Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1885-01-24
MISS SCAMPER.

was, and few cared to know. She
came with al old gentleman, who
registered the pair as S. Scamper
and granddaughter, New York
city" They were doubtless poor
folks ON Il holiday. They had no
servants with them. The old man
wore "A suit of rather rusty black
and lis trunk, IN antique leather
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
well filed, since she had shown but
three dresses all the three weeks
she had remained. One OF these,
of rich material, she wore even
ingS; the other two, some wasla-
bic material, were worn alternately
III day tine. She had no iewclry
beyond II plain gold brooch. One
Of the eligible young men there said
that "thc Sc;,mperhaS one Sunday
go. -mcetin' ana two work.day
suits" for whic! his neighbof
should have kicked him, but dldn't.
The eligible young man w;ls looking
for an eligible mate in the person
Of Miss Bolsover, the great hcireSS,
whom the society paper had said
WAS coming to the Rappaquah;
though, as she hadn't come, the
Browns Young man ofthc society
paper labored under Il d-luSion.-
The match making dowagers did
not fear this modest, pretty, and
well,cutured young woman, for the
gildcd youth, who we're also lying
i'll wait for Miss BolSover, much
more gilded, did not dangle in her
train. Indeed she had no train
Her business waS TO look afterher
poor old grandfather, who was not
lin good health, AID with whom the
waters seemed to agree. Didymus
Dodd, who Scrapcd an acquaint-
ance with old Scamper, as the fell
llowsirrevercntly called him, seemed
to be her admirer; but Didymus
WAS nobody. he waS well made,
tall, handsome, and OF good ad
dress: but he waS only an upper
clerk in Il Philadelphia insurance
company. To be sure, he would be
superintendent after January, vice
Higgins, rctlred and superannuatcd,
and would then draw a salary OF
hve thousand a year, But no one
knew that, and the possible good
fortune to poor Miss Scamper; and
had they known, five thousand Il
year was no great matter. SO the
field WAS left to Miss Scamper and
welcome.
Didymus only began paying at
tentions to Miss Scamper ont 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 impecunious pe0-
pie at the old and old fashioned re-
Sort-the other visitors counting
their dollars we'll up in he hundred
thouSand-the matter attracted at
tention, and by way OF getting both
out Of the way of marriageable
SONS and daughters, scheming
mothers lent the affair all the quiet
encouragement possible. And this
passed into Il more active Nature
from two little incidents that oc
cured about ten days before the
end of the two months vacation OF
Didymus.
There WAS a Mrs. DeNyse at the
Springs, who WAS we'll known as an
amateur vocalist of merit, and
whose voice, though little reedy
III the upper notes, had been trained
so well us to make her worth
hearing. One evening, when Il few
were in the parlors, her friends be-
sought her TO favor them. and so
on, and she expressed her readi-
ness, but there happened to he no
accompanist. Miss Scamper who
was chattering mar by with Didy.
mus, looked up, and quietly said.
"Pcrhaps l can serve you that way,
Mrs. DE Nyse."
"Can you play at sight, Miss
Scamper!' inquired Mrs. De Myse
Miss Scampernodded assent, and
seated herself at the piano-torte,
and accompanied the voice with
such good Judgment that The singer
was delighted.
Il wish l could carry you about
with me, my DEAR" she said. "But
do you not sing! You surely must
~ little"
Urged by all around, Miss Scam
per, to her own accompaniment,
sang an air from II Trovatore. Hell
voice proved to be a rich soprano
OF iull register, clear as a silver bell
and admirably cultivated. There
was moments pause when she
had done, as though not to lose /;
note. and thena storm Of applause
Here wlS Il sensation. Everybody
talked OF her method, and the gild
ell youths were in raptures. The
mammals conferred, and concluded
that Miss Scamper was a membe
Of ccn,., ui,u,,.h rhoir= mr. ottochpl