The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1878-10-26

VIII uTy eyes upon vacancy.
90 that she could be made to weepl
that she could be reused from this dread.
full, SPECIFICS gloom into which she had
fallen!" was our continual PRAYER. for
the terrible thought came to US often
that we should lose our mother in a much
worse way than We had our father and
sister-that her brain would at last give
way beneath its weight of heavy, de-
spairing thoughts.
Well, the exchequer was low enough
and mother had had one of her very bad
spells: and q lady customer had lust
been in and abused me-yes, abused
can use no other word; women do fy in
such tempers at their dress-makers-
about the fit of her dress, declaring it to
be utterly ruined" when it only want
ed taking up little one shoulder and
letting down an inch or so in front; and
Wills right arm was almost disabled
from heavy load of books he had car
ried long distance the day before Chow
men can have the heart to give mans
burden to child | can't see)-when
cunt letter fell like a bombshell into our
disheartened little camp.
DEAR FOLKS-A friend Of mine-an IN
| glishman (aunt's language was correct
enough, but at times her spelling was some
what PECULIAR who came here proposing
to start in business, took the fever fingered
few months, and died, leaving, Heaven
knows why, his only child a daughter, who
will eventually be not-to-be-snifed-at
airess, to my care. Having been delcately
reared in the midst of devotion and tender
ness; this place; only suited to bold, strong
natures, is little too ruff for her. So she
desires-at least desire for her-a home in
the north, and | wish that home 10 be with
| you.
"My niece Mary, who inherits the DISPOSE
ton of her father to great degree-and he
would have gone out of his way any day to
give even dumb uts.pleasure--will, am
sure, be kind to her. Carol will love her
for her beauty, if for nothing else, and the
rest of you will love her because she is
most lo4able. Her maid will accompany
her.
CAT present her affairs are in tangle, but
| hope to unravel them in" the course OF q
few months, and then you will be recon-
pensed for whatever extra expense she may
cause you. | would inclose check at pres
ent writing, but all my funds are invested
in a speculation from which expect to reap
much profit. Do the beat you can until you
hear from me again, when / viii farther I'M
fold my plans in regard to Miss Ashbell,
hHo3 D9e-luo-Dyt; sldIlS lO-nOrrOW.
AUNT"
No wonder CONSERVATION and dismay
were depicted on every countenance
when I ceased reading this letter. No
wonder we looked gaspingly at each
other. What III the world were we to
do with this fine young lady in our
humble home?
What could aunt be thinking about?
True, we didn't know exactly how poor
we were, for we'd been too proud to ac-
knowledge orr extreme poverty in our
few and far between letters. On the
contrary, | am afraid we had led her TO
believe that We were in quite flourish
ing condition. But for all that, she
ought to have known that we were not
fourishiDg enough to support delicate
and beautiful girl, used to luxury, ten
derness and devotion, for even few
months. Was ever anything so mala-
prOpOs and veEatious? OF course Miss
Ashbell would look with scorn ON our
seven-roomed dwelling, with a back gar
den twenty-five by twenty-five, and a
ourt.yard ten by ten. And suppose
as aunt, with a short-sightedness very
unusual to her, cOmplacently remarked
-SdIlOl CfGONCtt 1dIl Ill 1ONt WIFI H6I
The proud English girl would no doubt
regard him as fortune hunter, and in
vidiOusly compare his frank, impulsive,
rather brusque manners with the repose
and lawful" dignity of the languid
swell Of her own land.
And somebody else might be attracted
toward her-men are 50 susceptible to
women's beauty-somebody who now
thought my face the sweetest in the
world. The very thought made my
heart stop beating.
And the maid? Even if we could
make arrangements to accommodate
her-and it seems utterly impossible for
us to do Society, our faithful servant
for the last fifteen years, would look
upon her in the light of an interloper,
and treat her as such. Betty had been
used to being monarch of all she sur
veyed." Even Ia housekeeping times
those times that try mems souls and wo
mems soles-she scOrned the idea Of en-
assistant.
"No, ma'am, I'll have no strangers
pokin' roun' me. When ! am. not able
to do the work of this house alone, I'll
Co."
And mother-dear, shrinking, grief
stricken mother-how would She bear
the event of this dainty Miss Ashbell?
But we could do nothing to avert the
impending misfortune. Even if we had
thought OF disobeying our fathers last
command, and refusing aunt the favor
she had not asked, but, in her usual de-
cisive way, taken Tor granted, the young
lady was on her way, and would be here
in day or two.
The news must be Immediately broken
to mother and Betty. |, being the
housekeeper, undertook to face the lat
ter. | will confess did it with fear and
trembling. She heard me grimly, never
ceasing to pare the potatoes she held in
her lap, and when | had ended, looked
up with a sharp nod of the head, and
said, slow y and emphatically, " Betty'll
have to go now, sure. She can't stand
no fine young ladies and sassy young
ladies' maids about for nothip'"
Helen went to mother, put her arm
about her neck, and with a kiss and
smile told her of the expected visitor,
adding, with an assumption of gayety:
g She sha'nt come near you at all, mann
LA, dear, if you don't want her; butyou
know aunt has been so kind to us, and
father loved her so dearly, it would be
impossible to refuse the first favor she
ever asked of US"
Mother said never a word, but begaD
brushing the hair back from her temples
with both hands in nervous way she
had when anything grieved or annoyed
her.
And then we began preparing for Miss