The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1875-12-15
DEB.
BY ELIZABETH STUART PHELPS.

youLg lady OF whom heard. Deb
was startled by the knock, and fright
ened by the young lady. 1t was not
often that visitors came to Brick AL
lev, and it was still less often that
Brick Alley had visitor that knock
ed.
This was a young lady for whom
Deb's mother did fine washing. Deb's
mother wiped her hands and placed a
chair, and the young lady sat down.
She was straight lady, with strong
feet, and long brown feathers in her
hat, and soft brown gloves upon her
hand. She had come, she said, with
that Cluny set. which she should need
for party this very night; indeed,
she was in SO much haste for it that
she had hunted Deb's mother up
which was a matter Of some diff
iculty-as she never had the least
idea where she lived before, and how
crooked the stairs were? But the
lace was very yellow, as she saw, and
would she be sure to have it done by
8 o'clock ? and
And then, turning her head sudden.
ly, the straight young lady saw poor,
crooked Deb in her high chair, with
wonder in her eyes.
81 wonder if l frightened her,"
thought Deb. But she only wondered
and did not speak.
''Is this your"
"Yes," said Deb's mother, "the eld-
est. Fifteen. I'll try my best, ma am
but don't know as | ought to prom
ise." She spoke in a business. like
tone, and turned the Cluny lace-a
dainty collar and pair of soft cuffs
about in her hands in business
like way. A breath of some kind of
scented wood struck in a little gust
against Deb's face. She wondered
how people could weave sweet smells
into piece of lace, and if the young
lady knew; or if she knew how much
pleasanter it was than the onions that
Mrs. McMohney cooked for dinner
every day in the week but Sunday, up.
on the first floor. But it gave her
quite enough to do to wonder without
speaking.
"Fifteenl" repeated the young lady,
: standing up very straight, and lock-
ing very sorry. "How long has she
been-like-that p
"Born So" said Deb's mother
''she's jest set in that chair ever since
she has been big enough to sit at all.
Would you try gum on these, miss ?"
"But you never told me you had a
crippled child ?"
The young lady said this quickly.
"You have washed for me three
years, and you never told me you had
crippled child?"
you never asked me, Miss" said
Deb's mother.
The young lady made no reply. She
came and sat down on the edge OF
Debs bed, close beside Debs chair
She seemed to have forgotten her
Cluny lace. She took Deb's hand up
between her two soft, brown gloves
and her long brown feathers dropped
and touched Deb's cheek. Deb hard
ly breatbed, the feathers and the
gloves, and the sweet smells Of scented
wood, and the young lady's sorry eye;
such very sorry eyes-were so close
to the high chair.
} Fifteen years !" repeated the young
lady, very low, sin that chair ir-thst
nobody ever-poor little girl But
you could ride" said she suddenly.
/, 81 don't know, ma'am," said Deb
81 never saw anybody ride but the
grocer and the baker, / amt like the
/, ( grocer and the baker"
"You could be lifted, l mean," said
the young lady, eagerly. "There il
somebody who lifts you p
"Mother sets me generally" said
!. Deb. "Once, when she was very baC
: with lame ankle, Jim McMahoney
2 set me. He's first foor-Jim McMa
3 3 honey"
! 81 shall be. back here" said tn,
: young lady. still speaking very quick
ly, but speaking to Deb's mother now
"in Just an hour l shall come in al
easy sleigh, with warm robes. If you
will have your daughter ready to taxi
a ride with me l shall be very mucl
- obliged to you." E llI
3 The young lady finished her sentenc'
as If she did not know what TO say
and so said the truest thing she coulC
v think of, which is what we are all il
danger of doing at times.
"Well, I'm sure! said Deb's moth
er, "Dabitra, tell the lady"
= But Dabitra could not tell the lady
for she was already out of the door
and down stairs, and away into tn
Z street. And, indeed, Deb could no
/ have told the lady-has never toll
ig the lady-can never tell the lady.
If all Of the blue summer skies, an,
l. the shine of summer stars fell dow
into vnnr hands nj nncn fnr vnn L