The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-08-19
THE LOST VOICE.
An Ancient Maiden's Great Agony
in Finding It.

l. was eleven O'Clock a. m, and the vii
lage of Scarborough was about to receive
its daily shock from the worlds great cleo
trio battery, after which it would relapse
-iltc its usual state of torpor In Other
words, the midday train was about to come
in, the one that brought the mails and the
few passengers that came; the only one to
all intents and purposes. for Scarborough
was Onlya mile of struggling houses set on
a branch road of the great Massamitton &
Midland railway, and its honest inhabitants
were not disturbed unless the whistle of
the might freight" reused them from their
sbucolic dreams.
The two gentlemen that lived in the neigh
'bOrhOOd had driven over to get the mail
and were waiting for it in their buggieS /;
the farmers had tied their lank horses to
the fence and gone into the small house
pinned to an extensive platform that served
at once as store, post-ofilce and station; the
usual crowd of idle negroes who never
missed train, not even during harvest,
had assembled. And now what should
came rafting along the cross-road but a
modest ''rockaway." 1t contained three
ladies and unique coachman in the per-
son OF little colOred girl of about twelve,
who was dressed in pink calico. and as to
black straw hat from beneath which a
wilderness of short plaitS bristled in the
most comical fashion, Stop! Stopl Flor
india where are you gOing:' called out one
of the ladies in an alarmed tone as they
crossed the track.
Don't you hear the whistle! Go on"
shouted another in a reSolute, authoritative
voice. ...
Goodness gracious alive !! She will kill
us all yetn' exclaimed the third, but for
all answer Florinda, who had solved in her
own person the woman's rights problem
by knowing what she was doing and going
straight ahead and doing it, and who, in
spite of her age and sex. was an accom-
plished Jehu, drove safely and cleverly
around to the back of the station and
stopped where the ladies' could step out on
the platform with ease. Rolling her i'm
menSe protrudiug eyes around at her mis-
treSs she said, feprOvingly: Miss 'StaSia,
Use a-driving!f and without further com
.ment the process of Decentralization began.
Ii 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 her guide Miss Anastasia's foot to the
step, seize her hand and land her safely,
then put up paraSol for her and leave
her, 60 go back and fairly pull out Miss
Elizabeth, who weighed two hundred.
There was still the timid Miss Roberta,
who peered GnSiously in the direction of
the horses head and cried out: He'll start
or kick or DO something! know he will
Go to the beast, FlOrinda, hold him."
DemoSthenes could not have convinced
Miss Roberta that there was no danger, for
she had d mortal dread of horseflesh and
thsTe was a bundle of nerves Florinda
didn't try. She simply put one long, firm
arm around the lady's waist and brought
her out within three feet of her sisters with
one determined sweep, collected in a
2 MI liner tha m urlS aud reals tbaxy bod
BROUGHT, bounced back like a ball into tie
. carriage, turned it sharp around, escaping
f4be wheels of wood wagon by about an
rncb, bounced out again. knotted the reins,
stitched the horses and rejoined her COM
panions
ohc found them squabbling mildly as to
whether Miss Roberta, who was going to
visit anAaunt 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 bit of pa
per- and bounced back to Miss Roberts,
= saying: Here's your shown, Miss Berte.
Look sharp bout it. Ef you lose it you'll
be put oifz.tle train mighty quick, | tell
you,n a caution which so impressed Miss
Roberta that she immediately buttoned it
rap in the bosom of her dress FlOrinda
was then off to see about the trunk, and
presently returned with the check for it.
An impressive roll of her peculiar eyes
and a warning: ''Widout dis piece CIV per-
servin' kittIe Won neber see dat new black
dress ey you'rn agin long ez you live, NJ SIS
Roberta. dat's shorer' sent the precious
piece OF brass to keep company with the
ticket
The tr-sin now rolled in, and the three
old ladies, who were devoted TO each other
and had never beeu separated for month
in all their lives, consumed SO much time
in farewells and embraces and cautions
that, after all, there would have been no
immediate necessity for any thing of the
kind, and Miss Roberta would have missed
her train had not the sharp and practical
Florinda been at the helm. TWAS she who
, called out, rather unexpectedly it must be
confessed s'Stop dat foolishneSSi Don' ( yer
see YOU gwine be left whisperatin' en- cir
cumferatin' right heret' And not content
with mere words pushed Miss Roberta
briskly in the direction of the ladies car
and got her on board. On the platform
even that lady paused to say: SISTER
dear be sure TO feed my Rouen-" This
sentence, if it had been finished, would have
had ducks in it, but it wasn't. The train
started, and with a convulsive lurch or
two Miss Roberta disappeared inside. The
weather being that of the dog-days the car
windows were all up, and from one of
them Miss Roberta saw her two Sisters
waving their handkerchiefS. She also saw
Florinda, who had taken off the black
innumerable little pig-tails standing out
in silhouette against the sky like the quilts
of the fretful porcupine. her voice sending
after the traveller last caution: Change
kyars at Milford, Miss Roberta!''
'Florinda, you spoke very improperly
just now" said Miss Anastasia as they
moved away. Another time / shall
certainly not overlook it.n
She always said this, and about twice 9
month declared that she could not be
worried with that child any longer" but
all the same she never had the least idea
of sending her away. It would have been
- most revolutionary proceeding, for Flo
rinda's grandmother was an old family
sservant-the only one who, undaZZled by
tbs brilliant prospects opened to her race by
the war, had staid quietly in her Virginia
home and grown old with the ladies with
whom she had been young. in an exchange
of mutual good offices and affection very
charming to behold. 1t was she who had
put into Florinda the handspring of all
her actions. Il wuz Dawn in dis here
fsmbly-Rse 'gwine die in dis here fam
bly, tile faithful soul would say. GEE
fur you, bar dis in mind, fust an last.
Dey is POI, but dey is quality. Being POI,
Ssy can't go hirin' round all sorts er trash