Plymouth weekly banner. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1856, 1856-06-05


and now she walks and islks, and Ger.
:ainly is beautiful
Beautiful echoed Kate.
Yes, beautiful; never saw such eyes.
SO wild and s,a:tled looking. and her hair
is really magnificent, hanging in tangled
masses even below her waist. really
believe her mother never sees the child.
who wanders i'm md out. out and in, like
little fairy; and Mrs. Lee is so strange;
she could not tell me how old Maggie
was. to save her life. to night. She
seems TO have lived in trance since her
husband died; she doesn't remember any.
thing distinctly since then; she sits there
working. working at tina, everlasting
needle work from morning till night. ]
wonder If she makes much BY it,
why should you care? To be sure she
does; else how could she live and support
her child! and Kate looked as uncon-
cerned as though she was speaking oi the
Hottentots.
Because I do care, that's all;' said Bel
sruck out her little feet. evidently admir-.
ing the effect; and I'm sixteen TO morrow,
and I'll ask pa this very night If he will
give me money to buy that beautiful en-
broidered dress she has done. and that will
help her good DEAL
And so, when Mr. Percival came home
from the city that night. bringing Hugh,
the eldest of the family, end Frank. the
youngest. q wild registering boy oil ten.
20 spend the vacation. Bel. in the very
exuberance of her joy. asked him for mo-
ney for two dresses. one for Katy, and
the other for her; and she and Frank, who
was always ready for any undertaking,
once more stood in the dim twilight OF
the cottage door Of the Lees.
Perhaps Bel Percival's'joy would have
been damped. could she have seen the
look ofscorn flashing across the pale brow
of Mrs. Lee, as she crushed the n otes in
10 little tin box aud showed il hastily
one side. Not that she did not feel CRATE
full 10 Bel--oh, no. she loved her sunny
face as we'll as she loved any thing; but
she knew that it was pity that prompted
the generous heart, and she did not want
pity--no, not from the Percivnl's; and she
hated the money shat bought her bread
because it heightened out her weary life
for never lonely night came but the
last prayer upon her lips was that she
might never see another day.
And this was Maggie Lees mother
Strange companionship for joyous child
hood: but Maggie had known no other
She loved her mother with all her hesrt
loved and yet feared her. Often in the
still and starry night have the little arms
crept around her neck. and soft kisses
rained upon lips that returned no pres
sure, and Maggie felt sorry for something
she did not know what. SORROW that she
could not comfort her mother in her soil
tude; and so years went on, and the sorry
look grew into her great brown eyes and
when summer made the tangled bushes
green aud fragrant. Maggie wandered
around. her hear: filled with chldhood's
happy thoughts; and she was always busy
gathering the bright leaves, making bas-
kets out of burrs that grew in greater
luxuriance than in days gone by. and dip
ping her little bare feet into the stream,
that flowed away from the spring. and
every thing ;hat her wandering untutored
fancy had led her to do; and when night
came she nestled down in her little bed,
and dreamed as peacefully as though
Graded in loving arms. in an atmosphere
irsgrant with kisses.
Frsnk Percival declared, over and over
again. after he had been TO the Lees.
that 1T was a perfect shame; somebody
ought TO take Maggie away. she was such
little beauty. and she was six years old
and did not know how to read, he'd teach
her. that he would; he didn't care il Katy
was mad about it. and mother too; and
what If Hugh did laugh. it was nobody g
business that he kne W Of. and Bel promis-
ed to hunt up the nursery books, and say
nothing to nobody. darling Bel
And 500 it happened. way down by the
singing brook at the lowest pars of the
hill. where the little blue-eyed violets
winked at themselves in the riPFling wa
ters. that a school was formed. and such
a kind and funny teacher. such fright
ened. happy. shy pupil never was known
before; and so the days went BY, Maggie
lisping the letters. spelling little words.
and finally. to the great joy of both. rsad-
ing quite readily from the numerous books
Frank supplied so bOunsifully. and oil the
while never speakinp the name of Frank