New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-05-05
Skeggs' Bound Girl.

Skeggs' Bound Girl.
"Now be quick about it, and don't
stand there lookin' at me that way.
Them eyes o. yourn is enough to give
one the creeps, they air that ugly. I
wish they'd a sent one a girl with blue
eyes. Inever could abide black ones,
there's something so evil in 'em.
Crash Well, jest look there! if that
amt the second dish you've broke
this week. I'll cuff you for that, I
will. You'll go without your dinner
now, too. Well see if you can't learn
to be more careful. Sech a thing as
you air IS enough to wear ones life
out
The ching" referred to turned to
her work. There was a sudden scowl
upon the face-a little dark, colorless
face, lit up with great, black, wide-open
eyes, that were just now shining With
a vindictive expression that was any
thing but pleasant. GLOW do hate
her. she was saying to herself, as she
clinched her small fists. 'sShe is al
ways CALM me ugly. ASH could help
it. !" Then she fell to wondering if by any
means the color of her eyes might be
changed. She had never heard OF such
a thing, but if they only could, what
great boon it would be to her. Her
mother had thought her eyes beauti-
full, but she was so different from any
body else. If she could have them
changed to blue, just exactly the color
OF the sky, how pretty they would be.
So engrossed was she with the idea
that she forgot for time all about
her mistress and her surroundings.
But that rasping voice again broke
the silence. "Do dabble away there
in the water, an be all the forenoon
washin' them dishes. Pears as if you
tries to see how aggrivatin' you kin be.
You never stop to think [ reckon, that
you ought to do somethin' to pay for
the home, an clothes, and vituals you
git; but that's the way with sech cree
ters as you-they're always ongrate-
full. don't know what ever put it
into my head to want a boun' girl
anyway. If you don't do better I'll
jest turn you over to the poor-house,
1 will"
The "creeter" looked at her mistress.
Ii she only dared to speak what re-
lief it would be. What ugly, hateful
words she would spit forth. A home?
And what a home! A bare room in
the garnet, with hard, scant bed. She
did not mind that, if they would only
speak to her kindly sometimes, or give
her now and then a. word OF encour-
agement or commentator. Clothes?
Look at them-cast off garments of
her mistress, hastily cut down, i'll fit
ting, faded, and worn. She did not
care for the holes in them, or for the
fit Of them. If they had been put on
her by loving hands no queen in robes
of velvet would have been happier.
Food? The very coarsest. She was
never allowed any tid-bits. With what
hungry eyes she sometimes watched
Mrs. skeggs caress her boy, Sammy,
and feed him sweetmeats-hung
not SO much for the sweetmeats as for
the caresses. Would anybody ever love
her again? she wondered. Not since
the day her mother, with an effort,
turned her white face toward her, and
laying her thin hand upon her head
tenderly, had whispered, for her voice
was nearly gone: "Janie, be a good
girl, and we will meet again by and
BY" had there been a loving word
spoken to her. That was only two
years ago, but it seemed an age to the
little waif. She had looked in fearful
perplexity while they screwed down
the lid OF the rough coffin in which her
mother lay, but no one paid any at
tention to her. She remembered one
neighbor woman had said to another:
"What an uncanny little thing it is;
she's all eyes" After they had carried
her mother away she was sent to a.
chlldren's almshouse, and in little
time a home was provided for her "out
vest in the Skeggs family. She was
known as skeggs' bound girl. The
nelghbOrs sometimes remarked that it
was very kind of Mrs. skeggs to take
that girl to raise; they wouldn't want
such responsibility.
"Well, what air you etandin' there
about? Why don't you scour your
knives now? You always have to
wait to be told. And do take them
eyes off me. If [ had such ugly eyes
I'd never look at ennybody." So the
day wore away. The days since she
came to the skeggs family were always
tedious, but this one seemed unusual
y long, perhaps because she had to 60
without her dinner. She had snatch
ed a crust unperceived, but toward
evening she felt faint with hunger, and
oppressed with an unaccountable
heaviness.
She was drawing pail Of water at
the well when Sammy came in from
the field with his father. He was
great, overgrown, 1reckled-faced boy
OF ~. His father went on to the barn,
but Sammy, seeing that Jaue had just
about got her bucket to the top slip
ped up behind her, grabbing her arms
SO suddenly that in fright she let 90