Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1875-11-20

I
with secondhand furniture. set up Tor
herself, alone in the city. The room
was ut once chamber. parior, kitchen
and business office. \ dollar Il day gave
her all this. and placed her within easy
reach of the best stores on Broadway |
and Sixth Avenue. The removal gave
her chance to advertise again, and she |
went into it with seemingly reckless
energy. She believed in advertising.
and She meant to play 4 bold hand in
the game.
Slowly, day by day, her business in
creased. 1t kept her upon her feet and
in the stores and streets nearly all day,
but in all her wanderings about the
town she never met Mr.. Van Stupen
nor any one else who recognized her.
Patty johnson never her letter,
and her family seemed to have utterly
fallen out of her life. Weeks passed,
and the warm season came Then her
business declined and she ut once spent
every dollar she could spare in new adj
vertsements, and within ten days her
correspondence doubled in volume. :,
Late one warm afternoon she climbed
the dismal stairs to her room, and lound
Mr.. Van Stupen waiting at her door.
She could do no less than ask HIM H.
| He came into her little room, and then
said, slowly:
.sIs this your home, Isolena?"
eyes. Mr.. Van Stupen; it is my home,
counting-ro and all. l do up my
packages here, and write my letters
and live generally. Don't you thlhk II
pleasant roomP"
"Well-yes but hardly safe"
- I.lnl
his wife live upstairs, and the street
door is locked at Z. ! am never oul
after that. Besides. there are the police
''For all that, people might come up
and annoy you. Your father and brothers
have been looking for you. They told
me yesterday, when | returned from
Saratoga, and asked where you lived.
I had seen your advertisement, but
would not tell them
That was kind, I'm sure
you are bitter, Miss Van Rensselaer,.
Had you seen them, you would have
thanked me for keeping them away"
"They are my friends, sir.''
Il know it. Pardon me if seem
mkind. l am not. Isolena. | would
gladly serve you, gladly take you away
from such life, gladly offer
A knock at the door interrupted him.
1t was the postman. He counted out II
large bundle of letters and said pleas
antly:
"Biz is looking up, mam'selle. Six
ty-two letters is a big haul
She bowed the man Out, and then. with
the bunch of letters still in her hand, she
said slowly:
Thank you, Mr.. Van Stupen. You
are very kind need no help. / have
created good BUSINESS and l have more
than a hundred dollars in the savings
bank, and as soon us the fall trade opens
shall take more comfortable quarters
l am doing well, and | want for nothing
save"
She paused. The door slowly opened
without warning, and Il shambling figure
crept in unbiddcn. 1t startled them both
with drunken laugh.
"Say-'Solena, gimme IL ten-won't
you? I've had hard lines, have"
''What do you mean, sir. by this inso-
lcnce?" cried Mr.. Van Stupcn. "Take
yourself off,
'.NIr. Van Stupen," cried the sister, i'll
terposing between the men, she is my
brother. Edward, there is the money
now please 60 away. Come again an
other day.
..Yes, demme fly don't! Ten dollars
here's wealth for you.''
Stumbling down the stairs, he crept
away, and the two were left alone.
.':That was not wise. Miss Van Rens
selaer. He will trouble you again"
s.He is my brother,n she said, with
dignity; swe will not speak of him
more.H
Mr.. Van Stupen was in measure de-
feated. He had not accomplished his
mission, and after Il few commonplaces
he withdrew, and without an invitation
to renew his call.
Now was her life clear before her.
She must give her whole heart to hel
business There was naught else to
feed on, and it must take that or starve
The one friend she had retained had
proved unfriendly. How had he dared
to come to her since his engagement to
Amy Ramsay? She had seen the en-
gagement in some gossip's letter, in Il
newspaper, some weeks before.
BY ten the next morning she had two
advertisements in the Herald; one for !;
better room, and one for female book,
keeper. At night she glanced over the
paper to see if her advertisements had
received attention. Her eyes fell on the
marriages:
"Ramsay-Courtland Ramsay
daughter of Theodore Ramsay. of this
CITY. to Allen Courtland, of Stamford
| Connecticut" etc.
The paper slid from her hand, and fo1
an hour or more she dreamed ofthe hap
py might have been. How she had mis-
Judged him! And he was gone!
Three hundred and thirty-one girls anC
women presented themselves at hel
room during the next four days. Tel
per cent. of them knew their business
fairly well ninety per cent. were totally
. ignorant of the whole subject. After
much discussion, !, girl who had Il first
class talent for doing just as she wa,
told, was selected, and i'll Il new room
on West Fourteenth street, the two sci
up 4 larger and more convenient estab
lishment. The girl kept the books, ant
the mistress shopped for profession
t The weeks grew to months, and tht
+ winter came. Mile. lsolena CONSTANT,
1 spread her advertisement before the ru
raj public, and the fame of her bargains
filled the feminine mind with admira
L ton. She slowly and surely prospcred
and tried to think herself happy-ant
failed.
In all this neither father nor sister:
nor brothers ever visited her Sh,
" orked for I, living. They never coul,
forgive that. Madison Square conclu
ded she must have died, and nobody cv
l er contradictcd the rumor. Mademoiscll'
lsolena was often useful to Madison
. Square, but none knew her; none rccoS
nized her. She had changed somewhat
= grown more placid and quiet. and he
face had put on a womaniy beauty tn,
: Isolena of Madison Square had never
known.
Suddenly the clerk gave notice tha
: she must leave. All, yes. going to b'
7 married That WAS it. Her work wa
5 only Il make-shilt till Il man could b,
; found to support her. After some della,
; Isolena found her father, and he c;tllet
| to see her. Would he keep her book:
/ for her? Never! she was an migrate
!. iul girl thus to blast the family name
4 Julia never did, nor Edward, nor Thorn
+ as" Could he support her? Well, no
| not very conveniently. He was busy OF
: the street, and it took all he could picl
up to pay his board and the boys board
By-thc-w way, he was just a little short
l Could she lend him twenty dollars for (;
| DIV or two Tn Si1nnco Shn sr,yn him