Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-05-31
old NAN GILBERT.
By ELIZABETH ". BELLAMY,
('KAnBA THoRPE,'D
Author Of -Four Oaks," Little JOAN
nd," Etc.
tOopyrighted. An righeD reserved. Published By
special arrangement with the Belford Company,
New York;
CHAPTER I.
I LITTLE MISSY.
CHAPTER I.
LITTLE MISSY.

~
"Ruise de kingdom!n Glory-Ann ejacu-
lated.
Miss Thorne, or, more familiarly, Miss
Elvira, gentle, faded beauty, attired
according to the height Of the style in
the year of grace eighteen hundred and
hfty-seven, was going, this warm May
morning, up to town." as they said on
the plantations around Tallahassee in
the days before the war; and the entire
domestic retinue of Thorne Hill were as
sembled to speed her departure. Her
brother, the colonel, had preceded her
on horseback, for he was man of too
many inches to endure a carriage in a
drive of nine long miles. 1t may have
been because of these extra inches that
he was called colonel, but his world ac-
knowledged the title without inquiry.
The coloners only daughter, Miss Win
fired, motherless lass Of eleven, was
doomed this day to be left at home in
charge of Glory-Ann, the old family
nurse, whose name Miss Winifred had
transformed into "Mom Bee"
"See that Winifred does not run in the
sun" Miss Elvira said as she sank back
against the cushions and opened little
well worn volume of Bishop Ken's DE
votions." Miss Elvira spent her day, for
tho most part, reading this good book;
she had formed the habit when she gave
upSi Walter Scott s novels, nobody knew
how long ago-or nobody told. 1t was a
practice that enabled her to forget little
Miss Winifred who was young lady Of
exasperating devices.
"Wouldn' sprise me ef Missy wuz in
dishyer sun now dis minute" grumbled
Glory-Ann as the carriage rolled awsy
''Yit she mought be a.poutin' somewhers
bout de house." she amended, as she be-
gan laboriously to climb the stairs.
The house at Thorne Hill had third
story under the roof, lighted by a win
dow in each gable, and deep, high peaked
dormcrs, back and front. The stair land
ing divided this story into two long
rooms, which were used chiefly for stor-
ing odds and ends. In the cool north
room was Winfred's chosen den, and
here, in an old discarded arm chair be-
side the gable window, Glory-Ann found
her.
A wild looking child she was, very
small for her II years, with scant promise
of beauty. She had large eyes of dark,
uncertain color, a mouth for which her
teeth seemed too many, and an insig-
nificant nose. Streaks of sunburnt
yellow marred the beauty of her curling
and abundant reddish brown hair; more
over her face was freckled. She wore
q faded green gingham dress, which
marked her growth by two bands Of
deeper color in the skirt, where the provi-
dent tucks had been let out. Her arms
and shoulders were bare, but pantalettes
of piece with her dress hung nearly to
her ankles, and obscured her white stock.
ings. Her shoes, every way too large,
laced up the front.
"Praise de kingdom!" GloryAn
CALCULATED, pausing in the doorway, her
arms akimbo. "You deh, Honey"
"Go way! Lemme 'lone!' was Honey's
response.
But Glory-Ann subsidized to the floor
beside the arm chair, slowly and with a
sigh, and there she crouched, her hands
clasping her knees. She foresaw that
the exhortation to duty she felt bound to
deliver would occupy portion of time
distinctly appreciable by her stiff and
elderly joints. "Whyn't you mind yo'
book, missy?' she began.
'Tm tired of this old plantation!'
Missy declared, irrelevantly. "Iwant to
60 ever an ever so far away" This was
the burden of the young lady's lament
whenever her aunt went up 60 town with
out her.
"You'd be tux wild a mighty honin' ter
git back" said Glory-Ann. "You ter
talk bout quittin' here, when you can't
so much as dress yo'sef," she concluded,
half in pity, half in reproachful pride.
Il can!" retorted Missy, Indignantly,
as she tugged at the stringy and made
quate blue ribbon that was supposed to
keep in subjection her rebellious hair.
"Den hukkom you don't nuver do it,"
demanded Glory-Ann, with sly humor.
To this thrust Missy made no reply,
and the old nurse began anew to exhort
her to "mind her book" DO, now,
Missy, lax good chile, jes' as Missile
virey said IAN I'm gwan mex de incest
little ginger pone, tubbe sho!"
Tempted by this prospect, Missy slowly
rose, and clasping her small sun Drowned
hands ON the top of her head, stood con-
tempating, with lazy indifference, her
old nurses struggling achievement of
the perpendicular. When at last Nom
Bee, with grunt of Thanksgiving, stood
upon her feet, Missy's eyes had found an
attraction in the Home Field, beyond
the garden fence. where the corn in the
burrows was making a promising show
Of green. In an instant her languor and
indifference vanished.
"Mom Bee! Nom Bee!' she cried ex-
citedly. There's Daddy Gilbert in the
Home Field; you reckon he's goin' to
the branchT'
"Jes' lis'n at dat, nowr said Glory
Ann, in a discouraged tone. "Why amt
you mindin' yo' book, stidder studyin'
dat ole nigger's doin's?"
'Im a goin' with him!" Missy an
nounced, as she rushed from the room,
and went tearing downstairs deaf to all
remonstrance.
"Jes' look at her now!" lamented
Glory-Ann, as the child slipped through
gap in the garden paling, and made
wild haste across the burrows, reckless
of damage to the growing corn. "She is
jes' as heady as Mawse Nick heself; an
mawster ain got no room ter complain
when his chillen TEX dey own way; dey
is made after his own petterun plum"
'rm a-goin' with your painted Missy,
as soon as she was within hearing dis.
tanee of her fathers much INDUCED old
slave, who, being slightly lame, and
duly considerate Of the corn crop, was
making his way leisurely.
"Mawster above" exclaimed the old
man, with a grin that displayed his big
white teeth. Here you come tromplin
de Gavin lax so much pusley, an gittin