The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1875-12-25

ing among her few, very few earthly friends.
Poor young Margaret, with her little
white hands and her long ringlets, dead and
buried, and alive, independent in my own
comfortable house. Though l suppose Mar.
garet would not have thought it good enough
to lodge in for the bathing season"
The old wrongs and petty jealousies, and
heart-burnings of envy and neglect, were com
ing to the surface again; but with them was
morbid, half kind, halfbitter idea of heaping
Goals of FIRE over Margaret's dead brow by
being her orphan child's protector and friend.
Her reverie was disturbed by the entrance
of Patience, who seemed to be very busy in
putting away some articles in one of the old
fashioned cupboards beside the fireplace, all
the while coughing and shifting in an uneasy
fashion.
To avoid the questioning which she feared
to undergo on so sore topic as that Of her
estrangement from her dead sister, Miss Hes.
ter hurried away to her bedroom. In few
minutes she returned with pair of snowy
linen sheets over her arm,
"Air those, Patience" she said, but with.
out looking at her servant.
:" put clean sheets on your bed the day
before yesterday, Miss Hester,n rejoined Pa.
tience, doggedly.
They are for the chd's bed, of course,n
said her mistress, abruptly, and hurrying off
again.
Grim Patience looked quite pleased, snatch.
ed up the sheets, and roasted them before the
kitchen fire until the mingled perfume of Law.
ender and clean hot linen filled the whole
house. Then she hustled upstairs with them,
carrying her duster tucked in the pocket Of
her apron.
" It's the little stretcher, Miss Hester.
suppose" she said, doubtfully
1.-The child wouldn't have room in it., re.
turned Miss Hester; 'the little French bed
would be better, I've gothic curtains ready
"Ay, to be sure" agreed Patience, look.
ing additionally elated; ''them nice little cur,
tains with the ball fringe p
Yes, said Miss Hester, shortly.
Always smart and clever servant. Pa
tience seemed to outdo herself that morning.
The tiny room within Miss Hester was swept
and carpeted while another person would
have been looking for tin-tacks and hammer.
Miss Hester went down to the parlor for
her mttens, and when she came up the little
washstand, the little dressing table and chair
had been hunted up, and were ranged sym.
metrically around the room, and Patience
was using oil and flannel rubbers most un.
mercifully.
''Wants a fire, ma'am, think-feels
little damp" said Patience, giving wistfnl
glance at the empty CRATE.
" Yes perhaps" agreed Miss Hester,
opening the trunk where she kept her blankets.
Five minutes afterward Miss Hester heard
the crackle Of burning wood, and saw the
light of dancing flames Patience had
splendid fire, and was blowing it until her
face rivaled the Goals in redness.
"And now isn't it a real pretty little spot,
Miss Hester ~ she said, in subdued tone
of intense satisfaction, taking last survey
through the open doorway of the little cham.
Der an hour afterward.
Honest, hard-handed Patience might have
been excused her admiration. There was a
dark crimson carpet, speckled with little yell
low leaves; there was little dressing table,
robed in white over pink; and little glass of
flowers standing beside the little mirror,
which had frills Of lace and cherry .colored
ribbon on it.
"Who had gatheredthose flowers, and put
on those cherry -colored bows ~ Patience
said, when she saw the flowers.
I" Law, Miss Hester, aren't them monthly
roses beautiful ?'
Miss Hester looked at the pink buds and
blossoms as if she had never seen them in
her life before, and returned, coldly
"What roses are you talking about? Who
put that red ribbon on the looking.glass p
Patience stared coldy in her turn, at the
red ribbon, and said:
"What red ribbon, ma am? Where did
that bit come from !"
The cherry ribbon was identically like the
trimming for Patience's new Sunday cap, and
Patience had fed downstairs some ten minutes
before, during the absence of Miss Hester, and
Miss Hester had thrown shawl around her,
and, with muttered reference to "celery
plants" had gone out into the garden and
disappeared round the corner, where her fa-
vorite monthly rose.bush grew up around the
sunny kitchen windows. And yet how sur.
prised Miss Hester looked at the little bouquet
on the toilettable, and how surprised Pa
tience appeared to be at the cherry ribbon
Again, there was the little French bed,
draped in snowy dimity curtains, with the
pretty, tremulous ball-frings Patience was so
anxious about, and the little white pillow with
crimped borders, and the little Marseilles
quilt; and there were gay little pictures hung
around the walls. Who hung those pictures,
and who crimped the frills of the pillow-case
Miss Hester did not see Patience doing either,
nor did Patience see Miss Hester. 1t was
somewhat like the bouquet and cherry ribbon
transaction-the things came there somehow,
without the knowledge, apparently, of the
sober, taciturn mistress, orher sober, taciturn
maid.
And there were snowy dimity curtains to
the little window SO, with the warm crimson
on the floor, and the wreaths of white seen
here and there, the rich yellow glow of the
FIRE shedding an inviting air of warmth and
comfort over all, il was just as Patience said
to herself three times over, while she descen-