Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-06-26
The Sturp Teller.
A Story With Two Ends.
Miss Flutters at home?
BY r. X. LINCOLN.


word he should be home soon, but had not
vet returned from his club. .. ..,,, -.
That didn't matter; Miss Flutters would
,do.as we'll as her papa. John looked doubt
full. He had old fashioned notions, and ap-
proved of chaperones, and the street door
was held partly open. What was to be
done? .,,7.'...'....t,. ...-.......- .... .....
Between the hall and the drawing-room
there was great gulf fixed; the resolute ola
hangeron resembled adamant. 1trepresent-
ed that to an engaged man etiquette slight
brought to see, and the return of Mr.. FIut-
ters would probably have found me still
lowering on his door-mat, had not unex-
.pectedly found an advocate. ..f ......
Slowly across the darkened hall came
little figure in white pinafore, with bright
curls falling round q sober little face, ana
grave astonished eyes, wondering at the
unwonted sounds that were breaking the
stiffness Of the twilight hour. s,....
"Conny," said with a new hope, born OF
the little figure before me, "mayn't come
in?" .'' ..'-.. -.
ssJohn, what is this ?" said my small de-
fender. "Why don't you let Mr.. Stevens
come in? Open the door directly"
- "Beg pardon, Miss COMFY" said the old
man, giving way before authority, but
Mr.. Stevens wants to see your papa, and
your papa isn't in.' -. ... u....-
= At this unanswerable argument, Conny
looked puzzled. "Why don't you go away,
them" she added, frowning little !; for my,
behavior seemed to her unreasonable, and
Conny had begun to read "Milps Logic" "
and was no countenancer of folly.
Music was heard from the edrawing-room-
that drawing-room from which was ex-
cluded- and / became desperate. The min
utes were slipping by; precious minutes
when spent in the draWing-room; and she
who might have saved me had gone over
to the opposition, and sided with the but
ler; "Conny,"I said, speaking sensibly, as
an appeal to her understanding, and look
ing wretched as an appeal to her heart ;
81 don't want to see your papa until + ne
comes in, but Pm tired and cold; mayn't,
come in and rest, and warm myself little
at your drawing room fire?" .,....
sfThere's fire in the dining-room," said
Conny, shrewdly guessing now that John
was protecting the drawing-room, and not
feeling quite sure herself, as to the pro-
prieties "won' that do?"
"Well, no, Conny,"I said; II don't think
it will, it's so cold and draughty; it made
me dreadfully i'll the last time. couldn't
bend my back for week." .-.,..f
Conny's pity began to show itself in her
eyes she looked at John for instruction,
ready to give in, if her ally were so inclin-
ed; but that worthy was quite unmoved.
dts all nonsense, Miss COMFY" he said,
with grim smile; "the dining room amt
draughty bit. Mr.. Stevens can 60 in there
if he likes; there is beautiful fire, and III
let him know when your papa comes ln.'
In fine, John was not to be done-could
by no means be got over; so I accepted the
lowed by COMFY; who evidently consider
ing. herself in the light of my jailer, pro-
ceeded to lay herself out to considerable
amount for my benefit She shut the door
firmly, poked the fire into bright blaze,
satisfied herself that the atmosphere was
that of bake-house, and sat down on the
hearth-rug at my feet, prepared for con-
versatiOn.
But wouldn't speak, and soon the pain
in my back caused sundry groans, dismal
enough to awake pity in Conny's soft little
heart.
"What is it?" she said after she had
borne it as long as she could in silence.
"Your back? Isn't the fire warm enough?'
Warm enough! I should think it was.
Conny must have been a salamander to
have mentioned the subject without a
blush.
"It isn't the fire, COMFY" groaned, "it's
the draught; never mind, you can't help it.
must bear it as we'll as can till your papa
comes in"
81 can't understand" Conny said, with
some ifnpatience at this limit OF her knoWl-
edge; "the doors fast closed," and she
shook it as proof.
"It's the chinks, COMFY" groaned in an
agony "oh, this is very badW
Conny took resolution. Propriety was
one thing, but illness, sudden death, was
another.
"Come upstairs" she said with little
sigh and a long-drawn breath and upstairs
Iimped with some difficulty.
"Madeleine," said Conny, with little
quiver in her voice, "Mr. Stevens has got a
"Very we'll, Conny DEAR" said her Sis
ter; "I'll take care of Mr.. Stevens; you run
and play with your dolls, or read "Mill's
Logic if you prefer it. Would you be-
lieVe," she said, turning to me, "that that
child reads logic at her age? Of course she
can't understand ten words of it, but papa
will have it. She's to do as she likes. 1
think it's mistake myself, it makes her so
quiet and solemn, always poring over books &c,
But couldn't speak against Conny, whose
warm little heart was even now working
under her pinafore for imaginary woes, so l
took safe refuge in silence.
"Can L do anything?" asked Conny, re-
luctant to go, feeling as if in some ineXpli-
cable way She was the sole supporter of life
in my frame, that with her absence should
droop and fall "shall run and fetch some
sal volatile, or some steel wine?"
Conny's sister took sal volatile; but Con-
ny herself took steel wine, and believed in
its efficacy.
"No, no, COMFY" said her sister, with a
fuller faith in her own powers of healing as
compared with steel wine "Mr. Stevens is
all right now; he will do very we'll till papa
comes in."
"pll come and tell you the very minute
he does" declared Conny at the door and
having administered this consolation, she
departed, hopping on one foot solemnly
down stairs. Delicious and rare combina-
ton of circumstances, for if I had bone to
pick with Madeleine-a bone that could by
no possibility have been picked before Con-
ny, whose well-balanced mind thought
lightly ofsentiment, regarded all love-mak-
ing as beneath her notice, and brought Mill
to bear upon every occasion.
This was the bone:
Madeleine, the queen of coquettes, en-
gagged to me, was yet, I feared, encouraging
another man of the name of Prior man
from our club, well-dressed, good-looking,
if not intellectual-looking of gentlenanly
manners, but inordinately conceited, and a
confirmed f1irt. There was pleasant char
acter to have around the house A house,
too. where the father was easily pleased,
easily satisfied, fond of society, and ready
to have any number of gentlemanly fools
about him where the lady of the house was
a mere girl, attractive, charming fascina-
ting, intensely lovable, but a coquette
where theyoungest daughter alone absorbed