Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1884-09-19
BRAVE In ADVERSELY.

AT Mr.. Lonsdale $ aristocratic mansion
the earliest letters were brought in with
the rolls and coffee, so that Mrs. Ions
dale was langu.dly eating orange MARINA
lade when her husband read out the con-
tents of letter with black edge which
had just come from Mountain.
LEFT widow!" echoed Mrs. Ions
dale. 'And with six daughters. What
! a very unpleasant circumstance -
sShe was my favorite cousin" said MIR.
Lonsdale. GAS bright girl as ever saw.
I suppose, Naomi"-with little hesita-
tion-''we couldn't take her in here? p
flake her in here ?" repeated Mrs.
Lonsdale almost in a scream. "Why
J where could we put widow and six young
! women We actually haven't space
enough to accommodate ourselves"
"Well, well, Pm sorry for poor Mary
said Mr.. Lonsdale. II think she had the
bluest eyes l ever saw. Six daughters and
we never had one. Perhaps, Naomi
with the old hesitation formula-''you
would like to adopt one ?"
"Thank you," satirically observed his
wife. "When I do receive an adopted
child into my house it will not be the
country article.''
At the solitary little farm on Moon
mountain, however, the same subject was
being discussed while Mrs. Dirk was sew
ing on the simple mourning which the
bereaved family could afford.
! Helen was washing the dishes. Rosie
was darning the carpet with piece OF
wooden yarn of the same color, and Lizzie
was trimming seven plain straw hats with
bands of crepe as inexpensively as possible
Susy was picking over shining tin pan OF
! dandelion greens for dinner. Esther, the
youngest and rosiest of all, was feeding a
little flock of downy chickens, and Sarah
the eldest, was absent at a neighbours,
elping to make up the spring outfits OF
| half dozen boys.
''Sarah was always so handy with the
needle,' said Mrs. Dirk with pardonable
pride.
"But, mother" said Rosie, looking up
from her work with troubled counter
ance, 'swhat are we to do 20
sMother;" said LiZzy, ''our Lonsdale
cousins are rich. Couldn't we 60 to
| the m ?''
"Certainly not" said Mrs. Dirk, with a
sparkle of the eyes which had not yet lost
their forget-me-not blue. 81 wrote to
them, telling them of our affection, and
they sent back letter full of common
places, without even offering to help u.s.. ,
But they are rich and we are poor.'
"Y es, and they live in splendid style
Hattie Cooley says" added Susy.
Every likely" said Mrs. Dirk. "But as
long as there are seven pairs of hands in
this family, and 6 cd spares our health,
do not propose to turn genteel beggar y
"But, mother" began Rosie, who was
the caretaking member of The family, 81
think that
''I've settled it all in my own mind,
said Mrs. Dirk, stitching away until hel
needle looked like CLEAN of steel light
ming. "The house is large, although il
| isn't built after the latest fashion. The all
is wholesome, and there is the Black
| Spring, where people come to get the wa
ter for ten miles around. / mean to keeI
boarders."
"Hurrah for the little mother !" cried
Essie, clapping her plump hands. "And
| may help you make custards and do uI
preserves. mayn't I, mamma !"
''Susy and Esther shall help me. Sarah
can always earn her living at tailoring
work. Helen shall go into the glove fac
tory; I'm told they need new hands there
Lizzie can help Mrs. Dart, the milliner
and Rosie is to be nursery governess a,
Mrs. Millingham's. And if, between us
we can't earn decent livelihood, it will
be very strange" declared Mrs. Dirk.
Susie and Essie were delighted. Rosie
naturally regarded her position as de
clded promotion. Helen, however, drop
ped tear into the pan of hot water which
she had just poured out.
"The glove factory, mother ~ she re
peated. "But it will be such a strange
lonesome place, don It think / shall lik'
it,
"We must all of us try to like our duty
child" said the brisk little widow.
s'Mary Is going to open boarding
house." said Mrs. Lonsdale again to hi
wife. ''She has requested me to insert al
advertisement in the dailies for herr
every laudable Of her, l am sure" sait
Mrs. Lonsdale, with yawn.
Suppose you were to 60 there for few
weeks before the Saratoga season opens p
suggested Mr. Lonsdale. "Yo gu can't yer!
we'll stay here while the painting and re-
pairs are going on"
81 don't know that 1 can endure tina
sort of living" said Mrs. Lonsdale, dubi
ously.
''Mary Dirk used to be the best house
keeper I ever knew" answered her hus
band.
do you suppose she will take mi
cheap ?''
~ should imagine SOD
So Mrs. Lonsdale wrote patronzini
letter to her husbands cousin, bespeaklnl
the best room.
But when she got to Moon Mountain
there was only one little square room left
The fame of the Black spring has gon
forth in all directions and newspaper hal
promulgated an article praising the deli
cious pine-scanted air and well-populatet