Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-09-10
THE LOST VOICE.
An Ancient Maidens Great Agony
In Finding 1t.

II was eleven O'Clock a. m, and the vii.
lago OF Scarborough was about TO receive
its daily shock from tho worlds great cleo
tTic battery, after which II would relapse
into Its usual state OF torpor. In other
words, the midday train was nbout TO come
In, the one that brought tho mails and the
few passengers that camo; the only one, to
all intcnts and purposes, for Scarborough
was only mile OF struggling houses set on
branch road OF the great Massamltton Il
Midland railway, aud its honest inhabitants
were not disturbed unless III, whistle Of
the might freight reused them from thoir
tucOlic dreams.
Tho two gentlemen that lived in the neigh
borhood had driven over to get the mail
aud were waiting for 1t In their buggles !;
the farmers had tied their lank horses to
the fence aud gone into the small house
pinned to an extensive platform that served
at once us store, post-oillco and station; tho
usual crowd Of idle negroes who never
missed u train, not oven during harvest,
had assembled. And NOW what should
came Iattling along the cross-rond but a
modest ''rockaway." IL qNntainOd three
ladies and n unique coachman in the per
son OF a listlo colorod girl oi about twelve,
who was dressed in pink calico, and as to
her extreinities was barefootod, and wore
black straw hat from bcnsath which u
wilderness OF short plalts bristled In the
most comical fashion, stop! stopl Flor
india! whore are you goingW called out one
OF the ladies in an alarmed tone as they
crossed the track.
Don't you hear the whistlel Go on !"
shouted another in n reSOluto, authoritative
voice.
"Goodness gracious alive She will kill
us all yet !" exclaimed tho third, but for
all answer Florinda, who had solved in her
own person tho woman's rights problem
by knowing what she was doing and going
straight ahoad aud doing II, and who, in
spite OF her age and sex, was an accom-
plishcd Jehu, drove safely and cloverly
around 10 the back Of the station and
stopped where the ladies could step out on
tho platform with case, Rolling hers i'm
mense protrudiug eyes around at her mis-
tress she snid reprovingly; Miss 'Stasia
Use H.drivingW and without further com.
ment the process OF Decentralization began
It was process, for all three ladies were
old and more or less difficult TO extract
from the small carriage, but Florinda was
equal TO the occasion: 1t was worth while
| to see hor guide Miss Anastasia's foot TO tho
step, seize her hand and land hcr safely,
then put up parasol for her and leave
her, 10 20 back and fairly pull out Miss
| Elizabeth. who weighed two hundred.
| There was still the timid Miss Roberta
who peered anxiOusly in the direction Of
the horse's head and cried out: He'll start,
| or kick or do something know he will !
DO to the beast, Florinda, bold himw
Demosthenes could not have convinced
| Miss Roberta that there was no danger for
she had mortal dread OF horsehesh and
| there was bundle of nerves Florinda
| didn't try. She siInply put one long, firm
| arm around tho lady's waist and brought
hcr out within three feet OF her sisters with
| one determined sweep, collected in a
twinkling tho sbawls and parcels they had
brought, bounced back like o ball into the
carriage, turned 1t sharp around, escaping
tho wheels OF wood wagon by about ali
inoli, bounced out again, knotted the reins,
| hisohed the horses and rejoined her COM
panionA
| she found them squabbling mildly as to
| whether Miss Roberta, who was going 10
visit an aunt In Ohio, should buy return
| ticket or not and being accustomed to
making up their minds for them decided in
the negative. She then bounced up to the
agent with Miss Anastasia's pocket-book in
her hand, bought the necessary bitot pa
| per, and bounced back To Miss Roberts,
saying: "Here's your showin', Miss Rerta,
Look sharp iboutit Et you lose II you'll
be put Off do train mighty quick, ! tell
| you, y caution which 40 impressed Miss
Roberta that she Immediately buttoned II
up In the bosom OF her dress Florinda
was then off to SEQ about the trunk, aud
presently returned with the check for It.
An impressive roll OF her peculiar eyes
and a warnings "Widout dis piece ev per
servin' kittle you nober SEQ dat new black
dress ev you'rn agin long ez you live, Miss
Roberta. dat's shore ~ sent the precious
piece Of brass to keep company with the
ticket
The train now rolled in, and the throC
old ladies, who were devoted to each othol
and had never been separated for a montl
in all their lives, consumed so much time
in farewells and embraces and caution!
that, after all, there would have been NJ
immediate necessity for any thing OF th,
kind, and Miss Roberta would have missed
her train had not the sharp and practica
Florinda been at the helm. Twas she whC
called out. rather disrespectfully it must b,
confessed: "Stop dat foolshnessi Don'tyel
500 you gwine be left whisperatin' on cir
cumferatin' right herepl And not content
with mere words pushed Miss Roberta
briskly in the direction of the ladies' cal
and got her on board. On the platform
even that lady paused TO say; "Sister
dear be sure to foed my Rouen-" Thii
sentence, ifithad boen finished, would have
had "ducks" In It, but 1t wasn't The trair
started, and with conVulsive lurch Ql
two Miss Roberta disappeared inside. ThI
weather being that OF the dog-days the car
windows were all up, and from one oil
them Miss Roberta saw her two sisters
waving their handkerchiefs. She also saw
Florinda, who had taken Off the blacl
straw and was nourishing 1t in the air, hel
innumerable little pig-tails standing ou
In silhouette against the sky like tho quill
of the fretful porcupine, her voice sending
after tho traveller o last caution: "Changl
kyars at Milford Miss Robertal'
-"Florinda, you spoke very improperly
Just now" said Miss Anastasia as thay
moved away. ,,Another time ! shal
certainly not overlook It,"
She always said this, and about twice I
month declared that she could not b,
"worried with that child any lopger,h bp
all the same she never had the least idei
OF sending her away. 1t would have beel
o most revolutionary proceeding, for Flo
rinda's grandmother was an old family
servant-the only one who, gndazzlcd b,
the brilliant prospects opened to her race b,
the war, had staid quietly in her Yirginil
homo and grown old with the ladies viii
whom she had been young, in an exchanK
Of mutual good offices and affection verl
charming to behold. It was she who hal
! put into Florinda the mainspring OF al
y her actions. ~ wuz bawn IN dis her
fambly-pse 'gwine die In dis here fam
bly,n the faithful soul would say. "E