The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-09-18

! or. Is concerning my niece. - Here L
looked surprised, not suspecting Zillah
/ to be so near a relative. Il call her
niece through habit, and for the sake
of her father, my poor deceased broth
! er" continued Mr.. LIE POer, with
4 heightened and martyr-like visage;
but in truth she has no legal claim to
belong to my family. My brOther-sad
/ fellow always-Iudian life not over
scrupulous-tieS between natives and
Europeans: i'll fact, my dear Miss Pry
or. Zillah's mother-- You under
/ stand?'
Ignorant as I was, did dimIy un-
deTstand. colOred deeply, and was ST.
( lent. In the unpleasant pause which
ensued noticed that Mrs lie poer
( had let her knitting fall, and sat gazing
on her husband with a blank, Mortified
/ look, until he called her to order by an
l impressive ''A little more wine, my
dearIn Her head sank with an alarmed
gesture, and her lord and master con-
tinued addressing me: 'Of course this
explanation is in strict confidence
Regard for my brothers memory in
duces me to Keep the secret, and to
bring up this girl exactly as my own
except > he added. recOllecting himself.
with slight, indeed a necessary diff
| ference. Therefore you Will educate
them all alike; at least so far as Zillah's
small capacity allows. | believe y and
he smiled sarcastically, "her modicum
of intellect is not greater than general
I ly belongs to her mothers race. She
would make an excellent dyob and that
is all"
Poor thing!'' 1 thought, not inclined
to despise her even after this painful
information; how could l, when-now
that fairly nonplussed me! What made
the girl an object of interest to Mr..
Sutherland? and why did he mention
her as Miss Zillah lie POer when she
could legally have no right to the name?
| should, in my straightforward way,
have asked the question, but Mr.. Ee-
Peers manner showed that he wished
no more conversation. He limited
something about my fatigue. and the
adVSabilitY of retiring; nay, even light
ed my candle for me, and dismissed his
wife and myself with an air SO pleasant
and gracious, that / thought | had
scarcely ever seen such perfect gem
tleman.
Mrs. LIE Poer preceded me upstairs
to my ROOM bade me goodnight, asked,
tipidly, but kindly, if all was to my
liking. and if 1 would take anything
more-seemed half-incIined to say
something else, and then, hearing her
husbands voice, instantaneously dis
appeared.
was at last alone. l sat thinking
over this strange evening-so strange
that it kept my thoughts from immedi-
ately flying where | had supposed they
were sure to fly. During my cOgita-
tiOnS there came a knock at the door,
and on my answering it, a voice spoke
without, IN dull, sullen tone, and an
accent slightly foreign and broken
"Please do you want to be called to-
morrow, and will You have any hot
water?'
opened the door at once to Zillah.
rs 1t you, dear? Come in and say
goodnight to me-"
The girl entered with the air and
manner of a servant except for a GER
tain desperate sullenneSS. I took her
hand, and thanked her for coming to
see after my comforts. She looked
thoroughly astOnished: but as l went
on talking, began to watch me with
more interest. Once she even smiled.
which threw a soft expression over her
mouth. l cannot tell what reason [
had-whether from a mere impulse of
Kindness, with which nv own state of
desOlatiOn had something to do. or
whether [ compelled myself from a
sense of duty to take all means of MAX
ing good first impression on the girls
feelings-but when L babe Zillah good
night l leaned forward, and just
touched her brown cheek with mine
French fashion; for / could not really
kiss anybody except for love.
L never saw creature so utterly
amaZedI She might never have re-
ceived that token of affection since her
birth. She muttered few unintelIipi-
bic words-l fancy they were in Hin
dOStanee = flung herself before me.
Eastern fashion, and my poor hand was
kissed passiOnately, weepingly. as the
beloved ladies' hands are in novels and
romances. Ahl my hand was never
kissed save by this poor child
All passed IN a moment, and | had
hardly recovered my first surprise when
ZllIah was gone. l sat a little while.
feeling as strange as if had suddenly
become the heroine of fairy tale; then
caught vision of my own known self,
with my pale, tired face, and sad-colored
gown. 1t soon brought me back to the
realities of life, and to the fact that I
was now two hEndred miles away from
my mother and from-IOndon.
had not been three weeks resident
In the LIE POer family, before / discoy-
cred that if out of the domestic myste-
res into which became gradually in
ltiated L could create any fairy tale. it
would certainly be that of ''Cfndere!la:''
Dut my poor Cinderella had all the
troubles of her prototvpe without any
of the graces either of mind or person.
1t Is great mistake to suppose that
every victim of tyranny must of neces-
slty be an angel. On most minds OPP
preston has exactly the opposite effect
1t dulls the faculties, stupefies the in
stinctive sense of right, and makes the
most awful havoc among the natural
affections. / was often forced to doubt
whether Mr.. LIE Poer was very far
wrong when he called Zillah by his ia
Yorlte name of the ''ugly little deyil.D
There was something quite demoniac
In her black eyes at times She was la
Zy too-fuIl of the languor of her native
cline. Neither threats nor punish
mentS could rouse her into the slight
est activity. The only. person to whom
she paid the least attention was Mrs.
lie Poer, who alone never ill-used her.
Poor lady. she was too broRen-spirjted
to lll-use anybody; but she never
praised. do not think ZiIlah had
heard the common ciVility. 'sThauk
you," until i came into the house.
since, when [ uttered it, she Seemed
scarcely to believe her ears. When She
Joined rs in the schOOl-roOm r Tfound the
girl was very ignorant. Her Youngest
cousin was far before her even in the
cOmmonest knowledge: and. as in an
cases OF deadened intellect. it cost her
mcalculable-tF trouble learn the sim
plest things. | took infinite pains with
her, aye. and felt in her a strong inter
esITten tunes stronger than in the 9th
er Two; yet for weeks she seemed
scarcely to have advanced at all. How
ever, 1T must be taken into account
that she was rarely suffered to remain
with me half the school-hours without
being summoned to some menial DUTY
or other; and the one maid-servant be-
slowed on me many black looks. as be-
ing the cause why she herself had some
times to do morning. household work
alone q a-- -
Often puzzled myself in seeing how
Incompatible was Zillah's po-
sltiOn with Mr.. SutheEland's expressed
desire concerning her. Sometimes 1
thought / would write and explain all