The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1882-06-29
A RECEIPT IN FULL.

A RECEIPT IN FULL.
The tins had all been secured until
she could see her face, or grotesque
caricatufes of her face, in each and
every one of them; the window-panes
polished until they sparkled, or had
sparkled--for it was now twilight-in
the bright June sunshine; the silver
Furnished until neither spot nor speck
marred its mild luster; the loaves of
bread baked until each crispy crust
took on the right shade of tempting
brown; and Molly was scrubbing the
only unscrubbed corner of the kitchen
when Miss Cameron deep, harsh, pre-
else voice came to her from the dining
room: 'Mary, are you not through
yet?"
ALMOST, ma am" answered Molly.
II think it is high time you were
quite" declared the voice. you must
make haste. We are going to the lect-
ure this evening, Miss Georgette and l;
and as Mr. Malcolm also wishes to 90
out, we will be obliged to lock up the
house. Therefore it is necessary that
you should leave as soon as possible"
''Yes, ma am" said Molly, meekly.
and finished her scrubbing, with her
tears falling fast and thick Poor little
girl! she had tried so hard to please her
mistresSes, or rather her mistresS-for
Miss GeOrgette was but n reflection of
her elder sister-and her efforts had
been met with a grim silence that be-
tokened a begrudged satisfaction, until
the last few weeks; that is, in fact,
until Mr.. George Malcolm came there.
Mr. Malcolm was sort of step-brother
to the Misses Cameron (his father,
widower, with two boys, had married
and they inheriting nothing in the way
of property from their own father, he
generously made them an allowance
from the moderate fortune left him by
his. Generously and forgivingly-fo
they had not rendered 1.-THE of the
respect, to say nothing of affection,
which was his due. to their kind hearted
and indulgent step-father, choosing to
look upon their mothers second mar
riage as an insult to the memory of the
parent whose at-all-amiable char
acteristics had been his only legacy to
them.
The cottage in which they lived, stu
ated in the prettiest part of Meadowville
(the furniture therein being their own,
the bequest of maternal grandmother),
belonged to MIR. George; and here he
had come in search of solitude and quiet,
for the first time in twelve years or
more, to spend a month or two in think
ing out and arranging plans for starting
a large business in neighboring city.
And, as have already minated, things
had changed much for the worse with
Molly, the servant-mad, since his ar
rival. The grim silence had given place
to most open fault-finding, when Mr.
Malcolm was not within hearing. The
coffee was too strong, the tea too weak.
the chickens underdone, the steaks
burned, the eggs boiled too hard, the
rooms badly swept, the shirts poorly
ironed; and all these complaints, with
many more, the elder spinster, con-
tirmed by the younger, gave her to I'M
derstand originated with the guest.
"What hard man to please he must
be"' Molly said to herself many times
"And yet he has one of the handsomest
and kindest faces l ever saw; and he
spoke right pleasantly to me the first
day he came, and even offered me his
hand chow Miss Cameron did frownD;
but pretended not to see it, for l knew
it was not my place to shake hands with
him. 1t is strange he should have be-
come so fractions. He was so good and
merry and kind when was a little girl.
I've heard father say often he'd rather
shoe horse for him than for any one
else in the village" And then she
50 70 L
used to look to her childish eyes when
he came riding up on his bay mare to
the smithy, where she spent half her
time watching her father at the forge
And he always brought her gay pict-
ure-book, or pretty ribbon, or a box of
candies, or bright new silver piece
one Christmas it was gold one-and
claimed kiss good gracious! how her
cheeks flushed at the remembranceD
for payment when he rode away again.
How happy, how very happy, she had
been then, with that dear father and
dear old Aunt Nanny!-so happy that
she had scarcely ever felt the loss
of the mother who had died in giving
her birth. But when Molly was fifteen,
the blacksmith, so strong and ruddy
that it seemed impossible pain or sick
ness could ever come near him, fell
sick, and after lingering, sorely crippled,
for nearly two years, died, leaving no.
thing to his darling but hard work. Yes,
there was one alternative: to become
Mrs. Jake Willow, and mistress of the
forge again; but Jake was rough, vul-
gar fellow, and Molly, inheriting the
delicate tastes and gentle ways of her
mother (who had been shy, pretty
young governess before she married the
handsome blacksmith), shrank from the
loud voice and rude laughter of her
would-be husband. And so, in prefer
ence to accepting Jake's offer, she be-
came--and Heaven knows this was a hard
enough thing to do-maid-of-all-w
in the cottage of the Misses Cameron.
Poor little Molly! ,prettier than many a
princess, with lovely, black fringed gray
eyes, and hair of the very darkest
brown--hair that would curl in spite of
her, to Miss Cameron's great displeas-
ure. "If had such untidy hair,'' that
lady would often declare, CHANGING APP
provingly into the mirror at the flat
dyed bands that made triangle of her
high narrow forehead, "rd shave my
head" and "We'd certainly shave our
heads would echo Miss Georgette.
The kitchen floor finished, the rugs
shaken and returned to their places, the
bread put away in the big stone jar in
the cupboard, Molly sought her own
room (Which, truth to tell, was no room
at all, but a corner of the garnet rudely
partitioned off, with only small sky
light to admit light and air-there were
rooms, empty, unused rooms, in the
attic, but "they were much too good
for a servant, Miss Cameron said; and
Every much too good for servant"
agreed her sister)-to make ready for
her fitting. Molly looked around it as
she tied her straw hat over her rebel
ious tresses, and again the tears filled