West-Jersey pioneer., 1884-01-03


tainly has heart. Those poor Nc
Nulty's! When Mrs. McNulty died,
she used to go down there every even
ing and carry supper, and hear the
children's prayers, and put them to
bed, and leave a breakfast set out for
the father in the morning. Just think
of that girl doing such thingsH'
ibid she tell you she did, mother?"
asked Harold.
'Well, no; that is, not exactly. /
heard that one of the Hill ladies was
down at the McNulty's doing these
things, and spoke of it incidentally to
Miss Barnes; and she asked me to say
nothing about it, and said she only did
what she couldn't help doing; and
when said thought it a great deal
for her to leave all her gay life every
sunset, and go down there night after
night, and wait on that family, and
then hurry home to her household of
company, she colored up SO prettily,
and said we were all stewards, and it
was duty and pleasure, too, to do what
she could"
'Humph!" said Harold Hartley. He
knew very well, now, who it was that
he saw through the window of the
McNulty cottage. But after all, a
pretty face covers a multitude of sins.
He set about forgetting the deceit; he
reasoned that it was girlish jest, sig
nifying nothing; and he went to Wash
ington all the same, shortly after the
holiday season arrived, and presented
himself among the first New Years
callers at the great doors of Mr.. Barnes
fine residence there.
"Ah! have you Gomez" cried Miss
Barnes, hurrying to meet him. "We
were much afraid you wouldn't. And
now you know SO few people in town,
that you have no calls to make, and l
want you to stay the whole day here
with us. I've perfect crowd of pret-
ty girls to help me receive, and dear
deaf and dumb old duenna for chap
eron, and it will be one long festival.
Will you have some refreshments now?
Champagne punch? There's some Ma
deria, fifty years old. All! here's the
bell; every man to his post! There
are no privates here; but l am a Cap
tain General" and she danced back to
her place, we'll content that Mr.. Hart
ley should see the triumphs of the day.
And there was a triumphal process
sion-the golden youth; loungers, at
| taches, clerks, members, senators, sec
retaries, officers in their splendid uni
| forms, all swelled the ranks, swept
through the great house, and kept it
thronged with groups in the rose draw
ing room, groups in the gray parlor,
in the music hall, the dining-room and
the conservatory.
AS the day wore on, Miss Barnes,
with portion of her attendants, was
as much in the dining-room as the
drawing-room, sauntering in with one
and out with another, or standing un-
der the heavy curtains between the
rooms. What a picture she made,
Harold thought, in her scarlet satins,
with yellow poppies in her hair,
against the background of the citron-
colored curtains. There she was now,
taking that Venetian gem of a decan-
ter from servant, and herself pour
ing wine for an old senator, who had,
perhaps already too much. Here came
a parcel of gold laced officers, flushed,
gay and handsome. What did she
mean by urging that old port on the
half-tipsy boy among them, while the
others laughed and jested with her.
Harold was not ordinarily troubled
with scruples; but this seemed to him
to pass the limits of a jest, and he ex-
perienced a sense of relief as he saw a
lady approach in the shadow of the
curtain, and placing her hand ON his
arm, lead the boy away. Gowned in
cleaning white satin, her shining
shape crossed that scarlet blaze like
the passing of a moonbeam, and know
ing who it was and thinking she might
have trouble, Harold followed; but it
was only to find Nina alone in the
gray parlor, the boy having laughed
her cup of bouillon to scorn and left
her out of hand.
''Isn't it too bad?' she said, with a
laugh that was half sigh, after all.
"He asked me if I was temperance
lecturer, and called this delicious bou-
illon 'slops.' Will you have it?"
"Where have you been all day?" he
said setting down the cup.
ooh! l am on duty on this side. We
are all stationed by plan of battle; but
most of my battalion have deserted to
the other rooms. Isn't this lovely
one? 1t almost units a person fol
quiet life at home, these gay nights
and days. 1t would, at least, if one
| yyara oI1ita at rnSt in If