Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-01-07
wine while the sisters curiousy explored each

Il nave tHe rag. Safd Afftfu, SeteBlGiS.
And do belicye-ycs, here IS the iXpcnce. '
declared Emmy. fishing the hot little disk out
! dstintiiy from the burning sauce. II am to be
| the rich one ii seems"
Il have nothing at all. That seems hardly
| fair, pronounce Marian. At that very moment
her fork encountered a hard suJstaBce-the
| thimhle.
well, that Is the most curious" cried Mrs.
| Durkie. II never before heard of all three
| things Deing Drawn except there was a large
| Wen. I'm sorry you've got the thimbie, Miss
! i'atd: but there r. some sort of poverty that =
as good as riches, they say, and hope your sost
will be of that kind"
.'Whi.t good creature that Isl" remarked
| Aliccn. alter she had gone. 1--WE didn't wapt
pudding. and We didn't mean 10 have a pud-
ding; but, after ali, am glad she made rs one.
| II Only to SHOW what Kind heart she has. The
| English are very nice, think"
so they are, and it was really Jolly idea to
custom before. 1t makes plnm-pudding really
| interesting"
| at is all very well for you, who did not hap
pen to draw the thmbe, remarked Marian. Sc
Vereiy- # an not sure that find the pudding 80
interesting. 'PoOrtth cauiI is an old acluaiHt-
aHce; don't care to have him freshly intro
duced to me-"
Altogether. what with the surprise and the
inn The pudding was great Success and the
Chr1stihas In lodgings" ended much more
gun
Tho next week drifted by, and now it was
Iweitth-Night, festival with little meaning to
American ears. With the Rands the day was
caneily remarkable for the expected arrival of d
oeiated American mail Marian went to the
post In the afternoon, and returned rosy aud
e!ated. with quite bundle of letters.
Three letters for you, Aileen, two for me,
WIN lot OF newspapers, and for you, Emmy,
I'm, tais thick blue envelope, which looks business
liKe. wonder who can have sent itl'' Then
! she tore open her own letters. and soon became
much absorbedto notice the faces of her COM
| panions, till double exclamation caught her
ear and made her look up Suddenly
! Marian, what do You think-the pudding has
! Come tiue!' cried Emmy.
'0h, AaTiaD-the puddingi see what has come
OF IT," exclaimed Aiieen. Then they stopped.
| and regarded each other with wondering eyes
| What Is it" demanded the astonshed Ma
| Tian.
81 don't know what AiIeen's news nav be.
out listen to mine. Only Think drew the six
pence, you know. and here is letter from old
Mr.. "lck ham, the lawyer, to say that Cousin
Emilia St0rrs is dead. and has left me twenty
| thousand dollars, because Of my being named
Twenty thous-- Why. that Is news," cried
Marian. why. MY darling darling, mono Won
can go TO the Riviera Just as we wished. How
Delighted am! You will get well there in lust
one minute; am sure OF it. Aileen, how queer
| too" ''N
No, not fortune" replied Aileen, slowly;
Il didnt draw money. you know. | drew-the
| rlng'-binshing most beautifully
Eyes. Weil. What ia it," What are Won grow
Ing SO red about Aileen, speak: don't keen us
| in suspense" W.
Girls, said Aileen. 'T am going to confess
So"ethiiig that VIII surprise you q good deal
lou lou won't be vexed with me, will you?
froInise IN advance that You WON'T
tell said Marian, on fire with curiosity.
| wen, Then, when Jim Chauncey went to
Cn'na three years ago, promised to marry him
me- '' ''A" a"N
| The sisters stared at her speechlesslv.
III seems mean never to have let YOU know. 81
went on Aileen, rapidly. "But it was a very
,ar away sort OF dream to me, and Just then
P)ust after he sailcd-came the beginning of
Inosnef long sickness, and then Emmy fell i'll.
ana there seemed so much to think about and
worry over that couldn't bear to add this to
the rest, or make you feel that had any homes
or pans apart from yours And In fact badn +.
IL lnight DE Tor years. Or it might be forever for
an couid tell, before Jim would be in a condi-
| ttoh TO claim my promise But here no writ as
tnat all Is suddenly changed The New York
partner of the firm is dead. and they hav, deci-
ded to send Jim back to take his place. He
VIII nave an ample income. and-and in short
We must go nome, deais, as soon as the warm
Jim will reach New York in June. and he wants IN
De mar mean, to see me-as soon az possible
after he lands ;" - f"''''''
Well. l never was knocked quite 50 fiat in
an my lie before. said Marian, recovering her
| speech with a sort of gasp cone such sur
! prise IN day would be almost too much. two ;s
TOO utterly too. You wretched little humhurl
VINO ever would have suspected you of secret
| ing an engagement all this while? But YOU
were an angel of unsaitishness not ia none add
squeeze: ut soo,ud lave added to our worries
uIeadtuily to feel that you only half belonged to
! as 1t was just like You. Ai!een."
so IL was. added Emilia drawing her
si sa'. laif lace down for kiss. "Oh, my
! Ally. now beWdering it isl rich. and Won en-
gagged! shall always believe in puodings for
| the future. Marian is the only one lett out"
DON'T despair 1t wouldn't surprise me If
! some man ali tattered and torn made his APP
! pearance at any moment" said Marian.
Besides, she has half of all we have" said
| Aileen. 0' ''''O
Half Of Jim Chauncy7 Thank you" replied
Marian, srimly. Solomon himself Would find
t rather difficult to effect that anicabe division.
nv. No. Ivy ueaIS, poverty Is my portion-witness
the fatal thifnble-and am quite content"
Great was Mrs. Durkie's surprise and great
| her triumph at learning what wonders her Gull
! nary spell had wrought. Her satisfaction was
only married by the t!din"s that her dodgers must
t se ner soon. They had decided on San Reno
| for the spring months
And indeed l would never have made anv
! pudding at all had l guessed What it was to
cost me" protested the good landlady. "But
you'll write and let me know what comes to non.
MISS Marian. won't YOU? Something will before
| the years out, depend upon it. Aud I'VE the
right TO hear. Don't you think SO yourself now.
| ma'am ?" Ao"'
"Of course you have; and you shall hear, "
promised Marian ''
But spring and summer passed and autumn
was well under way before q letter with the
American postmark came to satisfy the good
| landiady's curiosity. 1t bore date, New York.
November H." ~
my DEAR MRS. DrRKIE" $50 it ran,-"I hone
you nave not forgotten Us our promise to write
meant 10 nave done so before, but Thought Won
Wouin De 700 disappointed to hear that the pud-
nothing at all. And till htely this seemed to hn
the truth We got home on tie 18th OF Nav and
luSt a month later my sister Aileen was 1n9rried
Siie is settted now In her pretty new home and is
very wen ana very happy, and hopes you got the
G.fds she sent out 10 you. Emmy, who you viii
Ike 10 near Is quite strong again, spent the sum
mer with me Ia Colorado, which Is the most ne III
tIiul country you can Imagine. with such noun
Jams ant park-liEe valleys, and such air as can
not De described Colorado, you know is n state
IN tne 1ar West, almost as far from New YORK as
| you are In the 1Se OF Wight Now we are come
eastward again, ana are staying with Aileen for a
\ WniIt, untll-lefe comes my news. yon