The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1885-11-12
MISS SCAMPER.
BY THOMAS DUNN ENGLISH.


None at 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 grand
daughter, New York city, They
were doubtless poor folk on holiday.
They had no servants with them. The
old man wore suit of rather rusty
black. and his trunk, an antique leath-
ern conveniency, bore the letters S. S.
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 we'll filled,
since she had shown but three dresses
all the three weeks she had remained.
One of these, of rich material, she wore
of evenings; the other two, of some
washable material, were worn alter
nately in daytime. She had no jewelry
beyond plain gold brooch. One of
the eligible young men there said that
''the Scamper has one Sunday-go-to
meetin' and two-work suits" for which
his neighbor should have kicked him,
but didn't. The eligible young man
was looking for an eligible mate in the
person of Miss Bolsover, the great heir
ess, whom the society paper had said
was coming to the Rappaquah; though,
as she hadn't come, the Browns young
man of the society paper labored un-
der delusion. The matchmaking
dowageis did not fear this modest,
pretty, and well-cultured young wom-
an, for the gilded youth who were al
so lying in wait for Miss Bolsover,
much more gllded, did not dangle in
her train. Indeed, she had no train.
Her business was to look after her poor
old grandfather, who was not in good
health, and with whom the waters
seemed to agree. Didymus Dodd, who
had scraped an acquaintance with old
Scamper, as the fellows irreverently
called him, seemed to be her admirer;
but Didymus was nobody. He was
well-made, tall, handsome, and of good
address; but he was only an upper clerk
in a Philadelphia insurance company.
To be sure, he would be superintend-
ent after January, vice Higgins, retir-
ed and superannuated, and would then
draw salary of five thousand year.
But no one knew that, and the possible
good fortune to poor Miss Scamper; and
had they known, five thousand a year
was no great matter. So the field was
left to Miss Scamper and welcome.
Didymus only began paying atten-
tions to Miss Scamper out of courtesy,
and because 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 impecu-
NOUS people at the old and old fashioned
resort-the other visitors counting their
dollars well up in the hundred thou
sands-the matter attracted attention,
and by way of getting both out of the
way of manageable sons and
daughters, scheming mothers lent the
affair all the quiet encouragement posi-
BILE. And this passed into more active
nature from two little incidents that
occurred about ten days before the end
of the months vacation of Didymus.
There was a Mrs. De Nyse at the
Springs, who was well known as an
amateur vocalist of merit, and whose
voice, though little reedy in the upper
notes, had been trained so well as to
make her worth hearing. One even
ing, when few were in the parlors,
her friends besought her to favor them,
and so on, and she expressed her readi-
ness, but there happened to be no
accompanist. Miss Scamper, who was
chatting near by with Didymus, looked
up, and quietly said, "Perhaps l can
serve you that way. Mrs. De Nyse.''
Can you play at sight, Miss Scam
per?' inquired Mrs. De Nyse.
Miss Scamper nodded assent, and
seated herself at the piauo-forte, and
accompanied the voice with such good
judgment that the singer was delig GIFTED.
II wish could carry you about with
me, my DEAR she said. But do you
not sing? You surely must
"A little.''
Urged by all around, Miss Scamper,
to her own accompaniment, sang an
aria from II Trovatore. Her voice
proved to be rich soprano, of full
register, clear as silver bell, and
admirably cultivated. There was q
moments pause when she had done, as
though not to lose note, and then g
storm of applause.