The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1882-03-02
MISS MARTHAN1A's LOST DARIC.

Hei Leaves n moor, child 10 die
~. Z. Mercury.
MISS MARTHANIA'S LOST DARIC.
Ito be, in humble way, perhaps,
but still to be, and to be called, an
apostle of culture, that, dear Mrs. Sim
mons, has been my object in getting up
these little gatherings" and Miss Mar
thania, whose name, by-the-bye, was
Martha Ann, glanced at the looking
glass, adjusted a lean curl, sighed, and
smiled.
Miss Marthania had just retired from
the business of school-keeping, and had
settled herself in brand-new and
tlOurishing village, or rather suburb,
near Boston, which reioced in the sin
gular name of Scramble. Miss Mar
thania did not like the name; il ex-
pressed, as she said, "no intellectual
idea, and tended in no way to aesthetic
advancement" However, as Miss Mar
thania had, Notwithstanding her @sthe-
tic prOclivties, an extremely sharp eve
for the pennies, she condescended to
fix upon Scramble as a residence be-
cause of its cheapness. 1t was mainly
inhabited by dry-goOds clerks and lum-
Der merchants, and their families. It
was a dull little place enough, with a
few rows Of little box-houses, which
had as much individuality as n toy vii
lage or q stock scene in a theater. Into
one of these Miss Marthania had in
Quoted herself, and after she had made
the acquaintance of the neighbors, she
aesthetic gatherings"
- This proposal was breathed, as we
have seen, first into the ears of Mrs.
Simmons, i fat, comfortable, kindly
woman, who had lent Miss Marthania a
helping hand, and invited her to daily
dinners while she was getting her house
III order.
18th What kind of gatherings
did you say, Miss Marthy-'
Mauritania, please, dear Mrs. Sim
mons. 1t is IA sort Of Roman name.
! said aesthetic gatherings gather
ings for the purpose of improving our
selves in taste for art, you know"
"Weu, / don't know what Sam IL
say" returned Mrs. Simmons, rather
doubttully. In virtue Of Sans being
the richest man in Scramble, Mrs. Sim
mons felt inclined to take the lead as
she expressed it. Sam was a lumber
merchant. He was good, plain man,
who had not yet been disturbed by he
thought of culture.
Sam an elegant prOvider, if I say
81 that shouldn't continued Mrs. Sim
mons, land he's always glad to give
folks a good spread but ! don't know
as he'd like to have 'em every week.
You see my girls kind of cantankerous.
and / can't trust her to make cake OF
biscuit, and
cor interrupted Miss Marthania,
who had shuddcred visibly, quite as
much at the idea of '' good spread -
as at the lamentable want of culture
manifest in Mrs. Simmons address -''oh,
dear Mrs. Simmons, the gatherings
would not all be at your house, you
know. We might take them turn about.
| meant that. l w begin, as l really
ought. / owe YOU all SO much Kindness
And then we had better let it be under.
stood that nothing in the way of refresh
ments will be passed, except some bis
cults and apples and fresh water. YoU
know intellectual pursuits are always
better advanced by purely vegetable
Diet" and Miss Marthania smiled in
sinuatingly.
Gracious goodnessr' exclaimed
Mrs. Simmons in reply. q don't be
lieve folks'll be willing o come out colo
winter nights for nothing but hard bis
cults and apples. Folks like something
warm winter nights. Sam would b,
real mad if l was to set out such tabl,
as that"
But it is not a question of eating
dear Mrs. Simmons. / would upon n,
account prepare an entertainment il
which the comestibles should be of de
scription calculated to affect the cere
bral.'
How?' said Mrs Simmons, with al
expression SO completely puzzled tina
Miss Marthania felt il necessary to lowe
4bp pOuVprso fiOu IN her level
Would you be willing, dear Mrs
Simmons, 10 let me come in this evenin,
and talk it over with you and Mr.. Sim
mons?' she said, blandly.
ITO be sure" said Mrs. Simmons
heartily. Come in and take a cup o
tea Sam Il be real glad; and / CUES
John Modica III be there, too"
Miss Marthania tossed her head n lit
tie. John Modica was an honest, sim
ple-minded, energetic young fellow o
twenty-eight, who had a real, not fan
cied, desire for culture, and spent a.
his spare moments in reading an,
study. Why he should have taken
fancy to Miss Marthania Franklin
would be hard to say. She was full
twenty years older than he, and thoug
a well-preserved woman enough, wa
far from being a beauty. But Miss Mar
thania believed herself to be beautiful
and irresistible. and such a belief goes
great way, especially when accOmpa
MED by high-art toilette, which
though skinny and scratchy, Yet ha
something of grace in it, which was tn
case with Miss Marthania's toilette. 5
it fell out that John Modica was serious
" attracted by her, and had almost de
cided to offer himself to her.
When the evening came, therefore
Miss Marthania set out for Mrs. Sim
mons house arr9yed and prepared 70
conquest. She hoped to find job
Modica there, and she was not disap
pointed. But to her extreme annoyanc
She found also Helen LOSING there, ant
Helen LOSING was her particular aver
sion Helen LOSING was teacher. a
Miss Marthania had been. but she wa
good teacher, while Miss Marthani