The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1877-10-20
A GOOD TURN.

that young Eugene was not good enough
for the said Miss Alice, but that, being
exceedingly pretty, bright and attract
i've, she might do better, as the phrase
goes, and the Magilyrays were greatly
in need of her doing better. In their
old days they used to be somebodies;
now, owing to disaster, poverty, i'll luck,
and lack of enterprise, they were no.
bodies. If Alice, the flower of the
family, should have a success matrimoni-
ally, it would bring her much less lovely
sisters into connections where they, com
paratiyely speaking, might do well, and
her brothers where some sort of business
chance might meet them. Mrs. Magil-
vray beguiled many a tedious hour in
speculations on the advantages that
would follow brilliant marriage on
Alice's part; she saw her other girls in
the splendid dresses and Jewels that their
wealthy brother-in-law would give them !;
she saw her own home made yearly more
delightful by the delicate but expensive
little attentions of Alice herself; and
she saw business chances absolutely
throwing themselves at the boys feet
1t all depended upon Alice's yet meeting
this millionaire Of lover Ia posse before
she became fatally entangled with any
body else; and here she was now fancy
ing herself in love with that Eugene Des-
camps, who having nothing but profes-
sion, would probably never be able to
give her anything but a living. And
every time she saw them parting at the
gate, or glancing across the isle in
church, down would go all of Mrs. Magil-
ways dreams, like Alnaschar's tray of
glasses.
81 don't know why | should be ex-
pected to bring up the family" Miss
Alice would cry. Is the girls want to
marry well, I'm willing. Let them mar
ry themselves. To marry Eugene would
be marrying well enough for me. If
you'd told me about it before, ma, I'd
have tried never to look at Eugene; but
it's too late now"
How is it possible" Mrs Magilvray
would exclaim, rolling up her eyes, and
in the most tragic manner g for my
daughter to talk to me in such an I'M
maidenly style as that"
don't know any thing unmaidenly
in saying it's too late to think OF one
husband when Eve given my promise to
another" Alice cried, as well as tears
and anger would allow. Maybe | never
can marry him; but | never, never new
er will marry anybody else. So there,
map
You unnatural, undutiful girl"
q should think it was reproach to
the GIRL" cried the sauce-box.
. You had better call to mind that
whose mocketh his MOTHER" said Mrs.
Magilvray, in hollow tones, the ravens
shall pick out his eyes, and the young
eagles shall eat them"
Then the naughty girl laughed. ~
don't believe you have it right, ma" she
answered. "Maybe it's the eagles come
first. Anyway, Eugene will never let
any ravens get at my eyes. | love him.
And you would love him too, ma. if YOU
knew him." And the little minx's tears
being gone, she kissed the severe and
awful matron, bending her head back
under her arm to reach her mouth, with
gay sweet impudence that none of the
other children would have dared use, and
skipped from the room in a happy peal
of laughter, presently to be heard war
bling out,
Oh shall marry my ain love-
as if that settled the business.
You know perfectly well, ma" she
said, when they were talking over the
same untiring theme again, "that if
Eugene's uncle had left his money to him
instead of to that Institution for the
Blind Feejeeans-as he always said he
meant to do after he found Eugene, and
as he educated him to suppose he would
you'd have never said a word"
g Possibly not" replied Mrs. Magil-
yray, with dignity. q But he didn't
And the circumstance remains to be CON
sidered that we are all poor, and that
Eugene is poor too, and that your good
looks and good manners are the only
hope we have of improving out condi-
ton; for what" said Mrs. Magilvray,
" will Maria do, with her squint, OF
Ella, with her teeth like row of grave
stones? And so it is the very depth of
sel1ishness IN you to think for a moment
into April weather of sunshine and
showers.
1t was only that afternoon that, as
Alice was parting from Eugene Just be
tween daylight and dark, he added to a
different class of remark some other OBJ
servations. Bythe-way," said he, "the
greatest joke of the season happened at
our house last night; the house was
broken into"
"Oh, Eugenel burglarsl Oh, Eugene
did they attack you?'
+" Attack me?-no; they attacked
uncle's old desk there, burst omen
drawers and compartments, found secret
places that | never knew before. and left
them open, and cleared out much as they
came, | fancy, except for the old silver
tankard that the directors had overlook
ed. Battered up the house a little, but
as that belongs now to the Blind Fee
Jeeans, l don't feel the active interest 7
might II 1t were mine. | was lust going
to move out, though, anywav.h
ooh, it's wonder they didn't kill
you, dear." She cried, still dwelling on
the danger.
Kill me? slept beautifully through
the whole, and | should never have
known it but for Bridget's cries this
morning, and | ran down to find her
bowling over the open desk. 1t was a
great joke, the idea of robbing me, as |
should have told them, if | had seen
them"
Alice went home trembling, and, as
she never kept anything to herself, took
the occasion at once to make herself
tremble again with Indignation at her
mothers scorn of burglars so stupid as to
try and rob Eugene Descamps, and at her
sisters satlrlcal amusement. Perhaps
she trembled still more when, three or
four days af.erward-during which time
rang, and that young gentleman was
!. Il n