Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-12-29
SWEET VIOLET.

department which had been advertised as va
cant, they formally replied by post that the ap-
plicant could appear before the board at spe
cited time. II she could do so at her own ex-
pense. But the trustees wrote further, that it
was only fair to Miss Mathsen to inform her
that there We're sixty applicants for the posi-
ton. some of them being well and fav0Tably
known at Cornalbin. and that the advertise
ment had not been published because the board
lacked material from which to select. but merely
i'm accordance with one of the bylaws gov
erninC the board.
Yet Miss Violet Hathisen went from New York
to COrnaltin and within five minutes of her
trembling entrance into the presence Of the
board her success was assured. As she had
travelled 300 miles to present herself for exam
nation. each one of the five trustees thought it
would he simply courteous to ask her q question
or two by way of Formally, particularly as she
looked like "a sweet. helpless little thing. and
thus she was enabled to capture each member
In turn. She picked apart Squire Bloker's test
problem in the rule of three-and il was a very
knotty one-so quickly that the squire forgot
where he was and admiringiy murmured. well,
III be darned," She answered correctly u
question or two in chemistry, put by DR.. Pes
tie, the village apOthecary, who never for
got the shop on such occasions. She wound
the editor of the Sentinel around her finger
during drawn battle over a grammatical puzzle
and when asked by ShOfller who sold beer and
represented the German population, whether
she knew any language but her own, she re-
peated Platt Deutsch couplet that caused
SchOtfier'S eyes to twinkle. The most Obdurate
member OF the board was young Falls rector OF
the fashionable church at Cornalbin; he regarded
all witching women, as this creature seemed to
be, as emissaries of Satan; so to bring the other
trustees to their senses he put a few questions
OF a serious and personal nature; but when
Miss Mathisen changed the cheerful vet appeal
1nT look OF her large eyes to one of deep SOlem-
nifty. dropped her curly brown head crossed her
breast and began to repeat the Nicene Creed as
an answer, the young clergyman caught his
breath quickly and removed his glasses as if to
get better view of his unfamiliar character
Before Miss Mathisen left the room, she had
in her possession an appointment as head
teacher OF the intermediate department; 1t was
in writing, and duly signed by the chairman and
secretary of the board. After she had thanked
the members for their kindness and assured
them that she should be Obliged to depend upon
them. collectively and individually for counsel
she departed to look for boarding place The
members OF the board looked at each other
sheeplShly for moment, and then Squire
BlOker said:
Il shouldn't wonder if we'd find we'd made
fools OF ourselves
Don't mention it." said the druggist, 'for
know We have"
Perhaps" said the clerical member. Selling
his hat In some haste. 'if the gentlemen will
excuse me- may be able to assist her in finding
q Christian home"
The young rector found Miss Mathisen in the
ante-roOm among the other candidates she had
not been there five minutes. but she had already
succeeded in becoming acquainted with nearly
every one: she had said that she believed that
she had succeeded. She could hardly under
stand Why-she would never have came had she
! imagined there were so many applicants-she
hoped none of them would hate her-and so on,
until each ofxthe disappointed ones felt it was
better to be defeated by this sweet little thing
from the city than by any of their lifelong ac-
quaintances And before the Young clergyman
had an opportunity to breach the subject of a
boarding place, one OF the Unsuccessful Compel
it0rs for the leadership. but nevertheless girl
/ smart enough to know that young men would
congregate wherever Violet Mathisen might
i've, mad secure the new teacher as an inmate of
her own home.
The maiden who had thus obtained Miss Mathi-
sen as fellow lodger found that she had been
entirely right in her cOnjectures for the little
boarding house of which the two were inmates
soon had the lvelest parlor in the town Miss
MathiSen's faculty for finding acquaintances was
simply unequaed; she seemed to have no prefer
ences. she certainly was not forward or in any
way lndellcate. yet her manner was so full of an
peal and trusttulness that every man she met
auoreu her as soon as she spoke to him. She
LOST one sunday at church by the non-arrval of
her trunks, for which she had telepranhed az
soon as she received her upTUiutTnpu but when
on the second Sunday she entered the church
Just before service began, the entire congrega-
ton surrendered at discretion. for although her
cloak and hat were at least fifty degrees too CAV
for the occasion, according to Cornalbin stand
ards. their tit was perfect, and they were in en-
tire harmony with the figure and face of the
wearer ~
For fortnight the whole town was in accord
with Miss Mathisen, who had been known
almost from the first as Sweet Violet" after
"ar0 everybody was almost at swords points
about her Some young men hated all other
men VINO spoke to her. many young women &C.
cused her OF coaXlng their sweethearts away
| Whenever Miss Mathisen heard any of these
/ complaints she made haste to disown any in
tentlon OF knowledge to disturb anybody's
peace OF mind; she was only a school teacher
ana a stranger; she was devoted to her work
and she had no claim of any kind upon the time
| and attention Of any gentleman In the village
This explanation satisfied some Young
women, but when the young men heard of IL az
least score of them resolved that Sweet
/ Violet should not long remain able to disown
all ties rendered than that Of mere acquaintance
ship.
Among these were Rector Falls. DR.. Pestle
| and Squire Bloker; the latter was not exactly a
young man, but as he was a widower, owned
cohSiueraole property and no gray hairs he nat
/ urally considered himself quite Young enough
Tor the matrimonial market. All three felt that
they had some advantage over the general crowd
/ Uy reason of their official positions. for they
couli frame proper excuses for calling on Miss
Mathiseu al almost any hour of the day and
even at the school house where no one else
cared go Against one another. however.
/ they We're rather evenly ptted and outsiders
/ hardly knew which was the most fortunate-the
/ rector. who could talk with Sweet Violet
about church and Sunday school work. or Pes
/ tie, OF whom the young lady purchased station
cry. toilet articles and occasional medicines or
The squire, who kept the best stocked general
store IN the village, and consequently saw Miss
Mathisen frequently in the way of business
The young rector was the first to try concIu-
/ sionS with fate. He made special call for the
/ purpose and talked OF the church having been
/ Nhened 10 bride, because O bride was the most
desirable and lovely creature on earth. Miss
/ Mathisen listened demurelv and sweetlv. She
agreed with him entirely. but she dashed his
hopes TO fragments by going into ecstacies over
The theory that the church should be the only
bride OF the clergy. for did it not demand and
| deserve their every thought. As she said after
ward to the young lady who had found her
ooarulng-place. q Clergyman with only a thou-
sand dollars year should not think OF any bride
who could not be like the church. sef-support.
/ ing
Then came DR.. Pestle, and whenever he came
| he brought pockets full of bonbons as hints Of
the sweetness of regard. But somehow Miss
| NathiSen had managed to learn a great deal a,
| Cornalbn In very short time and among the
bits OF information digested was that the town
was so healthy that DR.. Pestle had been unable
/ Oy ten years OF close attention to business to
/ pay OF S3,oO mortgage on his shop.
/ The Squire was slow, but terribly In earnest
He felt that In appearance he did not compare