The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-10-15

49," e~NAf AeNA~g tNN AAAAA CA DIV
was "Miss Narcissa - still
though no longer a "Blackford
beauty" Time and sorrow had laid
their hands heavily upon her And
here she was copying-cleak at thirty
dollars q month. and with an invalid
sister to burden her. For, that Mrs.
Abbott was hopeless invalid 70 one,
save her sister, ever donbted-an inva-
lid who might live for years, but must
always be watched as a fair. tender
blossom. And now these two sisters.
IN their attic chamber in p tifth-rate
clearinghouse. watched for the COM
ing of their friends of other DAYS.
Once or twice Miss Narcissa, on her
way home from the Office, saw a car
riage, with liveried driver, before The
door, but the visitors were always for
some one else. Once the Senator's
wife sent basket Of flowers to the ina
valid, and they were watched and
Once or twice the Judges spouse left
cards, which were treasured in the
looking glass for many a day. But
that was all. "The Cedars" Law IN
| ashes, the world went on It's way for
getful of the two poor ladies, whose
hopes at last lay dead.
Summer in The year of our Lord
1883. The hot July sun streamed
! down in Washington. The trees We're
mOtiOnless; the flowers in the "hand-
kerchief squares hung their heads; the
street car horses plodded along with a
weary, hopeless air In the fashion
able streets the houses were closed,
their owners away at seashore or
mountain; houses in less pretentio
| squares were also closed, while their
owners lived in the back rooms, trying
to keep up the pretense that they, too,
were lat the springs.
he departments were just out; the
street cars were crowded with those
who were flush enough to ride to their
respective homes, But scores of paAe
women hOisted shabby sunshades and
walked bravely off to distant homes.
/ They were obliged to save. not them
selves, but their pennies, for the sake
of these at home.
of these plodders Miss Narcissa was
| one; she was so very tired with sitting
/ all day in the hot, close room, and her
| eyes ached with the endless PAGES of
/ black and white she had been writing;
/ Tor, alas, she was only a copying-clerk
/ still, though her salary wes a little
larger than at first But poor Selma
needed many things; many, indeed,
/ which her sister could not give her
/ and the revenue from her hrother-in-
/ laws Investments pai1e In very sInvriv.
and sometimes threatened 20 stop Alto
! gether,
Little Miss Dodge, from Ohio, who
sat at the next desk, came tripping out
behind her, munchine SOME chocolates
as she came, She hailed an already
crowded car, and daintily made bes
| way within, regardless Of the TACT that
some member OF the sterner sex must
relinqUish TO her the seat he had paid
Tor. DO look at the poor old thing. s"
she giggled to companion, as the car
passed Miss Narcissa: "She's afraid
she might take cold without that shawl;
wonder if it's the one her grandmother
wore when she received General Wash
ingtOn and the Marquis LafavetteP O!
my gracious, amt she funny? She
was real good to me last winter.
though, when l was sieK. but she's
such guy l have TO laugh at her Say,
Stella, In going boating tonight with
that fellow I told you about, He's fla
the Patent Office, a regular swell, own
cousin to Senator Smith, too. Well,
here's MY stopping place-got to get
some things for tonight. I'll tell
you all about it, tomorrow. Bye,
bye"
Yes, this was Miss Narcissa. her
friends all gone, her beauty faded
poor Miss Narcissa! To-dav, as she
walked down Pennsylvania avenue,
she was wrapped in a day-dream in
which she saw I'm the Red DAYS, :"
fresh from the hands of the publisher,
and herself the most popular authoress
of the day. Alas! The book still lay
in her desk, after having been returned,
| a neat parcel, declined with thanks
by publisher after publisher-to be sent
forth each time with a little less hope.
At first Miss Narcissa and her sister
spoke Of their hopes to the few friends
they had among their fellOw-boarders,
but soon they only spoke of the manu-
script when alone together, and, final
ly, no word was said when it was sent
I forth, only to come back with such I'M
failing regularity. Only Miss Narcis-
sa grew a shade paler, and her sister
| kissed her even more tenderly than
? was her won't To-day, the poor
authoress had heard of a new publisher,
and hope whispered: Try again. "
She decided, as she selected Selma s
{ bananas, that she would recopy it and
send it forth for one more trial. and if
that failed-well, there was always the
hope of promotion, with higher salary,
when she could afford to pay for its
publication. For, strangely enough, it
never occurred to her that the verdict
of the public might be as cold as that
of Blank Brothers and Slash 4 Co.
The air was sitting hot in the little
room as Miss Narcissa sat at her work
. with the dim rays of the lamp falling
, partly on the page and partly on the
lleecy knitting, by which, when she
{ was able. her sister added a little tC
their scanty store. On and on flew the
. busy pen, the writer becoming more
q interested in the work her sister would
never interrupt.
1t was almost ten o'clock, when,
after a furious ringing at the bell, 8
small servant thrust her head in at the
. door with the announcement that "MIsS
{ Ivy Dodge was done drowndead, and
I please" she said, would Miss Mar
r. cissa come to her at once
, Ii was but the work of a moment
after wiping her pen in her careful
old-fashioned way, to kiss her sister,
and beg her, while she put on her bon
8 net, not TO sit up for her, though that
, Selma always did when an errand OF
20 mercy called her sister away. 1t was
b only a few squares to Ivy's boarding
q house, more pretcntiOus one than
e her own, and on the way Miss Nareisss
learned from her callOw squire tina
o Miss Ivy had been upset from n skif
# and brought home. half drowned anC
d wholly frightened, begging them t'
q send at once for her. The foolish
y child herself was found walking tn,
d door in a red Mother Hubbard, Will
e her hair unbound and her teeth chat
IT tering, while she talked and gesticu
q lated, telling the story of her escape &
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