Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-09-10

wash, milk, scrub, drive and on occasion
| even plow II little, had u genius for every
| day matters, aud ut her suuciest had only
the port familiarity or rather took only the
innocent liberties OF child or savage
| liberties to which SOuthernerS arc quite
accustomed and which have no root Of
actual disrespcct in thom,
But this is digro sion, our business he
Ing not with this original young African
| but with Miss Roberta as she whirls ulOng
ut the local rate OF speed, which is not that
OF the "Flying Dutcnman" between Liver
pool and London, but allows the curious
traveller to look about him ju,t ns II he
were walking yithOut the fatigue OF that
exercise. All the same 1t was an oxhilara-
ting experience TO Miss Roberta, whose life
| OF utter seclusion made any thing in tho
| shape OF change or movement delightful.
She had not been out OF her own cOuhty
| before for twenty years, out OF her own
| State in all her lifo, so that to be going to
| Ohio was charming state OF affairs some
what clouded by the unnecessary unxioties
and fenrs that haunt people unused to
travelling Long before Milford was reached
Miss Roberta had suffered many pangdthat
| would have struck any one accustomed to
the rush aud whirl of modern life as utterly
absurd. A cosmopolitan American would
not have felt such in voyage around the
world, and though ridiculous from this
standpoint, they were very real How
| would they know when the train arrived
at Milford, when the stations were an
| nounccd in Choctaw, to all intents and
| ,urposes' Suppose she we're to get off at
the wrong station, or be carried off into
hat w,do world that teomed with dangers
70 unprotected spinsters! Every time pas
| senge"s left the car she started up nervous
| ly aud tried to find out where she was, or
sat sill, ASHAMED to make inquiries and
| droading the result Whenever tho con-
| ductor entered the car she looked at him
appenlingly to recall to him without furth-
or speech the fact that she was there, that
she was going TO change at Milford, that
some dreadful mistake would ensue unless
he bore in mind her entreatios that he
should SEQ her safely into tho western
train. Then herpurso gave her the gravest
concern, 1t was 50 slenderly furnished, and
| thore seemed somuoh danger of losing even
that little. HeY Yticketwas another burden,
though she put it back in her dress each
time after showing it; and. finally, what
was to be the fate OF her trunk, which
wasn't hers, but sister Elizabeths, who
didn't like lending her thingsl
She was still tlinklng uneasily OF all
these perplexities when tho train oraw,ed
into Milford. Her first fear was realized
The faithless conductor forgot her entire
ly. But this time the ear was unanimous
| ly deserted by the passengers amidst
most confusing banging OF doors and rush
of trains and after having made sasisflc
tory inquiry as 10 whether that was "real-
| ly Milford she followed the people near
her and soon found herself in n huge COW
| cred station, There were trains to the
right OF her and trains TO the left OF her.
There was great crowd. She made some
more timid Inquiries and the busy officials
only half-heeding hor sont her first 10 the
wrong gate whOrs, after fumbling for hcr
| ti.lpf mud chnUinty IL qba rit
waved of TO another and finally reached
the proper train at the last moment She
| saw tho people from afar streaming in,
and just caught up with the procession.
Hold on! Here's another!n said the con-
ductor in charge and glad enough was she
to find herself in harbor once moro after
the agitatlng fluctuations OF the last few
hours. Now all wHI vol She had only
to get Off at Smithvillo where her aunt
lived and would SOC that she " rs welcomed
| properly. In two hours more tho journey
would be at an end.
With these reflections Misa Roberta
settled her wraps and parcels in the last
seat ut the upper end Of tho car and took
the empty one facing it, Oncc or twice she
turned around to havo u LOOK at the other
passengers as they took their places, and
then she sank back against the we'll
cushioned seat and as she would herself
have expressed it, addressed" herself TO
reading the excellent volume OF Hannah
Moore rrOvidol by Miss Anastasia rs n
certain preventive of possible dullnesS, 1t
was not tho first time shc had read il by
any means, but novelty in the atmosphere
in which sho had bccn brei was not only
not essential, even in tho matter of books,
hut considered vNWuey dangerous. They
had always read Hannah Moore with pleas
ure, and that time would come In which
they would cease to be "o'lifled" and lin
ttructed' by her (amu 'ement was a more
giddy side issue without weight among
grave, superior poQple) would have struck
all the sisters rs ali almost indecent suppo-
sitiOn
And so IL was with serious satisfaction
| that Miss Roberta turned over page after
page OF the volume in her hand which she
was allowed to dwell upon quite undis.
turbed, for exc 'pt to show her ticket when
first seated her attention was not once dis
tracted. In the course OF the next hour
and n half they passed good many
stations at which they stopped for few
minutes, but no one got into her car and
| no one got out, neithar was she annoyed
by having tho names Of the towns bawled
at her from afar as she had been on tho
branch road 1t possible though, to get
enough evon Of the most substantial re-
past. and SO whom she had finished the
twelfth chapter of moral rell5otous human
nature began to assert ITSELF and Miss
Roberta groaned twice and began to look
about her again.
glance behind showed her a pretty
chubby boy OF about four years old who
was munching with evident relish large
slice of jcllycake, lunch-baskot was
opcn on the scat noar him, from which the
child had helped himself, and his mother
dozed In the corner.
Attracted by the situation Miss Roberta
continued to watch him, at first with
smiling approval AMI then, as cakS fol
Lowell cake, and apples, oranges figs fol-
lowed the cakes, with decided disapproval
At last she determined to interfere, and in
a loud voice addressed tho sleepy parent
"Aadam," she said, II npo,ogise for dis
i turbing you but lthink you can not be
i aware of tho exceSSrs your little charge is
committing.n Sha got no answer from tn,
,hild's mother and abashed turned hor
head away Another look-thl spectacle
fa,cinatsl her-showed her the boy maxim;
havoc OF a thick section OF fruit.cake. Tn"
next time sho glanced in that direction ii
was an apple. than moro fruitcake, and
so on until Miss Roberta could no longer
bear the sight and made another appeal to
the mother. who still dozed away uncon-
,c!ous OF her sons gastronomic feats. Fin l.
ins that her usual gentle tones had no
effect on tho sleeper Miss Roberta raised
her voice, but even then male no impress
SION. AJ laNU Sno VenUufeu 10 SuHke Jnt
iady's arm lightly and express hor concern
about the child This hal the desired
effect, for tho lady sat up aud turned
y startled, confused glance upon her, fol-
,owOl the direction OF hnr eyes. shook up
the child and replaced him in his corner
closed the basket 0nd resumed hor inter
ruptod nap without word. "Well upon
my wosd,n thought Miss Roberta, ina. {
rantly, "here'selvility, to DO surol | sup
pose She is angry with mo for interfering.
md so hasn't word OF thanks for me
hough it IL my belief that | have saved
hat child's lilo But whit can expect in
Ohio" A rooted prejudice against the
West and evory thing it contained was
part of Mist Ruborta's creed, III 1t is that
II great many worthy persons who know
,othing of tho region and people they con.
'lomn A moment luter two other triiles
occurred that sho thought equally charac
toristic. Taking her collaIson-cup In her
ianl she walked down to the water-cooleI
1t the other end OF the car aud would have
lrawu of a glass OF water hut that she
uund planted in front OF it gentleman
who helped himself freely three times and
then stool there ru.lely blocking tho. way
and staring out OF the window. His back
was toward her, but OF course, ho knew
,hc was thcre, Sho argued, as thore is moth
ng about II watcr-cooler calculated to alb
,Orb or enchain tho attention of the thirst
lest man after he has dlspo ied of pint OF
is contents. miss Roberta coughed. The