People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-03-07

1T is a mere popularity. So long as
one can think well, spelling is alto
gether secondary"
THANK you, | will try" she said,
and left the room.
Next day she brought me an old bal
lad, written tolerably, but in a school
girls hand. She had copied the an
tique spelling letter for letter.
This is quite correct" l said; "but
to copy such as this will not teach you
properly; for it Is very old, and con-
Sequently Old-fas hiOned."
rs it old? Don't We spell like that
now? You see l do not know any
thing about it You must set me a
task then"
This undertook with more pleasure
than l dared to show. Every day she
brought me the appointed exercise,
written with a steadily improving
hand. To my surprise never found a
single error in the spelling. OF
course, when advancing a step in the
process, made her write from my die
tatiOn, she did make blunderS, but not
so many as | had expected; and she
seldom repeated one after correction.
Long before Lady Alice had made
this progress, my nightly struggles be-
gan to diminish in violence. They had
now entirely ceased. The temptation
had left me. | felt certain that for
week she had never walked in her
sleep. She was beyond my power, and
was glad of it.
was, of course, most careful Of my
behavior during all this period, and
StrOye to pay Lady Alice no more at
tentiOn than l paid to the rest Of my
pupils; and | cannot help thinking that
l succeeded. But now and then in the
midst of some instruction l was Civ
ing Lady Alice, | caught the eye Of
Lady Lucy, sharp, cOmmOn-minded
girl, fixed upon one or the other Of us,
with an inquisitive vulgar expression,
which l did not like. This made me
more careful still.
Whether it was from Lady Lucy's
evil report, or that the change in Lady
Alice'S habits and appearance had at
racted the attention of Lady Hilton,
canhOt tell; but one morning she ap-
peared at the door of my study, and
called her. Lady Alice rose and went,
with a slight gesture of Impotence. In
q few minutes she returned, looking
angry and determined, and resumed
her seat But whatever it was that
had passed between them, it had de-
StrOyed that quiet flow of feelings
which ives necessary to. the working
of her thoughts. In vain she tried; she
could do nothing correctly. At last
she burst into tears and left the room.
was almost beside myself with distress
and apprehension. She did not return
that day.
Next morning she entered at the
usual hour, looking composed, but pal
err than of late, and showing signs of
recent weeping. When we were all
seated, and had just commenced our
work, l happened to look up, and
caught her eyes intently fixed on me.
They dropped instantly, but without
any appearance of confusion. She
went on with her arithmetic, and sue
ceeded tolerably. But this respite was
to be of short duration. Lady Hilton
again entered and called her. She
rose angrily, and my quick ear caught
the half-uttered words, "That woman
will make an idiot of me againw She
did not return, and never from that
hour resumed her place in the school
room.
l was lying on the floor of my room
one midnight, with my face to the
ground, when suddenly l heard low,
sweet, strange voice singing some
where. The moment / became aware
that | heard it, | felt as if | had been
listening to it uncOnsciOusly for some
minutes past / lay still, either charm
ed to stiffness, or fearful of breaking
the spell. AS l lay, was Tapped in
sOughS, and the waves fell with a
threatful tone upon the beach, mutter-
ing many maledictiOns as they rushed
up, and whispering cruel portents as
they drew back, kissing ard gurgling,
through the million narrow ways Of
the pebbly rampartS; and knew that
a maiden in white was standing in the
cold wind, By the angry sea singing. /
had a kind Of dreamy belief in my
dream; but, OverpOwered by the spell
of the music, 1 still lay and listened.
Keener and stronger, under the i'm
pulses of my will, grew the power of
my hearing. At last l could diStin-
guish the words. The ballad was
"Annie of LOchrOyan," and Lady Alice
was singing it.
ITO RE CONTINUEDl 49,,