Sister Scott's Story

I am powerful fond of music. When I was only knee-high to a grasshopper, I used to follor all the hand-organs Üiat come ínter the place. And them men that sqúeeze something under tbeir aráis, and make BÚch a sqnealing, funny uoise, were allurs sure of gitting all niy pennies. And here ara 1 Deacon Bcott'a wife, and oughter be settled down reading the blessed Bible, and thinking of my latter days, yet here I am ready to upset everything, and rup after the first süain of inusic I hear, if it is DOthing but a jews-liarp. Brother Jones Uves next door, and belong-s to our church. He bas taken jt in hia head to buy a pianner for his girl Sai-ah Maria. Á powerful nice girl i.s Sarah Maria, bul awfnl jii'oper; -.vouUlu't do anything that was a bit naughty; never 'liad any fellowa banging round after her. Kverybody likeá her, and so do I. She has beentaking lcsscns on the piuiner f rom the obserkatüix ancl.arreat prufr-ssor c.-i unos ITefe and plays tlll 1 am I eenamost carried away. Bul how he doós av, ay on thp new pianner! I think brother Jones is queer to let him go on at sueh a rate. He' 11 be going fust as soft and nice, and all at once he will hit the pianner as though he had got mad at semeihmg. One ni"-iit I sat at ínv winder ing; all at once I thongbt I'd go in and hear all I could. I went right in. The professor was thcre, and so was Sarah Maria. They were very porlite- gave me a ehair-and I began talking to the professor about music. Saya he.: '■Will yon favor us wilh a song, Miss Scott, or soniething on the pianner?" I says- "I did not bring my muslc, nndI have a bad cold; please exqueeze me." He gmiled and gave Sarah Maria a very knowing look. I asked liim to favor me witb. some music. "Which shall it be, vocal or instrumental?" "I will have a littlo of both," says I. I thougbt I was safe in saying that. He asked me if I was fond ol oproar music. I said I had been in so few oproars I did not know. Thereupon he commenced singing about "dreaming he lived in marble halls." ïhen he looked straight at Sarah Maria, and kept saying "that he loved her, that ho loved her just the same." I thought he acted funny, but it was oproar music, and of course I was prepared to hear min come uuwu on the pianner as though he was smashing it all to pieees. Sarah Maria asked me if I likod that? I said - "Oh, yes! It was splendid!" I allurs notieod that everybody praises what they don't understand in company; and the deaeon is allurs telling me not to criticise other people. Says the professor - "Can I play you anything else, Miss Scott?" I thanked him perlitely, and told him to keep right on; when I was tired I'll teil him to stop. Thereupon he eommenced on something else, and I cnmmenced to keep time, first with one fut, then with my hands, then with my whole bod v. The nmsio kept playing,and I kept a? öing. Sarah Maria Kept laughing, md at last down come the professor on the pianner, and down I went on the sofy, more dead than alive. I thouglit Í was bewitched, and after I carne to ife a leetle I said - "What have you done to me, professor?" "How do you like it?" says he. "I ruess 1 will like it when I gct used to it.'Y He said ho played "a thousam' and one nights;" shouldn't you think he'd get tiredP I feit kinder played out, so I thought Td go down inter "the dining-rpom and see Brother and Sister Jones. There they sot, he reading one of them hing newspapers, she darning steckfngs. He read about three men breaking a bimk. Jcst as if three men could break one of them great big stone buildings! Il would take niore'n three score to break one of them houses to pieces. Then he refcd of a man with six wives, when we know it is hard these days to take care of one. All lies! I'm ashamed of Brotber Jones to pay two cents evory day to buy a paper that is full of such stories; he had Ijetter put his cents in the poor box. It is bad enough to have to bear of such works without buying a paper toread thera. But such ataste Borne folka have! There sat Sister Jones Jooking at her lord and master, (as I've heard some folks say,) taking it all in like law and gospel. Everything that Brother Jones says. Sister Jones will swear by. I tlnnk ït s vvieked to place such trust in poor human nature. 