Smyrna times., 1882-07-12
Dianthy.
WHO HADN'T A PARTICLE OF STYLE.

WHO HADN L A PARTlCLE OF SLY LIE.
1t was house perched far back on q
hillside. A long, fair slope, stretching
far away for an eigth of a mile, and
ending in a boiling troCt-stream was
the prospect from the front windows,
and over it
The pure winds moved mid light and shade the
pale green waves of rye"
In fact, this magnificent rye-feld was
the front door-yard. On the right was
patch of fodder corn and rows OF
beets and turnips, and great barn
stood stones throw to the left. Back
of the house rose, with many gray,
jutting rocks outlining its steepness, a
beautiful, round-topped hill, its head
crowned with beech and chestnut and
hickory trees, till it might fitly typify
the Boys Paradise. On the three sides
left open hills were also visible from
the cottage, the one beyond the rye
field being the grandest in all the region
round about.
The cottage itself, though small, wa
neat and convenient and farmer Wof
fray and his wife, were fond ofchildren
Yes, it would do. And thus ClearponC
became our home for the summer.
We first saw Dianthy on the even
ing of our arrival. She stood at tn
neat sink, near the kitchen door, wash
ing dishes-a great raw-bOned, short
haired woman, her shoulders bOwe,
, with lifetime of hard work and he
hair thickly sprinkled with gray. He
dark calico dress was made with ute
plai4Hess, No one could accus
Dianthy of htPailn or "pqll-haok
Her face when we caught sight of
was almost painfully intent npon he
work, and the deep wrinkles, on he
forehead and the hard compression {
her lips told that Dianthy had not bee
reared on flowery beds of ease"
claw mev' she was saying as W
walked slowly by the door, "thel
folks make an awful sight of dishes
!, WAL" she concluded, with a heaV
y sigh, Dianthy is able to wash 'em."
Good Mrs. Woffray made some kin
ly response to her, then turned to
d with an apologetic smile, tapped h
= forehead significantly and said brief.
Born So"
This somehow made US afraid
. Dianthy at first, but we soon found o
that her heart was one Of ti.e kiIdf
in the world, and that she had
more head than many people who co
slider themselves very bright. Sti
she could never "learn books" tn
said; and her house-wOrk consist
only of simple and regular duties.
A week after we came to ClearpO
a New York family came swOopi
: down upon the WOfrays. They we
y Mrs. Bitterman, the Misses Estelle a
Esmerald Bittermaq, and Mast
Algernon Bitterman, the three lat
aged respectively fourteen, twelve a
ten years. AS their names may in
= cate, the Rittermans were not parti'
larly agreeable people, Mrs. Ritt
$50 man pretended to have cqAsidera
money and vast social Prestige. +
10 character and abilities may be guae
somewhat by one of the first rema
that she made upon reaching the c
tage. Dianthy came to perform so
little Office, and when she went
i, Mrs. Bitterman turned to me with
~ expression of Mortified amazement
"Who is that creature?" she asl
iS in dismay:
Mrs, Woffay explained, wherepl
the lady sank back in her chair sayi
OfA with an air of one that settles it:
"Well, whoever she is, she hasn'
~ particle of style about heF-not a pa
Iale. ole."
- Yet Mrs. Bltterman had no c0n'
, ton whatever of wit or humOr.
y, We had lived harmoniously toget
for some three or four weeks, wi
one evening, Algernon Bittern
lpc Familiarity known as Nonnie,"
,rOS; taken i'll. Mrs. Bitterman, who W
most inefficient woman, had no
.. what to do, but good Mrs. Wof
wv provided hot foot-bath for him,
- him a dose of herb tea and put hir
bed. / thought nothing of his att
but as / passed Dianthy she pulled
- dress and whispered,
= "That air Nonnie, he ain't thrC
F, yet"
IA "What makes you think sopp
"Law, he looks bad know he
through. Look a-here," and she Q
5:08 ed her calico apron, displaying Q
zoo ter of roots and some green le
r and pThat,s good to rub 'em with '
they're so, and them's good for te
les ran up to the pasture to get
Wy He'll need 'em
BY an early hour, as usual,
neral household was wrapt in slumbel
iker. s.sh shortly after midnight everyone
aroused by piercing shrieks from