The Portland daily press., 1888-03-19
rHE PRESS:
MONDAY MORNING, MARCH 10.
OUR c.AR'LINE.
american Magazine.l

lest right eordin' ter rule, for noticed 'em
the fust thing when we got home. They
ooked irizzly; didn't seem ter lay down
slick, ye know, and the eends stuck out all
round her forrid kinder sassy and independ-
emit.
She might be harnsome and she might not,
| couldn't say, but she sartinly frightened
and sweetened the room where she STOOD IKE
a bokay O. pinks and roses. wish could
describe her. She want very short nor very
tall; her hair was yellar as gold, and her big
ewes were brown, and looked up at you kinder
shy and beseechin'.
She was what folks up our way call "pleas-
ant spoken" And her ways was cunnin'
and graceful as a birds.
Jest fore we was married, he says ter me,
dretful down-hearted:
Ruth Ann" says he, ..'I'm 'fraid Car'line'll
be terrible care ter ye-or ruther, the fell
lers will, that's alwers hangin' round her
nowadays. The dumb gumps"
Hannibal, don't you worry" answers.
"rll risk 'em. They can't be wuss IAN
meazles and hoopin' cough, and all them
other diseases l should hat to contend with if
she was younger. She's got through with all
them long ago, and Pm thankful.
Before say any more about Carline, l
wanter stop and relate the trunk eppersode,
because its connected intimit with her his
try.
When Hannibal and me come home from
our weddin' toor, his trunk got changed
somehow. He and the dep0' master couidn
make nothin' out between em, only ina, tne
York, and there want no name, nor any
way ter tell who it belonged ter. nor where
he lived-nothn' 'cept the initials IL. !. 1''
in big letters. d
Well, we concluded it was swap, ana 4,
L. G., whoever he was, had got Hannlpal
trunk with his name and address lacked
onto it in plain letters, and we nateraiiy sup
posed he know enough ter write ana nave
the thing fixed proper, But we Walleu
week or more without neaTln q WeIu So
come Saturday night, Mr.. Hawkins htte9
key to the trunk and says ter me ana Gar
line;
together"
sensation than did settin' there on that
trunk, tryin' to spunk up courage to let
Hannibal open it'll And Car'line felt jest as
narvous about it as did. But we was dyln
ter know what was in it; and so, finally, we
said, "Open it," though we both felt we
might be bowed ter atoms the next minute:
Such is woman's curiosity. (Not but that
Hannibal was every mite and grain as curl
GUS as we was.)
Wall, he put in the key, give it turn and
lifted the lid. We all held our breaths ana
looked, and know. couldn't felt fainter
that top tray in his grave cloes! But
massy sakesl there want nothin in the
world there ter hurt anybody! Only Pile
o. clean, billed shirts, all done up spick and
span, and glistenin' white as snow! we
took 'em out and found underneath com,
plete outfit O. mems clo'es, the incest and
nobiest we ever sat eyes on. Mr. Rig-as
we'd concluded to call him-whoever he was,
had good clo'es and plenty of 'em.
What 'tracted Car lines 'tentlon IN par
tick'lar was a red leather box full of queer
little tools. Some was iy'ry and some was
steel, but they all looked tew small and
dainty for a man to work with.
''He must have meant 'em for present to
his GAL" says she. ''See, her name is on the
kiver." And sure enough, there it was in
gilt letters, Manicure"
''Too bad she can't have her present"
saws Car line; 'if we only knew what's her
other name, and where she lives, we could
send em TO her and find out about Mr.. Rig.
/ s'pose that's her given name" She SAID II
over kinder soft to herself, Manicure, Man
icure; pretty name, amt it, MARI" says. she.
Wall, them clo'es was all tew small for
Hannibal, and tew young lookln'. Ihey
evidently belonged to some rich city chap,
for there want no paper collars, nor over
alls, nor checker ed shirts.
