The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-01-08

fairly begun. Sally saw the horse
turning up towards the house, and
was delighted with the prospect OF
having her lonliness cheered by com,
company. She rushed to the door to
meet them before they alighted from
the chaise, and greeted them with
great cordiality. She was barefooted,
and had on q very dirty and ragged
dress, and her red hair was scratched
up under a head-covering known in
those days as n log-cabin sunbonnet.
In this plight she vas even less than
usually prepossessing.
els Miss Matte at homeo9"
"Oh, dear, no! Imawfulsorrv, but
she heard there was some dreadful
grand folks yer to Waverly, and they
were coming Eeret to see er;and she said
she wouldn't have 'emcomehere!ora all
the world, cause the house looks so
bad; and she made Square Converse
take her over across Pomfret hills to
! head 'em. | don't see why she didn't
want ,emto come, but she said she
wouldn't have 'em nohow, but she'll
be awful sorry to miss O. SEEM you"
But Sally was hospitable, ii. she was
not clean, and insisted that they
should come right in"
so Toni" said Maria' "don't let us
stop; we will drive right down to the
village. / want to see Mrs. Silva, and
l know she will be glad to see us"
But this was too funny an episode
for Tom to give up. He would 90 in,
and sit down and look at the prom
ises. Sally came in and sat
down too, and did her best to enter
tain the company, but when by way
OF making herself agreeable, she adj
dressed him with the inquiry
''Tom, are you goingto the sarcus9"
lie nearly went into fits over it, and
almost gave her an invitation to next
weeks circus onthe spot.
At last Maria, who was too kind to
enjoy this dreadful modification to
her friend, succeeded in getting him
started for the village, and was glad
to introduce him tothe family OF her
dear Mrs. Silva, where they were so
cordially and kindly received that it
was not difficult to persuade them to
have the horse put up, andstay until
after tea.
Maria was glad to have this city
cousin see this charming specimen OF
a farmers home in Vermont, Every
thing was SO clean and appropriate
and well-cared-for, within and with
out. The garden, with its rows of veg
etab!es and ripening fruit, the barn,
the beehives, the COW coming up from
the pasture, the sheep crowdingeag
ly about the farmer for their salt, the
hens and chickens, and even the pigs,
were interesting to the city boy, and
he asked SO many intelligent questions,
and expressed SO much admiration OF
the horses and colts, and evinced such
hearty appreciation OF the bread and
butter and everything else, that the
family were delighted with him, and
gave him acordial invitation to come
and see them again sin sugaringtime."
Just before tea, the other pair OF ex-
c%ursionists drove up to the door.
Matte had fingered in Wavcrly until
she was sure that Tom and Maria
must have started for home, and then
came back after q wearisome and I'M
successful day. Her embarrassment
was extreme at meeting these friends,
but, luckily for her peace OF mind, she
did not then know what had happened
ut the farmhouse, or the eytent OF her
misfortunes. She did feel, however,
that she had made an utter failure of
her well-laid scheme, and could not
help seeing that her friends regarded
her with a kind OF contemptuous pity,
rather than with admiration. How
ever, she tried to forget her troubles,
and join in the general conversation
at the tea-tabie, but she thought that
"Tom had not improved sinceshe saw
him, that she did not think it was
very polite to burst out laughing at
the table when there was nothing to
laugh at"
Poor Tom had really such a sense of
the ludicrous that he really could not
help it, though he did try faithfully
and was more shocked at himself than
she was at him.
We do notknow what account Sally
gave of her visitors, but we may be
sure that Matte heard enough to
give her a good lesson for all the rest
OF her life. Whether she learned it or
not, history does not say, but we
may take it for ourselves, remember
ing what the Irishman said, 1.-THE
wickedness of the wa-r-r-ld is mighty
improvin', ii yell only take way-r-rning
by it," :
Had Matte had an eve to the real
worth ofhercountry no me- ndsought
to have made it the ideal one she had
represented it to be, Tom doubles
would have admired her spirit, GER
tainly he would have respected it.