1 remonstrated with her Woll." said she, "Sister Scott, when a Woman lias gol a nice likely man she oughter look ut to hitu and jilease him. m know the man is the head of the L don't want to niake folka think that Sister Jones is out of her heail. but she il a leetle shaller, just a leetle, or she would not say sueh things about a man bcing a woman's head. 1 think a woman is more a man's l.ead. See how manvpoor miserable kitesof meli thei'e s round, ready to hang on some woman'sapron strings. I detest the Whole lot on ■cm! I toll the (Vaeon so. He savs 1 don't search the Scriptor, or ld trèat him better. Jest hear that, when l'm all the time trying to keep him out of mischief! Tl.e deacon likes to go down to the. harbor witli hia class, and the girls like to have him spend bis money on them, buying them ice-cream and sodv, and suèh Hke fooleries, ana I don't like it. He says l'm iealous; now l'm not jealous. 'l coukiu' L be so mean. But l'vo göt husband, na I say let the others "et one, too. He says I like to o, ia him Now it's no sueh thing; but wnat is tlio uP of havino: a husband if you oan't talk to him when you feel like it Some people have said that 1 was a terrible taïker. It's nothing of the sort. 1 just mimi my own business, and say nótliing to nobody. , But 1 must linish about Sarah Mana s piannèr. I went in again the other night. The back door was open, and 1 went right up stairs. I opened the parlor door, and stood a minute looking at the professor giving Sarah Manah a lesson ïhey sot side by sido by the pianner; one of the professor' s arms was round Sarah Maria's waist. His other -hand held heft, and he was looking riffht down i nter her crimson face, and I thought he was a-teaching her some more oproar music, as he kept a-saying, "I love you.". It was a pietnre to see the proiessor, with his big black eyes andlovely moustache, hanging over our little Sarah Mariah. If he hadn't been hei teacher, I should a thought he was trying to court her. But I knew better than that. All at once he dropt lus head, and a noise as it a buneli oí nre-oro.ci-B cu off, sounded. 1 was kinder scart, and said - "Oh, iiiï!" Yon liad onghter to seethem jump!- Tho professor aeted mad, and said, kinder Hgly - "Some peoplü don't know their place." J guess he was mad with Sarah Maria. 'lor he ketched up his hat and said, "I don't mean to endure thia any longer;" and went out. Sarah Maria feit kinder bad, too, for the tears came into her party eyes. I told her to keep a stift' upper lip, and nol to be bullied by her teacher. She said she was going up stairs to bed, so I had to go down stairs again. Just as I nt three steps from the bottom I stepped down and feil. My ankle was doubled up under me. The nÓÍ8e brought Brother Jones.- He tried to lift me up, but, Lor sake ulive! he was nowheres, couliln't stir me a pee It wasn't because I was so heavy, for I only weighed. f. V""11'""'} and ninetv-seven and-a-haU. Ihere 1 1;,j,l „nt.il'thRV called the ileacm and between the two they broueht me home and laid me on my bed, and there Iwas for a long while. At last I göt so lonesome that I askcd the deaeon to buy one of them lying newspapers, for I should go off the handle f I couldn't hear nothing, even if it wasn't true. He bought it, and the first thing he read to me was marriage eontentiöns. Now that wasn't anything very new, but was botter than nothing So he went on reading: '-Prof. Williain Augustus llydal to Sarah Maria Jones." And at last I began to sce through the last lesson I saw the Professor give to Sarah Maria. I thought it looked kinder natural then, if it hadn't been for the pianner. Well, my story is done, and hera I am a living murt'yr to music. One day during tho Soeond Empire Arthur Kano was sent for by a judge d'instruction. "Monsieur," said the official, turning over a formidable dossier, "you are acqiiamted with X. ?" ■■I have the pleasure of the gentleman' s acquaintance." "X., I may say, has boon arreeted for conspiring against the liie of the Emperor.." Ko answer. "We have learned in tho course of omexamination tliat hc coniided to you his project." ■ Still no nuswer. "And that you endeavored to dissuade him from hia purpose." "True I did," said Kano with eagerness, seeiag an apparontly favorable issue from the deeidedly embarrassing situation. "True, you did," continued the official; "you said to him, 'Don't fire at the Emperor! You are short-siglited; you'U miss hira!' " Kano was sont to Lambessa.