Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-11-26

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over and over again. So 1t your
boarder would give us a song, we'd
take it very kind; and Pm sure
Horatio would pay her a dollar
without begrudging it. 1t would
be something new, you see, to hear
a stranger"
oval, | dunno said Mrs. Dodd.
0Here she comes now with the
milk.pails. She can answer you
better than l cam
And to Mary Bell herself Mrs.
Mattison, fired with the desire for
originality, unfolded her scheme.
"You needn't be bashful, you
know said Mrs. Madison. owed
make every allowance for your be-
ing shy and BACKYARD, and our folks
amt particular. If you could sing
Nancy Lee now, or eek'a-Boo,'
or some such good high-pitched
thing, we'd take it kind. My son.
Horatio, would pay you dollar,
and it would sort O be practice for
Won. Next Monday week"
Miss Bell hesitated moment.
"Do you mean,7 said she, "that
they would pay me dollarF'
"Yes,o said Mrs. Mattison, beam
ing all over with conscious gener-
osity. dts a good price, | know,
but the Slackville folks never was
mean"
ayes, l will come, said Miss Bell,
quietly. =.
"Our choir is dreadful nice folks"
said Mrs. Mattison. "YOu mustn't
mind Mrs. Capting Close-she's the
soprano-if she's a little airlsh.-
Her voice is thought a dreadful
sight of. Hannah Hall is the con-
tralto-and there's Ferdinand Jones
and my Horatio. You'll like 'em
all. Now, when can you come and
practice ~
II turned out, however, that Miss
Bell did not come and practice at
all. Mrs. Dodd's rheumatism grew
worse, and the new hired man
didn't arrive until the very Monday
morning. Mrs, Captain Close, toss
ed her blonde, closely-crlmpled
head.
"If that girl spoils the concert,
it will be Mrs. Mattison's fault
said she. 81 never in my life heard
OF anything so outrageous as a
stranger forcing her way into our
entertainment. Who knows wheth'
er she can sing a notes Anyhow, l
wash my hands ofthe whole thing"
".Miss Bell, from New York.
Looks kind O good IN the parer we
nailed upon the church door," said
Horatio. 81 dare say she'll be bet
ter than nobody
Not a soul in the audience, how
ever, was prepared for the Wild
burst of melody with which Mary
Bell greeted them on the night OF
the concert.
81 declare" said Deacon Brod-
head. "Was that 'Twickenham
Ferry?' 1t don't sound no more
like the 'Twickenham Ferry that
my Eliza sings than If it warn't no
blood relation
"She sings like a lark" said old
Miss Smell, wiping her eyes" sit
does me good to listen to her."
at may be fine singing" said
Mrs. Captain Close, "but | don't be-
lieve in these loud screechlng
voices. Give me cultivation, say, L.
"It amt the way we was brought
up to sing" said Miss Hannah Hall
"Auyhow it would have been only
politeness for her to come on and
make the audience courtesy, with
them rapping their umbrella han
dies off agin' the floor"
"P'rarps she was bashful," sug
gested Deacon BrOdhead.
"Nonsense!7 SAID Mrs. Captain
Close.
Upon the whole, Slackville codld
MT decide whether it liked Mary
Bell or not. She had certainly
startled them out of their apathy
but they were little ashamed o
having been thrown of their guard
And they universally agreed thai
cit wasn't what they had been useC
to-"
But the Slackville choir succeed
ed in raising its twenty-five dollars
from the proceeds of the concert
and they went to New York anc
"put up" a. the modest establish
ment Of Deacon Eliphaz Midgett'
widow.
And after their supper of baked
beans and cold corned beef, will
apple-sauce and u pOwdery variety
of bakers sweet-cake, that some
how suggested the idea OF one o.
Pharaoh's mummles, they set fortl
to the Academy of Music, HoratlC
Mattison, and Hannah Hall leading
the way, and Mrs. Captain Close
following with Mr.. Ferdinand
Jones.
"Dear me, what a crowd " saiC
Miss Hall.
"And how elegant the ladies are
dressed, to-be-sure !" said Mrs
Captain Close, with an uneasy
glance at her dyed green-silk gown
And then came the mad rush con