The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1882-05-18

i
steeled his heart once and for all.
Its bargain" said he, q an I'll
stick tot jest as if We were my own dar-
ter an not my enemy's darter.''
This bit of humor and half retaliation
made it easier for Sophronia to thank
him, and they who had passed each 9TH
er IN the village ways for all her twenty
! years as strangers, parted now as
friends, with an odd bond of secrecy in
their alliance. Stephen Billings had not
been the only direction In which So
| phrOnia had sought relief She had an
| aunt living in New York, the wife of
one of its wealthy merchants. Mrs
| Bird was very fond of her niece, and
| having no children of her own, would
/ long ago have adopted Sophronia if the
latter could have been induced to leave
her parents. As it was, Mrs. Bird had
insisted on securing to the bright and
! pretty girl the advantages of a full
/ course at the Wilbraham Academy. To
| Mrs. Bird, Sophronia had written, re-
| vealing the home situation under pledge
of secrecy, and begging her aunt to Sc
cure for her some young pupils for a
/ forenoon class. Mrs. Bird in reply
warmly expostulated with Sophronia, Of
| fering her permanent home, and pro-
/ posing an immediate loan. But So
! phronia was firm, declined all these kind
| overtures, and pleaded for the forenoon
! class; and the very next day after her
/ interview with Stephen Billings she re-
! ceived letter from Mrs Bird announc-
ing, still with much tender protest, that
/ the class was arranged, and she could
! assume its direction at any moment.
! With this letter in her hand, SophrO-
mia broke the matter to her parents,
! who were not only surprised and lOath
to part with her, but urged that there
could be no necessity for it, now that
=" Old Grind, " as Mr.. Newcomb dubbed
his old school-mate and creditor, had
"shown such a soft spot" and granted
him ''whole year on the pesky mort
gage"
Nevertheless SOphronia persisted in
carrying out her plan. On arriving in
New York, Sophronia amazed her aunt
who received her warmly, and made
her at once the mistress of a lovely
roOm-by going out on the third day
and returning with the news that she
had found and taken cheap but repu-
table lodgings in another part of the city,
with kitchen privileges.
Kitchen priviegesn' cried Mrs.
Bird, looking at her niece in real dis
may. my dear Sophronia, what on
earth can you want of kitchen privi-
leges?"
"Why, to board myself, of course. I
must earn and save every cent l can"
said SOphronia, earnestly. Il have
given my word, and / will keep it.
And can't you see, dear aunt, there is
but one way?''
"No, can't;'' and Mrs. Bird folded
and unfolded her hands in sincere vexa-
finr1 tsXnvr IL - II
proud. If this is what is meant by New
England pride, I'm sure it's a very ugly
virtue. 1t was all very well for those
delicate women who had to come over
in the May1ower, and be dumped on
Plymouth Rock with nothing to eat or
to wear, poor things, for they couldn't
hurt themselves. I've never believed
for there's no sense in it-that they
came OF their own free-will, and chose
hard times and everything dirty and
disagreeable. But with you, Sophro-
MIA, it is very different. and you might
please me if you would"
Sophronia gently shook her head.
'Do let me do as feel | ought, without
having ofeel that 1 vex YOU" she plead
ed; and then she kissed her aunt with
so sweet look of tenderness and inhex-
Utility that Mrs. Bird yielded.
The arrangement in no way interfered
with SOphrOnia's management of her
class, which she met daily in the vestry
of a chapel which had been fitted and
assigned to this purpose through Mrs.
| Birds representation and at her ex-
pense. SOphrOnia enjoyed her work.
As she went to and fro she observed I'M
obtrusively but keenly the people and
| the incidents of the streets; the rich, as
they walked or rode, the poor, and the
devices to which they resorted-the
apple women, the candy stalls, the rag
pickers, the bouquet girls, and the news
boys. As a result of all these observa-
tiOns, part of her first earnings she sent
home, and part she invested.
One evening, when Sophronia had
been some four months in the city. Mrs.
Bird gave a reception to the lovely and
popular tragedienne Mile. Bland, who
had opened the season early with what
were enthusiastically pronounced to be
the finest representations which had
graced the New York stage for many
years. AT supper the guests, who had
been severally contributing little anec-
dotes and recollections for the general
amusement, called on Mile Bland for
the most curious incident which she
could recall in connection with her
profession.
The thing you ask for occurred this
very week. Last Wednesday, near the
close of the matinee, met young lady
in the passages who begged me to direct
her to Mile. Bland. OF course l took
her to my dressing-room. She was
plainly dressed, but in good taste, and
was not only beautiful, with charming
manners, but so earnest and so frank /
was captivated by her. She made a
strange request She said, without any
prelude, that she was in great need of
money, and to obtain it wished to pro-
cure the disguise of poor old woman,
and to learn how to assume it readily.
/ should have liked to give her the
money at once, but if YOU had seen her
you would understand how it was quite
impossible to think of it for moment.
/ assure you I would quite as soon offer
my purse to queen. | was so inter
ested, and, / must confess, so curious,
that / said if she was going upon the
stage | would gladly hear her rehearse
her part, thinking that this offer would
bring me some hint of her purpose. But
she might have been an oyster. for any
information l could elicit. She pleased
me so much that / took great pains to
teach her how to make herself up as an
old woman, and l gave her a dress
suited to her purpose, a melange from
my Meg Merrilies and other costumes.
il was a great success. She caught
every suggestion of mine with the quick
ness of an artist; and at the last. imar-
inc my peTplexity when she attempted
to pay me, not for my kindness, she
said. but for the costume and the little
parcel of cosmetics. l had really to
quarrel with her"
"Where did she come from?''
What name did she give?'' asked
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