The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-10-06

alu w W luc lIIllcS. DO INC CHOlr lucy
all mean to go, if it's a possible thing to
rake and scrspe money enough together.
The opcr. tickets is five dollars apiece. "
"Iou dol't tell me So" exclaimed Mrs.
Dold, spil'ing half tcaspoonful of best
Oolong tca in her surpri>e. 81 declare,
that's up and down sinful"
Give dollars apiece. imprcssivcly re-
peatcd Mrs. Mattison. "Shc's all the
fashion now, and folks would pay twice
that, Horatio says, if she cho to ask
it. Then the car-fare will be another
five for the party: and they're to stay
with Deacon Eiiphaz Midgetts w;dder,
as keeps boardin' house on Third ave-
nue.. and she'll charge en- dollar and a
quarter apiece for supper and lodgin' and
breakfast. | think it's an awful price,
hut folks tells me that things comes
dreadful dear the city. So if they can
raise twenty-five dollars clear profit out
of the concert, they can 60; but the
tickets hain't sold t1rst-rate yet. You
see, folks has got tired Of hearing Miss
Burney sing them little, slueaky songs
O hern, and Uncle Billy Brooks play his
fiddle, and George Tiler do that laughin'
SOLO er and o or agin. So if your
boarder would give US song, we'd take
it very kind; and I'm sure Horato would
pay her q dollar without bcgrudging it.
Il would be something new, you see, to
hear stranger"
"Wal, 1 dunno" said Mrs. Dodd.
"Hcre she comes now with the milk
pals. She can answer you better than I
can"
And to Mary Bell herself Mrs. Matti-
son, fired with the desire for originality,
unfolded her scheme.
"You needn't be bashful. you know" "
said Mrs. Mattison. "Wc'd make every
allowance for your beng shy and back
ard, and our folks amt particular. If
you could sing Nancy Lee now. or
'Peek-a- Boo, or some such good high
pitched thing, we'd take it kind My
son, Horatio, would pay you dollar,
and it would sort O. bo practice for you.
Next Monday week."
Miss Pell hesitated moment.
''Do you mean," SAID she, that they
would pay me dollar!"
"Yts,' said Mrs. Mattison, beaming
all over with conscious generosity. "It's
a good price, know, but the Slackville
folks never was mean
'!Yes, l will come" said Miss Bell,
quietly.
"Cur choir is dreadful nice folks"
said Mrs. Mattison. "You mustn't mind
Mrs. Capting Closc-she's the Soprano
if she's little airish. Her voice is
thought a dreadful sight of. Hannah
Hall is the contralto-and there's Ferdi-
nand Jones and my IIoratio. You'll like
'em all. Now, when can you come and
pr, ctice2'
1t turned out, however, that Miss Bell
did not come and practice at all. Mrs.
Dodd's rheumatism grew worse. and the
new hired man did't arrive until the very
Monday morning. Mrs. Captain Close,
tossed her blonde, closely -crimpled head.
eff that girl spols the concert, it will
be Mrs. Mattison's fault" said she. Il
never in my life heard of anything so
outrageous as stranger forcing her way
into our entertainment. Who knows
whether she can sing note? Anyhow, l
wash my hands of the whole thing"
".Nliss Bell, from New York Looks
kind O. good in the paper we nailed upon
the church door" said Horatio. 81
dare say she'll be better than nobody"
Not soul in the aud ;cnce, however,
was prepared for the wild burst of mel
ody with which Mary Bell greeted them
on the night of the concert.
II declare" said Deacon Brodhead.
"Was that 'Twickcnham Ferry" 1t
don't sound no more like the 'Twickcn-
ham Ferry that my Eliza sings than if it
warn't no blood rel ,tion."
':Shc sings like lark said old Miss
Smell, wip ng her eyes. ''It does me
good to listen to her."
st may be fine singing said Mrs.
Captain Close. "but don't believe in
these loud SC ecching voices. Give me
say I"
"It amt the way we was brought up to
sing" sid Miss Hannah Hall. "Any-
how it would have been only politeness
for Eer to come on and make the audience
a courtesy. with them rapping their UNI
brelIa handles OF agin' the floor"
"P'rarps she was bashful," suggested
Deacon Brodhcad.
"Nonscnsc!" said Mrs. Captain Close.
Upon the whole. Slackville couldn't
decide whether it liked Mary Bell or not.
She had certainly startled them out of
their apathy; but they wcre a little
q .hamed Of having been thrown Of their
guard. And they universally agreed
that 'it wasn't what they had been
used to-
But the Slackville choir succeeded in
raising its twenty-five dollars from the
proceeds of the conce t, and they went
to New York and "put up" at the mod
est establishment of Deacon Eliphaz Mid
gets widow.
And after their upper of baked beans
and cold corned beef, with applc-sauce
and powdcry variety of Eakcr's sweet
cake, that somehow suggested the idea
of one of Pharaoh's mummies, they set
forth to the Academy Of Music, lToratio
Mattison. and Hannah Hall leading the
way, ard Mrs. Captain Close following
with Mr.. Ferdinand Jones.
"Dear mc, what crowd" said Miss
Hall.
"And how elegant the ladies are
dressed, to be-surc!" said Mrs. Captain
Close, with an uneasy glance at her dyed
grcen-silk gown.
And then came the mad rush conse-
ouent upon the opening of the doors,
the squeeze, the shrjcks, the gesticula-
tions of ushers and the deliberate de-
termination of everybody to get into