The Press., 1883-08-02
HELEN HYDE's GOOD DEED.

Mrs. Dardanel looked perturbed. "Dear, dear" she said, ''what pity ! And she's quite pet of mine, too, dear little thing. She is very quick with her needle, and really Ingenious the way she puts trimmings on dress positively reminds me of Madame Antoine herself" "The seaside cottage would be the place for her," suggested Dr. Midland. ''You are one of the lady patronesses. believe, and"
 "Yes, but the seaside cottage is full, !" said Mrs. Dardanel. Mot an inch of room uneccupied. I had note from the matron yesterday !"
 "Ah, indeed P said the doctor, fumbling with his watch seals. sUnfortunate- very" szss- ..ere
 'sBut," cried Mrs. Dardanel, an idea suddenly occurring to her much bepuffed gett's farm, few miles further down the shore. She takes boarders for $5 per week, and believe 1t is very good place. If you think it advisable I'll take month"; board for the girl there. really feel as if the dear girl belonged to me. "An excellent plan," said the doctor, oracularly. "I have no doubt but that 8 month of sea air would make quite diff l ferent person of her." . Helen Hyde could hardly believe her own ears when Mrs. Dardanel beamingly announced her intentions.
 '"The seashore P she cried, her pale face flushed all over, "the real sea Oh, Mrs. Dardanel, have dreamed of it all my life. And for whole, bright summer month :: Oh, how can I thank you?"
 "By getting well and strong as fast as you can" said Mrs. Dardanel, really touch ed by the girls innocent enthusiasm.
 "And here is a SIG. bill for you, she ad- ded, with smile. "You may need some
 little trife of dress, or there may be pie nic or excursion going on in which you will want to participate"
 l The poor girls first impulse was to re- turn the money.
 "No, you shall not give it back-it is a present from me, and l choose you shall keep it.
 Helen Hyde's heart beat high with de- light when she first saw the Daggett farm
 house, long, low, red building, with an immense stack of chimneys, cluster of umbrageous maple trees garlanding it about with shade, and door-y yard full of sweet, old fashioned flowers, while in full tsight of the windows the Atlantic flung its curling crests of foam all along the shin ing shore. Mrs. Daggstt welcomed her
 warmly she had been Mrs. Daraneps house-keeper once, and knew the value of
 that lady's patronage.
 "I have just one room left, my dear, she said, under the caves of the house.
 Its rather small, but it is finished com. fortably, and there's view of the ocean.
 l could have given you better accommoda-
 tions if had received Mrs. Dardanel's let
 ter day earlier. But four young ladies,
 teachers in the Ixwood Institute, came yes
 terday, and I'm sleeping on sofa myself, in the parlor. But we will make you just as snug as possible, and the very first good. sized room that IS vacant you shall have. ' And 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 driving, energetic, | business woman. Farmer Daggett was a vacant, honest-faced man, who invariably fell asleep of an evening, with his chair tipped back against the wall-and every ! available inch of the house was filled with Esummer boarders, mostly ladies. There were only three masculine appendages to the house besides its master-an old cler- gyman, whose parishioners clubbed to- gether every summer to treat him to six weeks vacation, 8 literary man of large as- pirations and small income, who had come thither for rest and opportunity to study up the skeleton" for his next novel, and old Mir. Miffin. .s Y 1;
 It was some time before Helen Hyde fairly comprehended who old MT. Mifin was. A bowed, bent-ovsr little man, with silver hair curling over the collar of his coat, a rufhsd shirt like the pictures of our oI,r&s ofoA Fl which glistensd from behind pair of sil- yer sps ctacles, he shuflsd in and out to his meals after an apologetic fashion, and sat all the bright afternoon under the ma ples, staring at the seq.
 "Who is that old gentleman ?' she at last ventured to ask Mrs. Daggett. That lady frowned impatiently. ',
 "Its old Daddy Mif6n, !" said she. "And l wish it was anybody else r
 '1s he boarder ?" asked Helen. -
 "Well, he is and he isn't [" rather ob- scurely answered Mrs. Daggett, who was looking over entrants for pudding, while Helen sat by and watched her. ssBut 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 Mifin. We were to give him the northeast cham Der, and they Were to allow@us so much month for his keep. It ain't everybody, you See, would be willing to have an old man like that around the place. But he's harmless and innocent enough, and won't deny that the g a week helped along. But now pric.s have gone up, aud Breezy Point has got to be fashionable locality in the summer time, and things are all different. And what's worse, his folks have been slow about sending the money"
 "I wonder why ?" said Helen with her large, dreaming eyes fixed pitifully upon the old man, who sat in his usual place under the naples, wistfullly watching the sea. szyg
 'sThsy're dead, p'r'aps, ,'''..said Mrs. Dag gett. "Or, p'r'aps they've got tired of him. Anyhow, its three months since we have heard word, and I and Daggett have made up our minds that we cano stand 1t any longer. So we're gn'- .' put him on the town. Lawyer ..o,aM ns s gs n It's legal and right, and th, ev can't n arnect 1t send s h;as e'Se .- US. Squire Sodus is to ~ -., covered carrryall next Saturday and old Daddy Mifin Il suppose he's DO ing for ride. And so things vii, no off ali smooth and pleasant"
 Smooth and pleasan... i" Helen Hyde looked across the grassy lawn to the little old man with his rnild, abstracted face. his ruf1ed front, the silver hair that glistened in the white claw-like fingers that slowly A,,rnod &hanoaaIuos honLu,or oaS