Stephens City star. (Stephens City, Va.) 1881-1883, 1882-02-25
"oh. Miss Fay, is it YOU ?" said Harry.


said Flora, noting how his glance wan
dered from g lding to fresco, Administer
carpet to bronzed chandelier. II SOW
in little dark room, where there is q
sitting smell of coal gas, and no carpet
on the floor.
"Ive come for dress" said Captain
Drake, plunging headlong into his sub
| ject, after the fashion of men in general
-"my sisters dress. She is to be mar
ried next week, and some of her friends
coaxed her to have her dress made here.
Miss Fortes cue she's only my half-sis.
ter, you know" in answer to Flo1a's
look of questioning surprise; "but she's
very nice, and is gCing to marry we'll, 1
hope"
"Its the mode-colored Dress" said
Flora, with Frightening eyes. II helped
to trim it myself. Yes, it's all
ready"
And presently madame came smiling
in, with the bill, and the dress folded
neatly in white pasteboard box, and
Captain Drake departed with q dim
idea that Madame Molini perfectly COM
pretended the art of high charges.
Miss Fortescue herself came the
next day. She was q young lady not
lacking in quiet resolution. She knew
her rights, and was prepared to defend
them.
"Where is the material sent ?" said
she to Miss Fox, who was in attendance
in the reception room. SIT is not all
made up into the dress. I had purchased
enough for q new waist and sleeves
and it is not here.
"You must be mistaken" said Miss
Fox, with an aspect of polite in1passi-
bility. "The bias puffs and folds cut
up the material shockingly, and"
who was packing some tuile oapes and
fichus into band-box, at the back of
the room, rose and came forward, with
deepening color.
''There are two yards and half OF
the mode-colored silk, Miss Fox" she
terrupted-'don't you remember p
on the shelf in the back room"
Miss Fox colored and bit her lip.
Madame Molini, with ominously dark
ened face, twitched the two yards and
half of silk off the shelf, folded it in.
to paper, and handed it to Miss For
tescue, muttering something about "a
mistake made by one OF her young wo-
men," and the young lady departed, a
little dubious as to whether OF not the
fashionable dressmaker had intended to
cheat her.
| She had hardly closed the door be-
hind her. however, when Madame Moli-
nj turned upon poor Flora Fay: with q
scarlet spot glowing in each cheek and
lips closely compressed.
"Young woman" said she, ''you are
discharged !"
discharged" echoed Flora. "For
what?"
81 want no one in my SERVICE" said
madame, "who is to conscientious
to fulfill my wishes. You have inter-
meddled unwarrentably in the matter
of that silk, and repeat that you are
no longer in my employment?'
So poor little Flora went crying
home, with vague comprehension
that she had been discharged because
she had spoken out the truth.
1t was nearly fortnight afterward
that Captain Drake noticed the absence
of Miss Fay from the table at the
clearinghouse.
sis your little blue-eyed lodger ill,
Mrs. Dodds p he asked. ~ don't
think 1 have seen her of late"
"No she's not ill.," said the landlady.
"That is to say, not exactly sick. But
she will be if she don't look out. She's
boarding herself, Captain, Drake, on
bread and crackers, and such like, poor
dear and wasting away like little
shadow, because she lost her situation
at that dressmaking place, and don't
see her way clear to another. And she
won't run in debt, she says, not even
for meal of victuals. Ahl' the good
woman added. 81 can remember when
she was the pet and darling of the old
folks at homo, before they lost their all
running about among the daisies and
buttercups like sunbeam"
"But how did she come to lose hel
place?" asked Captain Drake.
And Mrs. Dodds, who liked to hear
the sound of her own voice, told the
whole story.
'Tts shame p cried the captain.
"Just what I say myself" nodded
the landlady.
And the next day, Miss Fortescue
|, (who was Mrs. Arkwright now came to
see Flora Fay. -.
"It was all my fault" said she, witt
affectionate vehemence, "that you los
your situation-and oh, if you wouit
only come and stay with me, and hell
s me with the sewing for my new house
t I should esteem it such favor! Woult
you please?"
k "Are you quite sure that I can max
y myself useful? ?" said Flora, o. little hes
itatingly.
" "Yes, quite" said Mrs. Arkwright.
7, And, in the sunny atmosphere of tn
brides pretty home, the young countr
q girl seemed to expand into q differer
n creature. Captain Drake, the mos
% devoted brother in the world, cam
y there nearly every day and little Flol
l. all unconscious of her own feelings, b.
'e gan TO watch for his daily visits as
M heliotrope-blossom watches the sun.
s. Until, at last, there was talk Q
er another long voyage to Japan, an
,e then Flora grew pale and nervous aga,il
a "I-I have been here long enough
IS she said. If 1 go to the Exchant
ll1xx ~hox toll INC nf