The daily gazette., 1877-07-16
HALF A QUARTER.


shoulders at an evening party al that date
and the night was a rainy one, and
she was comfortably attired in wrapper
and slippers. To dress and go out was no
pleasant prospect, espec ally to one who
had her hair in curl papers for the eve
ming.
"What shall do?" said Mrs. Ryland.
"Where did you get the lace, Fannie?
asked tall girl, sorIe five years her jun
ior, who sat listlessly looking out at the
window.
"At--'s, Ellen, replied Mrs Ry-
land. ~ sure they have given me short
measure. How provoking"
Gil go and match it for you, il you
like, said the girl.
~ You kind soul, replied the elder Sis
ter. 81 thought you were too angry at
me, though all I've done has been for
your own good"
'We won't talk that over,n interposed
the other girl.
"lf l sad anything hasty, forgive me,
Fannie. like Ned, and we mean 10 be
true to each other, but If papa chose to
forbid him the house, and your husband
to abet him i'll his tyranny, suppose you
could not help it.
"No. How could l, Nellie?" replied the
first, in coaxing tones. Sand L believe
The man is all papa says he is; but you'll
be OF age III year, you know, and what
we say won't matter then. Kiss and be
friends"
The sisters kissed each other, and a few
moments later Nellie, having declared
that she could remember the pattern of
"a tn al, 81,
ter watched her as she hurried down the
street under her umbrella, and thought
how lghC her step was. "Girls' hearts
don't break very easy after ALL" she said.
Then she heard the baby cry in the
next room, and went to it, and an hour
was passed in dressing ard playing with
it. AT the end Of that hour Nellie had
not returned with the half quarter of lace.
Another hour, and still no trace of her.
Then Mrs. Ryland stood with her face
pressed against the window. watching the
uInbrell IS as they went to and fro, but
seeing nothing of the brown silk that had
protected her sister. The dull day drew
10 close. The shadows lay upon the
pavement. Still, no Nellie. Mrs. Ryland's
heart began to sink within her breast.
Her father had commanded her not to let
Nellie leave the house alone, lest she
should meet the suitor of whom he disa-
proved.
cit was so wrong of me to let her
CO." thought Mrs. Ryland. But if
she returns before her papaor Mr.. Ry-
land come home to dinner "l'll not
even scold her. | know how time
| flies when one is being made love to-"
But Nellie did not come before din
neG-she did not come at all. When
inquiIies were made at -, it was
proven that she had purchased the bit
of lace there. So far her intention
must have been to return with il, But
all inquiries failed to discover anything
more regarding her. After leaving the
store she might have vanished into
thin air for all that was known to the
contrary.
OF course, Mrs Ryland did not go to
the party That evening and for long
while father and sister thought of
nothing but the missing girl. Her fate
was shrouded in mystery; for thought
it seemed likely that sne had clipped
with her lover, there were persons who
declared that ne had not been in the
city for many weeks and that they
knew of his previous departure for Eu
| rope.
| 1t was probable that some terrible
accident had come to her that she lay
among the unknown dead who are
buried every week from any large hos
pital. And even If she lived no one
could tell what her fate had been. Not
knowing whether to be angry or griev
ed her near relatives were each by
turns, and indeed, both at once.
AT last they ceased to speak of her.
Mrs. Ryland's daughter had grown to
be seventeen just the age the aunt was
when she disappeared aud it was not a
| pleasant story to answer her questions.
Often however as Mrs. Rylaud SAT IN
the same room where she had spent
tina last afternoon with her sister, aud
saw her daughter SO like what Nellie
bad been, looking out of the window
her cheek upon her pal IN after the fash
ion of the otner girl, the scene came
back to her and it came with peculiar
| vlvidness one afternoon sad and
rainy one, as that sixteen years before
had been. When in the course of that
operation known to housekeepers as
the fall house cleaning great trunk
had been brought from the trunk
room and was emptied of its contents
which were spread upon the floor. Kit
ty tie daughter bent over them. roll
ing bits OF sik togethor and making
buadles of old linen. Suddenly she
gave little cry of surprise.
Nv hy, here is cape, mamma" she
said. "One of those tichus just come
ibto fashion and new. too. How did it
come hcre?"
cit is not new. 1t is sixteen years
DID," said Mis-. Ryland, as she caught
the frail thing from her daughler's
hands. "Dnn't you see it is not finish
ed? 1t was for the piece of lace to flu
ish il that your poor aunt Nellie left
US for the last time"
~ might have known 1t was that,
mamma" said Kitty. "How strange
it seems that you have never, never
heard word about her. She must
have been killed in some manner
| nnnI unt1 in L. cn Sii