The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1889-01-16


possible thing to rake and scrape money
enough together. The opera tickets is S.
apiece"
You don't tell me sow exclaimed
Mrs. Dodd, spilling half teaspoonfnl OF
best oolong tea IN her surprise. " de-
clare, that's up and down sinful r.
Five dollars sapiecel" impressively
repeated Mrs. Mattison" She's all the
fashion now, and folks would pay twice
that, Horatio says, if she chose to ask it.
Then the car fare will be another five for
the party and they're TO stay with Dea-
con Eliphaz Midge;t's widder, as keeps a
boardin' house on Third avenue, ard
she'll charge EN- dollar and quarter a
piece for supper and Iodgin' and break
fast. l think. it's an awful price, but
folks tells me that things come dreadful
dear in the city. So if they can raise SO
clear profit out Of the coneert, they can
go but the tickets hain't sold frstrate
yet You see folks has got tired Of hear
ing Miss Eurney sing them little, squea-
Ky songs O. hern, and Uncle Billy Brooks
play his fiddle, and George Tier do that
laughin solo over and over again. SO if
your boarder would give Us song, we'd
take ii very kind; and I'E sure Horatio
would pay her dollar without begrndg-
ing it, 1t would be something new, you
see, 10 hear stranger"
Wall, | dunno" said Airs. Dodd.
Here she comes now with the milk
pals. She can answer you better than
can"
And to Mary Bell herself Mrs Matti-
son, fred with the desire for originality,
unfolded her scheme
You needn't be bashful, you know"
said Mrs. slattison. We'd make every
allowance for your being shy and back
ward, and our folks amt particular. If
you could sing Nancy Lee" now, or
" Pee&-a- Boo, or some such good high
pitched thing, we'd take it kind. Ny son
Horatio would pay YOU dollar, and it
wonld sort o be practice for you. Next
Monday week
Miss Dell hesitated a moment.
DO you mean" said she, that they
would pay me a dollsr7"
"Yes," said Nrs. Mattison, beamine all
over With conscious generosity. IT'S
good price, ! know, but the Slackville
folks never was mean"
Yes, will come, said Miss Bell, qui-
etly.
"Our choir IS dreadful nice folks said
Mrs. Mattison. You musn't mind Mrs.
Captain Close-she'sthes soprano-if she's
a little airish. Her voice is thought
dreadful sight Of. Hannah Hall is the
contralte-aud 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.
I Dodd's rheumatism grew worse, and the
new hired man didn't arrive until the
very Monday morning Mrs. Captain
Close tossed her Blonde, closely-crimped
head
Ifthat girl spoils the concert, it will
/ be Mrs. Mattison's fault. said she. Il
neverin my life heard Of anything 50 out
rageous as a stranger forcing her way into
our entertainment. Who knows whether
she can sing a note? Anyhow, | wash
my hands of the whole thing"
Miss Bell, from New York Looks
kind o good in the paper We nailed on
I the church door said lsoratio. " But |
dare say she'll be better than nobody
at ALL"
Not soul in the audience, however,
was prepared for the wild bursts of melo-
dy.with watch Mary Bell greeted them on
the night Of the concert.
Al declare" said Deacon Brodhead.
Z" Was that Twickenham Ferry? II don't
sound no more like the Twickenham Fer
~ that Ny Eliza sings, than if it warn't
no blood relation
"she sings ike lark, said old Miss
Smell, wiping her eyes. 1t does me
good to listen u her.
1t may be fine singing" said Mrs.
Captain Close, but don't believe in
these loud screeching voices. Give me
cultivation, say !"
4" It amt the way we was brought up
to sing" said Miss Hannah Hall. Any
how, it would have been only politeness
FOR her to come on and make the audi
enee a courtesy, with them rapping their
umbrella handles of agin the floor.
"P'raps she was bashful," suggested
Deacon Brodhead.
" Nonsense" said Mrs Captain Close.
Upon thewhole, Slaekville couldn't de-
eide whether they liked Mary Bell or
not. She had certainly startled them out
of their apathy but they were little
ashamed of having been thrown off their
guard, and they universally agreed that
it wasn't al all what they had been used
to.
But the Sackyille choir succeeded in
raising its twenty-five dollars from the
proceeds Of the concer:, andthey went to
New York and put up at the modest es-
tablishment of Deacon Eliphaz Midgetts
widow.
And after their supper Of baked beans
and cold corn beef, with applesauee and
a powdery variety OF bakers sweet-eake,
that somehow suggested the idea of one
of Pharaohs mummies, they set forth
to the academy of music, Horatio Mat
tison and Hannah Hall leading the way,
and Mrs. Capt. Close following with Mr..
Ferdinand Jones.
Dear me, what crowd" said Miss
Hall.
"Aud how elegant the ladies are dress
ed, TO be sure - said Mrs. Capt. Close,
with an uneasy glance at her dyed green
silk gown.
And then came the mad rush conse-
quent upon the opening Of the doors,
the squeeze, the shrieks, the gesticulations
of ushers and the deliberate determina-
ton of everybody to get into everybody
else's seat, which characterizes the mu-
steal public on field nights, be they of
high or low degree.
Only a concert tonight said Mrs.
Captain Close. l did s'pose it was to be
the opera"
1T don't matter what it is 50 long as