Car'line thought they was too cute Ior
anything. "Oh, myv' says she holdin' up a
lavender kid glove and little shiny boot
''wouldn't the Punkinville boys stare ter
see Mr.. Rig with these onl'
There didn't seem ter be anything else Yer
do, and so we put the trunk away in the
spare chamber and left it. Hannibal said
Car'line should have Mr.. Rigs things for
weddin' present to her husband II she'd git
Teller they'd fit
Car'line was crazy to have pianner.
She'd picked out some tunes Already on one
o. the neighbours seraphim's, and now she
wanted pianner of her own. So her par he
come to me and asked me what Thought,
and whether would play on it any myself If
we had one. -, .>-
Hannibal, Pm bleeged tew ye! Once when l
was girl / was stoppin' down country with
Aunt Harri't, and she coaxed me inter takin'
some lessons. ! begun, and took Jest three.
| remember to this day how felt hlsted up
on to that stool afore that instrument! Half
an hour to time, four times day, with
nothn' ter occupy me, but jest putin, down
and takin' up fust one finger then tother on
them inaniniated iy'rys! How my fingers
ached, and how my back and my head
ached! How / looked for'ards and see
nothin' but the same eternal misery! i
stood it three weeks, and then went to
Aunt Harrit and says IL
"Aunt Harri't, I've come ter the conclusion
that if must play on somethin,,, III git me
hand-orgin. / can turn a crank as well as
anybody"
When see girls practisin' from two to
fonr hours a day | wonder what they re
made on. They must be constito0ted alter.
gether different from what be; In pint O.
fact that l know they are. And Car line
was.
Why, I've seen her set down ter the plan.
ner as eager as she would to good meal OF
vittles when she was hungry, and touch the
KEYS sort o. lovin' and caressIn' as IL tney
was somethin' dear and precious. And all
She time she played, she'd have sorter
wrapped-up, onairthly look ON her lace that
almost scairt me.
But if child haint no material hankerln'
after music, no genyus for it, say It's cru
city to animals TO tie him down TO planner
or a fiddle, and it's sure TO ruin ms dlsp0-
sishun, il it don't the spine of his back.
Why not let him do somethin' that VIII give
him solid comfort, instid O. torture? FER
haps he can draw or paint pictures, OF, oet-
ter still, work with tools, like carpenterin or
so if he's boy. If he can't dew nothln
but saw wood and hoe pertaters, II he loves
it, in the name O. humanity let MN dew IL,
and feel the bliss o. dewin' somethln' well!
In nv opinion there's two things Ill piartlc-
liar that nobody should undertake ter 90 IN
less they can't possibly help 1t, VIZ nameiy
Ter write stories and play music so now,
when Car'line began to talk planner, says
.'Child. do you love music better'n you love
20 %, and She answers all eager and trem-
hIv. Eyes. mar. believe dol" and says
iAll right; you shall sartinly have pan
ner." ..,.o +. hoardar
Then perposed that we take a poarder
for the summer, and so help earn IT,. -.
Car'line seemed pleased with the ldee, put
her mar mt it down at fust, but hnalIy ne
rave in. aud we advertised in Boston paper.
we had good many letters from dlnerent
folks. and among 'em was one from young
man who signed his name Richard GORDON.
We thought it would be as well to take MIN
as anybody.
He was harnsome, fine 'pearin' young
man as one could wish ter see an he had
way with him that told us to onct that he
hadn't never been used to plain country
folks and country livin' before. He didn't
seem ter feel big exactly, but he was differ
ent from the rest on us, yer know. He said
how he was an orphan, and that drawed me
tew him: but when he said he'd been 'dlssi-
patin" little tew much, and his physician
recommended quiet life for awhile, felt
like death!
mister Gordon, hope you'll find Punkin-
vile good place ter reform in. If you'll go
60 the temperance meetln's and sign the
pledge, Wen 'sist and help ye all we can.
and wraste against yer appetite" says l..
He smiled at this and says:
"Dear Hawkins, your sympathy and 'sist-
once would be received most gratefully in.
daed. but my dissipation has only been in
lin 10 few many balls and parties and thai
sort ~ thing. My habits in respeck tel
sOii nokin' IS all right, l asshure you"
MI ouess he spoke the truth, Tor ht