pasco who is my
chief nuisance Just now. Such a
charming, ridiculous creature! 1
shall be delighted.to give him a peep
into an American middle class inte-
rior. And 1t will he a good chance for
you and cousin Martha TO have a
glimpse OF a foreign nobleman. Your
gloomy life needs a little cheering"
1 tore the letter up, a little tioiously,
/ confess, and mother laughed.
"Never mind, Matte" she said.
at is true we are middle-class peo-
pie"
at isn't that. But you know, moth
er, even if potatoes turn out well, we
| shall not have a dollar over when the
year is cut. How are we going to
meet this high tide of company and
fashion and foreign nobility? Julia is
quite capable of staying a month if
the whim FIR hermitage life seizes
her.
I'VE can do without our winter
dresses" said mother, thougHully.
"But even with that the table must be
very plain" IS.
1 wondered secretly if the blessed
woman had put this calamity in the
care of the angels, Afterwards / be-
lieved she had.
Julia came; so did the lovers so
did Count Pasco.
There was a regiment Of them at
the village inn, but they took our
mouse by storm all day.
There were charade parties, pienics,
excursions. Julia trailed her maguif-
centsilks oil gau2y lawns up and down
the wet meadows; she called the old
homestead "a charming old rookery;''
| pointed out the magnificent sweep Of
hill and valley to the east, with the
glittering plane ofthe bay beyond, as
a mice little effect !" and told Count
Pasco that mother and | were ''queer
bits of human bric-a-brac.b
But she was so pretty and brilliant
and willful that nobody could be angry
with her.
One day l found her in the kitchen,
with a blue silk wrapper, perched on
a -four barrel, while Christina, stand.
before her, poured odt a food of words. |
sobbing and wringing her hauds.
Tears, too, had wet Julia's rose-leaf
cheeks.
"Whst is the matter? can you un-
derstand her?n / asked.
"Pretty well. You know | passed a
summer in Norway, and picked up a
good deal of the language. Poor thing!
She was brought here by mistaken
"By mistaken
eyes. 1t seems they were fright
fully poor-her mother and brother
and herself-and she went as Nurse
with some Trademarks wife to
Bremen. When her time of service
was out she was sent home; but by
some mistake, at night, was nut
aboard the steamer for Philadelphia
instead of for ChristiaAa.n
why We ought to send her back
aaain!" / cried, feeling a. If j had
been concerned in a case OF kidnap.
ping.
mo. Better bring her family out
h.ra 81. aaxa ~ ao l