The Lake Charles echo., 1879-04-19

praise.
The girls and nanny were In the
J little dunseolored morning-room, which
had once been my fathers study, win
closed blinds, ripping up an ancient
chair, upholstered in grand Arab pat
tern of scarlet and gold, to construct an
ovcrdress for CarOline's cherry silk, the
sleeves and bodice of which were quite
beyond repair. The chair had been
shrouded in gray holland for the last
dozen wears and the silk really unworn.
Who ever thought q letter wouiu nun
its way from the outside world to our
sober little house behind these pollard
willows, like so many transmigrated
Rushtons, tall and angular, still keeping
guard over nanny and her brood.
"Do open it, mamma said Edith
impatiently. Very likely it is from
come forgotten creditor of poor papa's."
Poor little mammy's cap ribbons trem.
bled and fiuttered while she read the
few words, written, it might be, by an
articled clerk in London Inn Fields, the
letter was SO aggressive.
."Well, girls''-with faint attempt
at cheerfuiness--" here's 8 chance TOR
one Of you, at last. This letter is from
your aunt Ruth Rushton, your fathers
eldest sister. VINO never married, and
never spoke to him after ne married me
though ] 90 not remember it against
her now. I nave always thought Of
huth IS being a superior woman-a very
superior woman. j have heard your
iather say that she spoke four languages
in her young days, and that she was q
great belle then"
This brought out contempEuous
" Humph!" IRON the girls This was
tine letter which proved the turning
point in my lie SI
"SIsTEg INLAw near you are blessed
with three daughters. j am childieSs,
be0ridden old woman with no one TO care |
for me. ] need some strong, active young |
person daily and hourly. Send me niece. !
She shall De paid for her trouble. i sup"
pose you consider them all paragons; but
Deanty Is not Indispensable. Honesty and
good morals are. Let me know at once.
Iour ob't servant, RUTH RUsHToN,
"Of the Pines, Kent"
What an insultw said Edith. Hor.
rible old woman after all these years
of neglect, she would now make maidr
servant OF us. ] shall not CO." +
Then Caroline delivered the address at
the beginning of my story.
Poor nanny picked the wadding
from the back Of the stuffed chair like
bird pecking at barley; all the time
cloud creeping over her pale lace.
"No; of course you'll neither OF you
60, after this letter but it seems like
flying in the lace of Providence to
refuse. 1t is not like going out to
service, you know, after all The COM
ing winter will be very hard on me, and
can't see my way out very clearly.
There's Agnes--we might let her go;
j should miss her sadly. And
she has not q decent gown to 20 in. Her
next quarter will not be due for a long
time yet"
"What does it matter?' said at
last, my heart filed with bitterness.
II should not he expected to dress
greatly. am ready to 90 just as i am"
"Oh, i dare say" said Caro-, in high
iisdain. Playing Cinderella is quite
in your line; but there's to be no god
mother or prince in the story. You're
going to drudge and alave for q hideous
Did tyrant, and wear hex ridiculous fnery
Tor pay, But anything for an excuse to
leave the drudgery here to Edith and j,
you ungrateful thing" i
{" I've done it all my life uncomplain.
ingly," j plucked up spirit to say, con-
lident it would not help my case, how
ever.
"Don't quarrel now, just before sepa-
rating" said poor nanny, almost
,ternly. i
And 80 it was settled that i should
eave home; the letter was posted to my
nard aunt, who was to lock ior me Tues
day fortnight, some little time being
allowed for my preparations. These
we're ridicalously simple. My fewthings
we're TO be '"gotten up" as the clear
say, and i turned changeable
silk gown Of mammy'sthe snuffy side out,
and could have wept at the thought of
how 4 should look in it. This and my
old black, and one or two prints, were
what i packed in my mean little trunk,