The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1891-12-31

you had only { fixed sum, " he asked, ito
make your European tour withY'
THAT Is so, sir" Melissa answered,
looking up at him quizzically through
those pretty gray spectacles. "rd put
away quite little sum of my own to
make this trip upon. It was my only
chance Of seeing Europe and improving
myself a little. I knew when started
couldn't go all the round trip with the
rest of my party, but thought I'd set
out with them anyway and 60 ahead as
long a. my funds held out, and then
when was through I'd turn about and
come home again"
"But you put away the money your
selfT' Lucy asked, with little start Of
admiring surprise.
"Yes, ma'am," Melissa answered sage
ly. II know 1t. l saved it."
From your allowanceT Lucy sug-
gested from the restricted horizon OF
her English point Of view.
Melissa laughed q merry little laugh
Of amusement. "Oh, no." she said;
'from my salary"
From your salaryF' Bernard put In,
looking down at her with an inquiring
glance.
Eyes, sir; that'sit," Melissa answered,
all unabashed. lyon see, for four years
l was a clerk in the postofice." She pro
nounced II ''clurk," but that's q detail.
"Oh, indeedr' Bernard echoed. He
was burning to know how, l could zee,
but politeness forbade him tn press Me-
LISA on so delicate point any farther.
Melissa, however, herself supplied at
once the missing information. "My IA
Their was postmaster in our city," she
said simply, under the last administra-
tion-President Blanco's, you know
and he made me one of his clerks OF
course when he'd gotten the place, and
as long as the fun went on saved all
my salary for tour in Europe"
and at the end Of four years." Lucy
said.
''Our party went out" Melissa put il,
confidentially. 80 when the trouble
began my father was dismissed, and 1
had just enough left to take me as far as
Rome, as told you"
Twas obliged to explain parenthetical-
ly, to allay Lucys wonderment, that in
America the whole personnel of every
local government Office changes almost
completely with each incoming presi-
| dent.
That's 30. sir" Melissa assented, with
. wise little nod. ''And a. I didn't
think it likely our folks would get in
again in q hurry-the country's had
enough Of us-I just thought I'd make
the best Of my money when I'd got it,"
"And you used it all up in giving
yourself q holiday in EurOpeI" Lucy ex
claimed, half reproachfully. To her
economic British mind such an expendi-
ture of capital seemed horribly wasteful.
Eyes, ma'am," Melissa answered, all
unconscious Of the faint disapproval i'm.
piled in Lucy's tone. "You see, I'd
never been anywhere much away from
Kansas City before; and l thought this
was a special opportunity to go abroad
and visit the picture galleries and cathe-
drals of Europe, and enlarge my mind
and get little culture. To US q glimpse
of Europe's an intellectual necessary"
''Oh, then, you regarded your visit as
largely educationalF' Bernard put in
with increasing interest. Though he's
q fellow and tutor of Kings, will read
lily admit that Demands personal tastes
| lie rather in the direction Of rowing and
football than of general culture; but
still, the American girls point Of view
decidedly attracted him by its novelty
in a woman.
That's so, SIR" Melissa answered
once more in her accustomed afirma-
/ 81
trip. graduated in Europe. In Amer
lea, Of course, wherever you go, all you
can sees everywhere just the same,
purely new and American. The Ian
guage, the manners, the type don't vary;
in Europe you cross q frontier or q rib
bon of sea, and everything's different.
Now, on this trip Of ours, we went first
to Chester, to glimpse typical old Eng
lish town-those Rows, obi how lovely!
and then to bennington, for War
wick castle and Kenilworth. Kenil-
worth's Just glorious, isn't it2-with its
moldering red walls and its dark green
ivy, and the ghost of Amy Robsart walk
ing up and down upon the close shayen
English grass plots"
"rve heard it's very beautiful" Ber-
nard admitted gravely.
"WhAtl You live 50 close and you've
never been thereT Melissa exclaimed in
frank surprise.
Bernard allowed, with smile, he had
been 80 culpably negligent.
"And StratfOrd -on-Avon toor Melissa
went on enthusiastically, her black eyes
beaming. "Isnt Stratford just charm
ingP don't care for the interminable
Shakespeare nuisance, you kDow-thata
! all too new and made up. We could
| raise q Shakespeare house like that in
. Kansas City any day; but the church,
and the elms, and the swans and the
/ riverl made such a sweet little sketch
| Of them all, 50 soft and peaceful. Al
least, the place itself was as sweet as 9
3 corner Of heaven, and tried as well n
3 l could in my way TO sketch 1t. ;"
? 81 suppose it Is very pretty" Bernard
r replied in q meditative tone.
!, Melissa started vidbly. "Whati have
J, you never been there either7" she ex
Q claimed, taken aback. "Well, that Il
q odd nowl You live in England, ani
b have never run over 10 Stratford-on
; Avonl Why, you do surprise mel But
!, therei suppose you English live in tn,
{ midst Of culture, a. It were, and can gel
: 10 it all right away OF any time; 90, per
a haps, you don't think quite as much o
: 1t as we do, who have to save up GU
r money, perhaps for years, to get. TO
o once in our lives, Just . single passinl