The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1891-01-01

Hrrta Niciarls entered the morning.
room %ith m open letter iii h"r hand
and u shine OF triumph Oh her piIuant
face.
I've got il, Aunt Mnrie-tfc school
in S%Guccdunk hollow"
Aunt Marie sighed in a martyr-li!ic
way she had. that always anslsel her
niece immensely. She had long since
ceased to be greatly astonished at
Bert's odd ways. She simply resigned
herself moekiy, with now and then a
feeble eXpostulation. Now she said, in
rather Il startled tone:
'Chilu! who do YOU mean! Explain
yourself, you incomprchcnsiblo grill
Berta laughed, and said slowly, with
great emphasis:
hol-
low! I'm engaged as schooIma'am for
the coming term, which begins next
Monday, at a salary Of 81 a week, It's
not an embarrassing amount YOU see,
but 81 is something, and | do want to
earn some real money OF my own!'
"'But, child, your property"
:'Oh. ;es. ! know, Aunt Marie; of
course, I'm what folks call rich; but
every single ccnt of all my fortune was
left ne by poor papa. | really
earned a dollar in my life, and now I'm
going to; so don't waste time in OBJ
joctinG."
Berta was decidedly independent.
Every n knew that, none better than
the gentle maiden aunt who ma;le her
home with her orphan niece; and tried
to take care of her. Every one knew
the girls odd ways, and liked her noic
the less for them. There was II spiel
ness about her that was bracinm and
refreshing rs Il sea breeze, and Il magic
something about her unexpected say
ings and doings that made her popular.
So Berta started for SQuaednnE hol-
low, and found herself snugly cslab-
lished in her new bo~arding-place q
few days before the opening Of school.
az. The residents Of the hGll9w viewed
her with unieigned cnriosity-'so
pretty, SO pretty, so stylish, SO sooia-
ble," they said to one another. The
country girls were awod by the beauty
and style Of her gowns, and the pretty
twist she gave her bright, brown hair.
Berta made friends with every one,
from the trustees to the smallest tow
headed urchin in the primer class
People were astonishel at the innova
tons she introduced into the little
country school. at the elegant LITTLE
organ that arrived one day from tho
city, and which she played every morn
ing, at the opening Of school, ant
every night, at the close. The boys
surprised themselves, and each other,
by the readiness with which they
learned to march to Berta's music.
The children were delighted with the
bright pictures she bought and hung
OH the bare, whitcwashed walls, with
the poisoning hoUse-plants She beg
ged or borrowed Of the willing-hearted
ome with the colored chalk she
bought for them, with the story-books
she lent them.
T'ryphenc and Tryphosa Spencer, the
two old maids, who lived next door tic
the sclloolhouse, complained of too
much ''singin' an marchin' an sech!,"
and were scandalized by hearing oc-
casional peals Of unrestrainel laughter,
the schOOlma'am's clear voice anon.
the Others.
.'Twa'n't so in II days, Tryphena,
was it9" Tr.Yphosa would say, solemnly.
with . doleful look at her twin-sister,
over her speotacles, rs they sat to-
at their patchwork, ana Try
phena would respond with a melan-
,holy shake of her head: mo, 'twa'n't,
but to be sure, nothin' amt
he same nowadays"
In spite of TrVDhena and Trrphosa ;