Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1884-12-19
MISS SCA1IPER.

None Mt the Rappaquah sulphur
Springs knew who Miss Scamper was, and
few cared to know. She came with an
old gentleman, who registered the pair as
IS. Scamper and granddaughter, New
York city" They were doubtless poor
folks on 4 holiday. They bad no servants
with them. The old man wore suit of
rather rusty black, and his trunk, III an
tiquc leathcrn cOnveniency, bore the let
ters ). 5. in brass-headed nails. The
young woman's trunk-she had but one
was large enough, and Of modern make.
but it was apparently not well filed, since
she had shown bat three dresses all the
three weeks she had remained. One of
these, of rich material, she wore of even
ings; the other two, of some washable
material, were worn alternately in day
time. She had no jcwelry beyond plain
gold brooch. One of the eligible young
men there said that "the Scamper has one
go-to-meetin' and two work-day
suits" for which his ncighbOr should
have kicked him, but didn't. The eligible
young man was looking for an eligible
mate in the person of Miss Dolsover, the
great heiresS, whom the society paper
had said was coming TO the Rappaquah;
though, rs che hadn't come, the Browns
young man Of the society paper laborcd
IL. 'I,a t,.l ,.alsf fNff
dowagers did not fear this modest, pretty
and well-culturcd young woman, for the
gildel youth, who were also lying in wait
for Miss Bolsover, much more gilded, did
not danglc in her train. Indeed, she had
no train. Her business was to look after
her poor old grandfather, who was not III
good health, and with whom the waters
seemed to agree. Didymus Dodd, who
had scrHPvd "n acquaintance with old
Scampcr, us the fellows irrevcrently called
him, seemed TO be her adniirer; but Didy-
mus was nobody. lie was well-madc, tall,
handsome, and of good address; but he
was only an upper clerk in Philacel-
phia insurance company. To be sure, he
would be superintendent after January,
rice Higgins, retired and supcrannuated,
and would then draw L salary Of five
thousand a year. But no one knew that,
and the possible good fortune to Miss
Scampcr; and had they known, five thou
sand year was no great matter. so Tie
field was left 10 Miss Scampcr and well
come.
Didymus only began paying attentions
TO Miss Scamper out of courtesy. and be-
cause no one else did but the more he saw
Of her the more he liked her, and it ended
in his being badly hit. As he and she
were the only iinpecunious people at the
old and old-fashioned rcsert-thc other
visitors counting their dollars well up in
the hundred thousands-the matter at
tracted attention, and by way OF getting
both out OF the way of marrageablc SONS
and daughters, scheming mothers lent the
affair all the quiet encouragement posi-
BILE. And this passed into more actiye
nature from two little incidents that oc-
Cured about ten days before the end of
the two months vacation Of Didymus.
There was Mrs. De Nysc at the Springs,
who was we'll known rs an amateur yo-
calist of merit, and whose voice, though
little reedy in the upper notes, had been
trained so well rs 10 make her worth
hearing. One evening, when few were
in the parlors, her friends besought her
TO favor them, aud so on, and she express
ell her readiness, but there happened to
be no accompanist. Miss Scamper who
was chatting near by with Didymus, look
ell up, and quietly said, "Perhaps | can
serve you that way, Mrs. De Nyse."
"Can you play stsight, Miss Scamper
inquired Mrs. De Nyse.
Miss Scamper nodded assent, and seated
herself at the piaIo-forte, and accompa-
MED the voice with such good Judgment
that the singer was delighted.
"I wish could carry you about with
me, my dear" she said. 'tBut do you not
sing. You surely must"
"A little" r
Urged by all around, Miss Scamper, to
her own accompaniment, sang an air from
II TrordtOre. Her voice proved TO be Il
rich soprano, OF full register, clear as Il
silver bell. aud admirably cultivated.
There was n moments pause when she
hal done, As ihosish not to lose 4 note,
and then storni Of app ause.
Here was sensations. Everybody ak
ed Of her method, and the gilded youths
were in raptures. The mammas confer-
red, aud concluded that Miss Scsmper
was member Of some church choir, or
attached TO some English opera troupe,
who knew? But they were civil. There
was party going over to Alrnout, Colo
mel Parsilall's place, next day. W ould