Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-11-02

night.
She felt n sudden sense OF loneliness
and dcsolation rs she gazed round upon
all these things; rs She felt how rich
she was-and how poor; as she realized,
with keen and shifting sense of self
rcproach, that all her life she had been
thought for. acted for, held in leading
trings-had never lifted hand to keeps
any one. never dried tear, never
soOthed a grief That il she followed
the advice Of her friends" as Laura had
Just said, she would hasten to rid her
self of her Responsibility as soon as pos
sible, by putting herself, body and soul,
and her possessions, into The hands Of
some man who, il appeared. was TO
confer an inestimable benefit upon her
by taking possession of herself
and her money, and doing as he
! pleased with both the one and the other.
Such thnly disguised under some pretty
words, was the creed that Laura held;
such was the whole tendency Of the
upbringing Margaret harrington had
received. II seemed it had not been
quite n strong enough dose. or else her
nature was n very rebelliOus one that
the usual doses of that kind had failed
90 have due effect. for, rs she sat here,
alone, she thought:
II wonderland | must know, too
IL what they say is all true. Is il really
80 hard for n woman who is rich and
gOOd-loOking. To get on without pro-
tector? Should l really be certain to
do something weak or absurd? In that
case il was very odd that poor papa
should have left no restrictions rs to the
use | was To- make Of NV money. Sure
| " he. II any one, should have left or
/ dcrs rs TO how IL was To- be disposed of.
i feel that there has never been any,
thing real about my life. / don't want
To do anything bad, but / am quite de-
tcrmined that i will sow my wild oats
IN my own way, in spite Of Laura and
Robert, and Maurice Biddulph. and all
OF them. Not i'm smoking and drink
! ing. Of course. because that would give
me no pleasure. but in learning little
about real htc!"
She paused on this phrase, thinking
It over and bordering upon its mystery,
conscious that all the different branches
OF learning (condensed) which she had
spent so much time In acquiring had
taught her nothing Of il.
"All my Cambridge certificates, my
hOnOrs and nv prizes, have not taught
me, at one-and-twenty. To know how To
do the good | should like 10 do-how 10
avoid the evil which | know exists.
And when i ask people to tell me what
are tho best safeguards they shrek out:
Oh, hush! How can you mention such
thingsP AT your age, and in your
/ position, you should not even know of
the existence Of anything So shocking. >
IL isa curious code. All these presents,
now wonder how many are genuine
affections offering As if l wanted
the poor children to deprive themselves
of their weekly siXpences in order TO
give me present! Toms is genuine.
thought know il is because it's SO
shabby. He had great intentions, but
n knife with ninety blades drew seven
and siXpence out of his pocket rs a
magnet draws n needle. Poor Tom,
And then he had only half n crown
left, TO buy ne n pair of gloves-and
such n pair of glOvesr'
She held them up-a mile too large
and of n brilliant orange hue, and her
smile was not altogether free from tear
| fulncss.
He thought they would match well
with my hairl Well, to please, him, |
would boldly go into the country rose
show next week with them ON.
couldn't do more than that. and"
n knock ut the door caused her to
drop the gloves, and cry: Come inr'
and, when she perceived who entered,
to add: "Miss Percivalw
! a girl about her own age came ina
slight, delicate, rcfiucd-lOoking girl,
with pale face, dark hair, and dark.
/ pleading eyes; n girl with a look of
WEAKNESS and languor about her. which.
rs yet, was not much more than what
is called interesting" for she was
young. aud loneliness and toll had
not yet made her haggard and I'M
lovely.
Good evening"" pursued Margaret.
81 have not seen you once to-day"
mo. Mrs. Pierce begged me to
keep the girls out of her way. so we
have been in the school-room all day.
Now they are dressing themselves. and
just came To congratulate you, Miss
Harrington. and to wish you many
happy returns of the day."
Thank vour' said Margaret. du-
biou ". wont you come IN and sit
down a mOment-if YOU can leave those
preciot infants To their own devices,
that isl"
"Oh. YES. Nurse is helping them.
They told me what beautiful presents
you have had; the account Of them
makes mo almost ashamed To offer
mine, IL is such poor little thing But
i thought | heard YOU say once that
YOU liked this kind of thing" She held
out snail embroidered silk bag,
worked in dainty. old-fashiOned style
not worth much, rs regarded ma
tcrials. but on the. manufacture OF
which both tiale and trouble had been
\ bestowed.
"llow very kind of your cried Mar
garct, sincerelJ touched BY this proof
Of attention and good will. 1T is.jusi
the thing like; L Is really very good
Of yOu,' she repeated. as She took Miss
Percivars hand within her own. and
looked Mt her with her bright, frank eyes.
IL any one had asked Margaret wheth-
or she knew Miss Pcrcival. she would
have replied: Certainly. know her
wclll' because for two years she had
lived in the same house with her, and
because IL was rarely that day passed
ON which she did not see and speak 10
her. But, rs matter Of fact. she did
not know her. and. without intending
or pc-petrating any unkindness. had
taken very little notice Of her. So little
did she know her that il had never
even occurred to her that she might be
an object Of greater interest to Miss
Pcrcival than Miss Percival was to her.
(Which, indeed, was the case: Marion
Percival. for many reasons. took deep
interest in Margaret Barrington.) A
fresh idea. new interest came with re-
frcshing brightness TO Margaret; and il
just happened that Miss Percival came
with her present of n working mt n
moment when the person for whom that
work-bag was intended was in the hui
NOR to make much of such an incident.
The present and the good wishes Of this
hitherto unnOticed young person came
upon her as surprise-struck her rs