South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1890-08-22


wear, and the lack Of which she now
felt for the frs, time. When he was
entirely out Of eight Mercy went up
Stare and took her fathers shaving
glass. the only one in the house, and
looked at her face. She cav large
brown eyes, full ard deep. long lash.
es that swept her checks, wavy brown
hair, a very sweet mouth aud snow
white teeth, and rich, red color
on her sun-browued checks. She
thought nothing OF her figure or she
might have seen that it was the per-
lection of womanly grace. Sue laid
he glass away with u sigh.
That night she went TO her father
and asked him TO give her some mon.
ey ,ha. she might get some clotbes
like other girls. He stormed and RAJ
ged and abused her unfit he was tir-
ed, aud she listened to il all. and when
he was done she turned and went zip.
stairs without another word.
The 1ext morning she did up all
her work and then told her mo her
that she was going over TO see Mi
rands Ferris, and no: to be uneasy
il she did not get back before sun
down; che bad left the mems dinner
on the table and should be back in
time for supper. She walked toward
the town, with her head high and her
cheeks and eyes blszing, albeit that
the lii tie feet were tsre and the head
covered by q faded sunbonnet, and
trsight toward the hou or Judge
Peters, where there was to be that
day competitive examination for
school-teachers, for the 81 epy little
town was now TO have a fine school,
and all the young girls 10 the town
who hal extra educational advanta-
ges wished to obtsin the position of
teacher. The young minister was one
| OF the examining board.
Mercy walked up, and, in spite If
the murnur that her presence called
forth, signed her name as one OF The
twelve candidates, and then took her
seat aud looked steadily down ut a
knot in the rag carpet. The young
ladies were callei up in rotation, and
soon the number was diminished to
four besides Mercy, three of whom
had graduated at ) Dung ladies' semi.
naries. 1t did not take long to ex.
haust their fund OF info ma ion, and
then it came Mercy's turn.
She took her p ace amidst an utter
silence, and the examination CON-
menced, and she answered every quts-
1 IN -
language tina. the whole board were
surprised. Then the young minister.
with his college learning still fresh in
his memory, began to question her,
with q bewlldering rapidity, but she
never "a. cred once, and he went far
beyond the list OF stuiies required,
and into those that are properly class
ed ss sciences, and there be almos,
failed TO fad Jaw. In algebri
mathematics, and mental calcul alton,
che far surpassed himself, and then
he asked her to write. With a burn.
ing heart, she took the dainty pen be.
tween her red, rough fingers, and
wrote rapidly and most beautiful.
ly part Of Tennyson's Dora from
memory.
Tha. completed the exam; nation
and she was told that she should hear
their decision the next day. She
bowed in silence and vert home, but
when she reached there she was pale
and wan, as If she had won a victory
by force OF arms, that had left hel
also exhausted and bleeding.
The next day Judge Peters and
the young minister came TO Mr.
Lords house, aud Mercy would have
given worlds TO have not been Obliged
to open the door. for them, but, with
an effort of will, she did so, aud led
the way to her mothers sitting no I'm
with fsm step and proudly carried
head. II took but few minutes to
scquaint Mercy and her mother Of the
verdict Of the Board, and that was
that Mercy was chosen as principal
OF the new school, at a salary Of sew
enty-6ve dollars month. The
whole world faded away for few
moments from Mercy. but she soon
recovered TO hear the minister, Mr.
Prescott, tell her mother all the sto-
~ about the examination, and heard
him ask where Mercy had studied
with such good effect.
When he heard, he turned very
admir;ng gaze upon the lovely face,
and, somehow, he turned his eyes
very often in that direction many
lines thereafter.
When Mercy's father heard the
news from his proud and happy wife
and discovered that all these years
Mercy had been defrAuding him OF
the time bat she must have used stu
dying. be flew into a terrible passion
and acted more like a madman than
anything else, but 81 last Mercy.
driven TO bay, stood before him aud
said:
sop have borne ell I ever shall
OF abuse and ill-lreal ment from you.
You have treated me from childhood
worse than the poorest OK you have
on your farm. IL is ended row. I
am of age, aod shall 60 away from
here and take my mother. You can
hire some one TO do the work have
done all these years. / shall take
mother TO board with Mrs. Ferris, and
you must do the best you can.
The cd man went out at this
lUUCtuFo and yuoiLod oronnd a