West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1884-07-16

born, and dear beyond all words.
She had always been hard
working, honest woman-not ex-
actly contented with her lot, but
willing to toll and spare, if only
her gillette, with her bright
eyes and pretty, sprightly ways-if
she, could have fair share, Of the
pleasant things Of this life-oh,
then, what were labor, and discom-
fort, and the Indifference of the
world for herself! 81 + III
Looking back now, she remem-
bered, with self-contempt, the graf
ifcation with which she had noted
how Lettie's pretty face and man.
ners were attracting the admira-
ton of more than one among the
sons Of the well-to-do merchants of
the town. She recalled the sum-
mer evenings when she had helped
array her for riding with Will
Matthews, and peeping slyly from
the windows to watch them drive
away, told herself with exultant
fondness that Lettie's path was not
to be hard and toilsome like her
mothers, and thanked God-yes,
even thanked God that he had
made her child fair to look uponl
And now, in the shameful and
sorrowful days that had come upon
them, only her own pain was real
to her. What was Lettie's suffer
ing compared with hers7 Twice
she had seen the girl smile over
her baby, and the sight angered
her. That was worse than the
crying. ''tt.''Ne "AA4 -'@N
Stung by her mothers want of
sympathy as intensely FETCHED
and ashamed as an undisciplined
child of seventeen could be, Lettie
left the house and went down the
path to the gate, where she paused
irresolutely, with the bapy's sleep
ing face Struggled against her neck.
To stay here under her mothers
roof was torture; to go outside, to
meet old time acquaintances-the
thought was intolerable. Beyond,
out in the unknown world, what
place was there for her with the
babe in her arms!
She heard steps along the walk
and slipped quickly into the shell
ter of a clump of lilac bushes. Not
SO quickly, however, but that two
girls not far from her own age
caught sight of her. One of them
looked full into Lettle's covering
face with a glance of utter scorn.
She had been her school-mate end
friend through all the, years of
childhood All tcl 8a }fbafR
is that the Haynes girl you told
me about9' asked the other, as they
passed along. .,,.,.
Yes, this is the first time have
seen her out since! l should
think she'd hide behind the bush
es! But she looked right into my
face. Impudence
Out at the gate in broad day
light said the other, more gently.
And with that in her arms ! / don't
see bow she can bear to be SEEN"
oh, that kind of girls don't care
for any thingl If they did, they
wouldn't be that kind of girls"
Who is that in the buggy at
your door, Eda? What's the mat
ter with your cheeks? Very warm
weather all at once isn't it! OF
course Will Matthews has nothing
to do with it, though | must say
he has the nobbiest rig in town,
and he's awful handsome. They
call him pretty wild though. Some
folks say he ought to take care of
the little fellow we saw back there
in that girls arms"
Josie Nichols! Aren't you
ashamed?'
Ashamed of what? I thought
maybe you'd like to know what
folks say 1e
But | don't. And mamma new
er wants me to listen to such talk.
Will goes in the best society. And
mamma says it is a girls own fault
if young man isn't nice. And
and | don't want to think about it
any more please
well, I'll leave you here. Two's
company, etc. Goodnight
She turned down an intersect-
Il L IL I'll a~aasal a=a..