Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-07-10
A COUNT IN THE RURAL DISTRICTS
BY GUY S. OTIS.

! The story opens about sunset. The
| place is the piazza of the Qtus mansion.
| Seated thereon are four persons, two Of
! whom are Qti senior; the other couple
! Percy and |. Mrs. Qtus-my mas
| occupied in knitting a stocking, which
never seems any nearer to the final
| round. The old gentlemen-pa-ist tilt
/ ed back in his chair against the wall,
which chair is fastened securely to the
wall by a leather strap passed around
| the tOpmOSt slat of its back, and thence
| to hook driven in the window sill.
| Percy and occupy seats on the top
! step to the piazza.
Pa breaks the mystic silence, and re-
calls us younger two to the fact.
"'Pears to me, Patsy, like as if young
women amt now as they was in our
young days. Don't you think so?
Show me a gal these times who'll be
up long before daylight in the morning
aAd ont a milking, then come in and
eat hearty breakfast. and go out in
the field and work like q man, Ell, Pat
sy."
Ma waited for him to get through
and then answered:
"Nes, and the men amt a grain
better. | haven't saw bit of change
in 'em from that day till this They're
all as cOnceited and full of projects now
rs they was in them times. Percy, if
you ever get married take Dltchman.
These other ones amt worth schucks"
Pa then addressed me:
Guy, do you pick out stout Dutch
| gal one that can plow and such, and
not be allus stuck up in the house bang
| ing on the p'anny, and punching holes
| in cloth just to sew 'em up agin, and all
such grimcracks-yes, them's your sort,
mind l tell YOU"
| / remarked, in soothing tone,
"Well, l have chosen q scion of the
! German stock, to whom | pay my
dCrOirS. Whether she can do those
things you think necessary or not, l
! can't say, not having informed myself
on that point. Rest assured, however,
| that she will learn those accomplish
ments if / have to teach her myself"
Never mind, old fellow" said Percy
to me; "of course she'd never call her
pa thus. Never mindful tell Maggie
about this, see if don't"
By this time ma put in a word.
There's the incest kind of a young
man Just moved on the Van Skike
Place, and he's German. Besides he
has got two thousand dollars, and that's
right smart sum, III let you know.
You needn't turn up your lip, Mr.. Guy
! simon, hes as good rs any of your
dandytied fellows"
At this mOmOnt the latch of the front
gate clicked, anu entering was a slim
youth with saffron hair, clad in suit
( of yellow linen, much too large fOrhim,
aud whose neither jaw was fringed with
thin growth of straw.cOlOred beard.
Ma said, That's him. and Percy,
with her usual accuracy at quotation,
dOve-tailed the opposite ends of the
vulgar and polite Proverh, "Speak of
the Old Gent and you'll hear the rustic
of his wings
While the visitor in yellow was APP
! preaching, / kept my seat until he had
arrived at the bottom step, when ma
! introduced pa and me to the stranger.
She and Percy had met the gentleman
before-aS he had come over to get in
structions in the art of making bread.
He spoke with strong German
"twang." Pa talked to him Of his ma
tive country, and Mr.. Tunoc amused
us with his conversation. Pa contiuu-
ally called him "NIister New York"
but was as persistently styled by the
other "Mr. Skords'-so on that point
they were about even.
Mr.. Tunoc informed Us of the number
and quantity of the articles he brought
over from der vaterland. Memory fails
as to the number of coats; but am
certain that the boots he had on at this
particular time, and which were just
the shape and length of carpenters
iron square, were fourteen years old.
This he told with evident pride
We went into supper, and watched
Percy to see how she liked our yellow
friend.
She never bestowed smile on his
bluuders nor assisted him TO anything,
unless first reminded by wink from
ma. But when he took his second cup
of coffee, and drew forth formidable
looking pipe, filled and lighted it, and
pulled and drank, she gave him look
of much QueerneSs, and went to shut
up her pet brood of pulletts for the
night. Mr.. TonOc manifested no sur
prise at this, and we Others knew she
couldn't abide tobacco smoke. He left
soon after supper, and on pas invita-
ton promised TO come over often.
Mr.. TunOc came over two or three
times every week. We, that is the old
folks and myself, got rather tired OF him.
but change had come over Percy. Did
we ridicule his pipe-and cup mixture,
she excused it as the national custom.
Were not his clothes fuuny-looking Oh
that evening he came for the first time?
She retorted, WASN'T he green" ME
thoughtst twas yellow" interrupted l..
"You know what L mean, Mr.. Smart
Aleek," said she; "ain't his clothes as
stylish as yours, now? Sayw And she
fiirted out of the room in juvenile pas
sion.
Percy had commenced the study of
German, and this evening her tutor
had come over to hear her. In spite OF
my prejudice, could not but admit
that he was 3 good looking man. His
beard was trimmed into fashionable
shape, and his face was fair, his hands
but little Drowned. And he was attired
in peatly fitting clothes.
We never disturbed the two in their
draughts from the gutteral German
stream. This night-three or four
months from the time of the comment
of our story-Percy came into the sit
ting room where We Were hugging the
stove previous to retiring:
What do you think" said she,
conrad got letter to-day from the
old country"
Astonishing, said 1, "How in the
world did that happen, want to
know"
Percy, instead of answering, immed.
lately withdrew into herself and took
up her lamp and went up stairs to bed.
Ma scolded me, saying, II seen a
news-bee this morning come right in
the diring-room, and I'll bet anything
Percy,s heard something strange"
We were obliged to await Percy's
pleasure. Conrad had gotten a letter
from home, stating the death Of Hin
dertier, and wound up with the inform
alton that the title, by right of success
sion, was his.
4 IVhat in, norfanoe il tbers in O title IN