The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1886-11-11
WILD BECKY.


If there Is one thing the country
folks of Millville were proud of over
ami above the new organ in their
''meetin house" it was the Millville
Boarding-School, which capped the
very highest pinnacle of their village
4 light set upon hill, which shed It's
literary radiance over the whole place
Cynthia Adams was the only day
scholar, but she was the 'squire's daugh-
ter, and 1t was matter of course that
her schooling should be something
beyond that of the rest of the village
girls.
One day, as the scholars were hang
ing over the schoOl-yard fence, or sit
ling in groups on the steps, waiting for
the school-bell to ring, they heard
man with a lusty PAIR of lungs shout
ing "Gee-haw, git up thar" in a voice
so loud that 1t threatened to shake the
hills.
That is one of old Miller's whispers,
l do believe" laughed Cynthia. Hes
farmer about here with roaring
voice. Such queer fellow as he is, to
DC sure. | wish you girls could see
nim."
II wish l might" answered fun-lov-
ing Mile King
Does he live far from here?"
His house is way down by the edge
of the town, beyond the pine woods;
,hey call the place Biscuit City,"
why? Because they have so many
once.
Cynthia shook her head.
Il guess ii is because they don't have
them," she said; perhaps they wish
they did, and SO cali it that All |
really know about it is that there does
not seem TO be any one there to cook
much, anyway; for farmer Miller lives
alone with his granddaughter, a girl
about our age"
'Couldn' I she make biscuitP" persist
ed Miliie, unwilling to give up the
ldea that they abounded in Biscuit
City.
Becky! I'd like to see anything
decent that Wild Becky could make. No
one in the village will have anything
/ 10 do with her, for she's such wild,
! narum-scaTum thing, and SO green, too,
| that you'd mistake her for grass, just as
likely as not"
Cynthia stopped abruptly, for the
''Gee-haws' sounded nearer every mo-
| ment, and now a pair of oxen came
numbering over the brow of the hill.
| followed by a rickety havcart, at the
| end of which was poised bare-headed
I young person in Il cloud of dust. Her
ample bonnet swung from the top of
| one OF Ire poles which formed the sides
OF the carr, evidently for the purpose of
! proving 10 the passer-bY that she pos
/ sessed the article, though she did not
/ choose to wear 1t. She looked up at it
! rather wistfufly, however, as her COM
/ panion, farmer Miller, with laundering
| oxclamations, drove the cart up to the
I schOol-hOuse gate.
Pile out, Becky" he roared, land
well soon fix it up with 'em here. Don't
| be skeered, gal. Be you the school
marm?n
The question was addressed to Miss
! Peters, the principal, who. at this junct-
ure, came politely forward.
, Il haven't much learnin' myself,
ma am" he continued, ''but Pm bound
| that my gal, here, shall have as good
! q chance as the rest of 'em. She's 4
! good gal. Becky is, only trifle wild
/ ike. and needs settlin' bit I'm a
! better hand at settlin' bills than lively
/ young creatures like this one; so if
/ vou'il tend to one I'll tend to t'other, y
+ and handing the poor girl over. tumb-
! Ing. her bonnet after her, he was half
/ way down the bill before Wild Becky
I had made up her mind whether she
! would be settled or not.
/ II was very disagreeable standing
+ there with all the girls staring at her,
she thought; and giancing shyly from
! under her long lashes, her eyes rested
/ gladly on the familiar features of the
'squire's daughter.
How do, Cynthia?" she said, nod
ding in such civil way that it surprised
herself.
/ Cynthia looked blankly into her face
q moment without making the slight
+. est sign of recognition, then, wheeling
! around on her heels, she turned her
back squarely upon her.
4 titier went around the yard. Every
one seemed amused but poor Becky,
who shut her mouth tightly, and her
heart. TOO, for that matter, and hated
her Kind. As she joined the crowd
squeezing into the school-house she
wondered why she had ever consented
to be brought to school. The old wild
life perfectly contented her. To roll
about for hours under the widespread
oaks, with friendly squirrels, or to chase
the brook as it dashed gayly down the
hills. was pleasanter than the society Of
girls. she had always thought.
But the fact was her grandfather had
taken it into his dear old head to make
lady of her, and, rather than disap
point the kind soul who had done sc
much for her, Wild Becky made a des
perate effort to plume herself down thai
morning into civilized girl, ano
mingle with her fellow-beings.
1t was harder even than she had i'm
agined. The close school-room almos
sJitled her, while the dull, monotonou.
hum of voices mad such a stupefying
effect that before she had been seated
long her head dropped or her desk anC
she fell asleep. She was wakened b,
something tickling her nose; putting
her hand up quickly a great bouncing
butterfly futtered through her finger.
! and shot up into the air. Now, thi