The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-12-09
LIE PRESS.
Hartford Timesl
Helen Hydes Good Deed.


scenr-ha's wha she ought to have"
Ms. Dardanel looked perturbed. Dear,
DEAR" She said, what pit, And she's
quite a pet of mine, too, dear little Thing;
she is very quick with her needle and
really ingenis the way Sc puis
trimmings on dress positively reminds
me of Madame Antoine herself.
s.The seaside cottage would be the place
for her." suggested DR.. Midland. You
of the lady patronesses, l believe,
and"
5, but the seaside cottage is FULL"
said Ms Da danel. Not an inch of room
unOccupied. had a note from the matron
yesG~IdayF'
San, indeed!'' said the doctor fumbling
With his walcn seals. Unfortunate
verN."
but +" cried Mrs Dardanel, an idea sud-
dei,ls ncc ring 10 her much btpnffrd and
btfr zzled head ''there is Mrs. Daggett's
farm, few mites further dowu the shore
She takes boarders for S. per week, and
beli, it is very nice place. Ii you
think it advisable II take months board
for the girl there. l really feel as if the
dear little girl belonged 70 me-"
San excellent pan," said the doctor,
oraculary. 81 have no doubt but that a
month of sea air would make quite differ
ent person of her."
Helen Hyde could hardly believe her own
ears when Mrs. DardaneI beamingly an
nuunced her intentions.
''The seashorep' she cried, her pale face
flushed all over, ''the real sea? Oh, Mrs.
Dardahel, have dreamed Of it all my life
And for a whole, bright summer month /!
Oh, how can 1 hank you?"
''By getting well and strong as fast as
you can," said Ms Dardanel, really touched
by the girls innocent enthusiasm. Aud
here is a SO bill for you," she added, with
a smile. You may need some little trife
of dress, or there may be drive or picnic
or excursion going on in which you will
want to participate"
The poor girls first impulse was to re-
turn the money.
mo, you shall not give i: back-it is a
pre>.r" from me, and [ choose you shall
keep it."
nvien HIDES heart beat high with delight
when she frs saw the Daggett farm house,
long, low, REQ building, with an immense
stack of chimneys, a cluster of outrageous
maple trees garlanjing it about with shade,
aud door yard full of sweet, ld-fashioned
flowers, while in full sight of the windows
the Atlantic flung its cullIng crests of foam
all along The shining shore. Mrs. Daggett
welcomed her ly; she had been Mrs.
value of that lady's patronage.
'sPve just one room left, my dear" she
said. Under the caves of the house. It's
rather small, bnt it's finished comfortably
and there's a view of the ocean. / could
have given you better Accommodations if had
received Mrs Dardanel's letter a day earlier.
But four young ladies', teachers in the
Ixwood Institute, came yesterday, and I'm
sleeping on sofa myself i'll the parlor.
But We will make you as snug as possible.
and the very first good sized room that is
vacant you shall have"
Aud Helen was very happy in her little
nook, from whose easement she could see
the sparkling plain of the sea dotted with
white sails.
Mrs. Daggett was a driving, energetic
business woman. Farmer D,ggett was a
vacant. honest-fsced man, who invariably
fell asleep of an evening, with his chair
tipped back against the wall-and every
available inch eff The house was filled with
summer boarders, mostly ladies. There
were only three masculine appendages TO
the house besides its master, all old clergy
man, whose pal ishoners dubbed together
every summer to treat him to a six weeks
vacation, literary man of large aspirations
and small income, who had come thither
fer rest and opportunity TO study up the
Skeleton" for his next novel, and old Mr..
Mifflin.
IL was some time before Helen Hyde
fairly comprehended who old Mr.. Miffiin
was. A bowed, bent-over little man, with
silver hair curling ever the collar of his
csat, ruffied shirt like the pictures of our
revolutionary forefathers. and blue eyes
which glistened from behind pair of sill.
yer spectacles, he shuff1ed in and out to his
meals after an Apologize fashion, anu sat
all the bright afternoon under the naples,
staring at the sea.
who is the old gentleman?' she at last
ventnred to ask Mrs. Daggett. That lady
frowned impaIently
s'Its old Daddy Miffiin,'' said she, sand
wish it was anybody elsep'
us he boarder?" asked Helen.
well, he is and he isn'tr' rather OBJ
scurely answered Mrs. Daggett, who wa!
picking over currents for pudding. while
Helen sat by and watched her. But he
won't be here long. You see. my dear, he
hasn't any friends. When Daggett and
came down from Vermont and bought this
place we got it cheap because of old Mif1in.
We were to give him the northeast cham
Der, and they were 10 allow us so much a
month for his keep. Ii amt everybody, you
see, would be willing to have an old man
like that around the place. But he's harm
less and innocent enough, and / won't deny
that the 81 week helped along. But now
prices have gone up. and Breezy Point has
got Il be fashionable locality in summer
time, and things are altered And what's
worse, bis folks have left off sending the
money"
81 wonder why?" said Helen, with her
large, dreaming eyes liked pilifnlly upon the
old man, whe sat in his usual place under
the naples, wistfully watching the sea.
They're dead pr'aps,' said Mrs. Daggett
"Or p'r'aps they've got tired Of hun. Any
how. it's three months since we've heard a
word, and and Dageett have made up our
minds that we can't stand il any longer So
we're going te put him on the town. Law
yer Boxall says it's legal and right, and they
can't expect anything else of us. Squire So
dns is to send bis covered carryall next Sat-
urday, and old Daddy Mffi.n'll suppose he's
going for ride. And so things will 90 off
all smooth and pleasant
"Smooth and pleasanlW Helen HYDE
looked across the grassy lawn to the little old
man with his mild, distracted face, his
rufied front, the silver hair that glistened in
the sunshine, and the white claw-lke fingers
that slowly turned themselves backward and
forward as be sat there.
He owned the place once" said Mrs.
Daggett, shut his SONS turned out bad, and
he eDdors. for Squire Sodus's cousin, and
lost everything. And here he is in his old
age with ut penny! What is il, Becky?
The oven ready for the pies? Yes, Fm couI-
tug" -.
And she hustled away leaving Helen
alone. A sort Of Inspiration had entered
into The girls heart as she Sat there with
the briny smell Of the ocean filling her
sense, the rustic of the maple rlurmuring
overhead. She iook Mrs. Dardanel's SIC
bill from her pocket, and looked long and
earnestly at it. She thought of the little
one-horse carryal which she and the girls
from 1xwood Institute were to have hired
together to drive over the hills and glens
all those sweet, misty summer afternoons
of the excursion to Twin Rock by steamer,
upon which sha had counted, of the new
black bunting dress which she had decided
to bny. She must abadnon all these little
darling eXtravagances if she INDUCED this
other fancy.
''As if there could be any choice, she
said to herself, and then she got up and
went softly across the grass and clover
blossoms to where " 'addy Miflin'' sat.
.'Do you like this placer" she said softly,
It's home, my DEAR" he answered, seem
ing to arouse himself out of reverie. cts
home. I've lived here eighty odd years. l
could not live anywhere else"
''But there are other places pleasanter."
alt may be, my dear, it may be- he said,
looking at her with troubled eyes through
the convex lenses of his glasses. "But