Charlevoix county herald., 1909-03-20

found necessary. III the young man
should happen TO look at any Other
gum masticator Eliza Alice would
throw him a glance that would bring
him to the low stool beside the throne,
Well, the people thought it would be
good thing if she did marry him; 1t
might cause her to take reef in her
sails-but they didn't know Eliza AL
ice as well as she knew herself. She
was only dallying with the gospel eX-
FOUNDER because she knew Samantha
Ann would like to have him, and also
because he was the only thing in
sight.
Just when the trustees began to
wonder if they would live with pa and
ma, or If Eliza Alice would insist on
a parsonage, an Uncle Toms Cabin
troupe hit the town. Eliza Alice heard
some one say that the girl who played
Topsy in the show had got mad and
quit, and that the manager was in.
quiring if there was anyone in the
town who could take the part until he
could get another girl from the city.
right then and there. Eliza Alice
struck for the job and got it.
When the show wagons left that
night Eliza Alices trunk was in one
of them, and she was on the payroll
at So per week. The people did not
get through talking about her sensa'
tional departure for at least a month,
and then from time to time her moth.
er would drop an occasional hint OF
her great success on the stage.
Nearly two years had passed when
Sim Nipple returned from a trip to
Chicago and brought a paper with a
glowing account of the great success
of new comic opera. An entire
page was given to describing the tai
ent and beauty of the star of the
opera. Miss Eliza Alys, and in the
many photographs old friends (and
enemies) had no trouble in distinguish.
ing the features of Eliza Alice though
she was evidently a graduate of some
beauty parlor and had gained by the
course of sprouts she had undergone.
Samantha Ann was the bright par.
ticular star at a church festival that
was pulled off just after Eliza Alice
shook the dust of her native town
from the ruffles of her skirt. She not
only played the organ, sang a solo and
helped wait on the tables, but she did
most of the elbow work in scrubbing
out the church after the big event.
ho ta1x
captivated with this display of her all
around ability, and fearing something
might occur to switch him off again,
he Immediately began negotiations,
and before Samantha Ann could rea-
lie ii she found herself duly author.
lied by law to half-sole the seat of the
minister's trousers 1t was all done
so quickly that the church trustees
suggested they live with Pa and Ma
Smith awhile, and having thus side
tracked the parsonage talk promptly
forgot it.
In the course Of year Pa Smith
was a grandpa, and the next year he
was another. The minister made a
dignified howl for an increase in sal
airy, but the church people could not
see why they should be taxed any
more for salvation because his family
kept growing.
Samantha Ann might have been in
her early twenties. but the bloom was
gone from her cheeks. there was a
stoop to her shoulders, and she looked
more like a woman in her late for
ties.
Still, with all her drudgery and toll,
she often thanked heaven that no one
had ever talked about her as they
had about Eliza Alice, and she was
glad she could walk along the street
with head high in the air, knowing
that no one was going to say some
thing mean after her back was turned.
Samantha Ann was thus well satisfied
with her condition in life until the
town decided to hold chatauqua one
year, and q deputation of leading citi-
Zens was sent TO Chicago TO get Eliza
Alice to sing at the doings in the park.
She agreed TO come, but she stung
them for $3.50 for three stingy songs.
While she was in town she was en-
tertained by the local magnate's wife,
and the people who used to play foot
ball with her reputation every time
there was the slightest opportunity
quarreled with each other in the effort
to heap her with attentions, even the
preacher giving evidence by his ac-
tons that he had forgotten that she
had thrown him 10 play Topsy.
Samantha Ann had never been
known to make a display of temper
but when she saw Eliza Alice so high.
ly honored by the Hammer club she
went home with n well-defined upward
tilt to her nose. When she got there
she took one long look at her faded
! face in the mirror and then smashed
the reflector with the rolling pin
| When the rest of the folks came home
they found her rubbing some color
/ into her cheeks with piece of cham
! OILS. paying no heed to the baby, which
was lying on the floor and yelling lihI
small boy with too many green a;p
al. To-, III ,,,f.l -f