St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-09-21
MISS PIPER'S PUPIL.

Easter Sunday, and one black silk, somehow,
always lasted until she managed to get a new
one, received very singular note one morn
ing-a note which had been handed in at the
door, the landlady's '!girl'' said, by an sold
crly gentleman
The epistle was enveloped in the costliest
and most richly decorated envelope to be pro-
cured for love or money anywhere. The pa
per, nearly as thick as cardboard, was to
match. A coat of arms was in the corner
and the words below we're as follows:
Miss PIPER: Person of negluckted eder-
cashun is wishful to be undertook. VIII call
at g. MISTER SIIGER.
''My graciousl" calculated Miss Pandora;
Che must have been neglected, that's GER
tain, L never saw anything like that before
in all my life Fatally forgotten, 1 should
say. Well. wonder what he can be like.
He must be rich, l suppose. Poor people
can't afford such stationery as this. And
coat Of arms, too! Shoddy, l suppose; but
80 that he's respectful, why should care for
that? He will probably pay well, and I've
lost Anne Eliza Griggs by marriage, just as
she was beginning to take variations.
Mora, shall be in If new pupil-a gen
tlemen-calls at 3 o'clock.''
Nora, who liked Miss Piper, who often gave
her little presents and who kept on an upper
shelf of her closet some soothing balsam
which she was always ready to apply to the
poor girls awkward fingers, which were al
ways being cut or burnt or pinched in some
thing, gave an amiable grin and offered to
polish up the CRATE when she had minute,
''seeing a stranger was coming"
The morning wore away. Two little girls
had gone through their exercises and heavy
lady who took lessons in vocal music had
nearly burst a blood vessel in endeavoring TO
gain d certain high note, which was the Oh
ect of her ambition.
Miss Piper had been around the corner to
give a lesson there and over the way to see
to another pupils practising.
She came home in hurry, arranging her
hair, saw that the little parlor was neat and
awaited her guest with feverish anxiety.
At last he came.
Nora showed someone up stairs and there
entered at the door an elderly gentleman Of
benign appearance, dressed in the latest fash
ion, but not without regard to his age, who,
bowling low, remarked:
81 hope | am not too late, mum. know
your time must be very valuable"
dlll SUIT Oull hlon CfCi OOoJ Hdb DIS
punctual,'' said Miss Piper. sit is exactly
3 O'Clock"
YOU'RE very kind, num-" said the gen
tleman, seating himself, as Miss Piper mo-
toned him TO a chair. ''I'm' an oidish pu-
pill, l suppose you think; but I'll explain.
think I've explained in my note, but I'll ex-
plain again. pve been neglected, not from
any unkindness-for my poor mother did
the best she could for me--but we were very
poor. | don't wish to mention the humble
position I've always occupied until year
ago, when somebody came from England
and hunted me up. Mother was dead, poor
dear! but this is how it was; Father was
very rich and up in the world; mother was a
housemad. He married her, and his moth
er was furious, and mother couldn't stand it..
She ran away; she came here, and lived an
honest Woodworking life. 1t was only when
she died she told me my name was not Nog-
gngs, but Sliger, and that she had written
TO my father, or got some lawyer to write, and
he was dead, too, and l came into the prop
erty and left the humble position l won't al
Jude to, and-wel, Pm rich, but l don't
know anything, and before go to England,
! want to be educated. You understanding
''It's a very laudable ambition, I'm sure, -
said Miss Piper. 81 usually teach music,
but, of course, / can undertake the English
branches"
eyes, num-" replied the gentleman,
hastily, 81 want to begin with music-the
pyanner. | have never known any one in
high life who could uot play upon the pyan-
ner. Begin with that and go on to spelling,
which | am conscious that l sadly need"
1t was not the usual course, shut there was
a serious and dignifed manner about this
"neglected' person that made 1t impossible
500, 10 H..
terms and set the hours for the lessons. and
so skillfully emphasized the name of the in
strument that Mr.. Silger before his departure
had begun to call it ''the pearno'' instead OF
the ''pyanner"
At the door however. he gave her dread
shock.
81 wish, num-" he remarked, 'tto begin
with tunes"
Miss Piper was a conscientious little teach
er, but she felt that there people in this
world who must have their own way, and
Mrs. Sligers first lesson consisted of the
White Cockade."
He had a very good ear; he was anxious
to learn. From the "White Cockade'' be
went on to Life Let us CHERISH" and poor
guilty Miss Piper, who felt that the notes had
very little to do with his performance, bea
time and counted.
htdLN nit BIC ltulu llldI ltdNluR tuuca
ton out of the question, the man was very
sensble-that he was kindly and aimiable
Once corrected in the pronunciation OF a
word, he never became backslider on thai
question. However, it was he who arranged
everything, not his teacher.
AS other lessons were added the neglected
person set the hours for them, finally he haC
six hours day. All the pupils were
dismissed but one. The spelling lesson, the
lesson on geography, the lesson in history
followed each other. Ali the week days were
his.
Poor Miss Piper had n power to say nay
He paid well, he trated her with actual rever
ence; but the last pupil went when he elected
TO copy some very fiat flower picces' which
Miss Piper had executed In early youth anC
call this a lesson in painting. He had al
her weekdays at last. He certainly had i'm
proved in pronunciation, but Miss Piper fel
herself to be a humbug, What they really die
was to spend the day together exactly as b,
chose. Playing with edu ,ational books
humping the piano, daubing bristol-boary
with impossible flowers, scrambling through
the lessons in French, OF which Miss Pipe
had n quarter from a Swiss gentleman. Fo
a long time she was alone on SUNDAY ant
usually went to the Methodist church I,
which she belonged; but Mr.. Sliger soon al
tered that, He began by asking her whethe
they had ''these vespers OF theirs at the Ca
thedral on Sunday morningr' And wher
she Instructed him that ''vespersn were il
the latter part of the day, said he would cal
for her.
Accordingly she went to vespers at the Ca
thedra in the afternoon and after that regu
larry three times a day TO different churches
1t waa all then that the landlady thought
her duty to call.