Daily Republican., 1884-07-12
ONLY A PuOR HOUSE GIRL.
BY ALICE DALE.

lou, hester come right down.
stairs, and set the table ! It's nigh on
SIX o'clock, and suppermust be ready
when the stage comes in!''
And the Widow Tompkins, fair
fat, and forty" halted in the centre OF
the great, CHEEKY kitchen, aud glanced
about her, an impatient frown over
spreading her ruddy face.
Well, l never 70 she calculated,
after brief pause, pulling down her
sleeves which had been rolled up, dis.
playing a generous proportion of round,
bare arm, )" If that girl amt enough to
put saint out o. temper Here I've
taken her out O. the poor. house and
given her a good home, and not much
to do but law she don't appreciate
1t She's just good for nothin' but to
shut herself up in the garnet, and read,
and read. every spare minute o. her
time . I've a good mind to pitch every
book into the fire! You, Hester, are you
ever comin'?"
And the irate widow opened small
door through which one could catch a
glimpse OF corkscrew stairs winding up
to the regions above.
Then came the sound Of light foot
steps upon the bare floor overhead
then pattering down the corkscrew
stairs, aud in a moment more q slight,
slim figure appeared before the vexed
Mrs. Tompkins.
A slip Of girl in a blue cottonade
frock, -canty of skirt, and devoid OF
fun bishins. But her ugly attire could
not conc, al the graceful form, the
lovely, oiive-skinned, rose tinted face,
lit up by wonderful eyes of dark gray,
which appeared black under the sweep
ing shadow Of the long lashes the
small head Gro ~ped by a coronet OF
raven hair, breaking out into tiny rip
Piles upon the broad, low brow. The
girl paused irresolutely.
odd you call me, Mrs. Tompkins %
she asked. in low, sweet voice,
strikingly in contrast with the widow &
shrill, high pitched tone.
Ibid l call you ?" she screamed
angrily, her red face growing redder
than ever, and her bulky form shaking
like mold Of jelly" did l call you ?
It's quarter to six o'clock, you lazy
good-tor-nothin', and the stage'll be
here at six precisely, aud the new
boarder a. comin'-Mr. Lawrence, from
Nashville-who telegraphed to me t.
have room ready for him. You're MOI
worth your salt, l say nothin' bu
poOrhouse trash, nohow."
The girls sweet face grew crimson
but with an effort she checked tn,
angry retort that trembled upon he
tongue, and quietly began her task, 8,
deity and expeditiously performed tina
when six o'clock struck from the grea
Dutch clock in the corner. the table wa
spread with its coarse but snowy liner
cloth, and everything neatly arranged
With o shy glance around Heste
added china bowl OF roses TO the cen
tire OF the tea-table.
"Humph p shifted Mrs. Tompkins
|contemptuously, "posies on the suppe
table! As if any hungry mans gOin
to notice them. Mr.. Lawrence has 60
more important business to attend To
and Hester, DO believe the mans a
lookin' for wife. He's handsome as
picter, for l saw him down in Nash
Vile once, you know; and" with ,
com placent glance into the cracke'
mirror on tho wallD "just my style
There I hear the sound of wheels
Lucky for you, my lady, that that tabl
Is set Mercy on me, I'm no Hurried
Run quick, Hester, and see if the tea
DRAWN all right, and the coffee on tn
stove, and take the biscuit out of til
oven, and"
But Hester had flown to do her bic
ding, and Mrs. Tompkins FASTENED I
greet the new ARRIVAL handsome ma
of perhaps thirty five:" John Lawrence
Attorney and Counselor-at-Law, NJ
-Blank street, Nashville, TenneI
see."
| Important business had brought tn
lawyer to this out-of-the- way place
reached by the 81 age which piled b.
tween a certain large town and TIL
lonely corner, dropped down anon
the mountains and forgotten. He wa
80 handsome he looked like prince
disguise Mrs. Tompkins, grown sud
denly atfable, informed Hester, cont
Identity, that she had decided to "set h,
cap" for the handsome lawyer. Hestt
listened in quiet amusement, not da
ing to utter word; it would be ;
much as her life was worth, she we
knew.
Mrs. Tompkins waited upon the tie
table that night with her own ia
hands. Evidently she did not inter
the sight of II possible rival to distu
her own peace; and 80 it transpir'
that Hester did not see Mr.. Lawren
until the next day.
The next morning, her usual tas
finished, Hester stole upstairs. and g
ting her favorite book-an old Fren
history-slipped downstairs out in
the morning sunshine.
With tho book under her arm, 8
made her way-quite unobserved-in
the old-fashioned garden, and seati
herself under a clump Of shrubbeI
sheltered from observation, was so
buried in the woes of the unfortuna
Marie Antoinette.
All at once the sound of voic
reached her.
8. CHANGING up she saw Mrs. Tompki
{ only few feet from her hiding-pla
flushed and smiling-her red ia
not unlike huge peony, as she Ii
tened with eager interest to dar
eyed, handsome man, who was spea
ing in an eager tone
7 Hester knew that ID must be NJ
Lawrence aud she sat in silence VIII
he went on with the story that he W
repeating to Mrs. Topkins.
"The lady was very unhappy aft
= her marriage" he was saying slow
II =" but as she hal married against h
fathers will, she was, perhaps, on
reaping the harvest of her own di'
bedience. Her husband went fro
bad to worse, drinking, gam bling, and
last one day he was brought home
Z, her stone dead. And she was wido
IL destitute and friendless, with one child
- baby girl. In her misery the unht
l. Inv woman ventured to write to
81 father, begging and pleading for f
Is giveness. But he remained stern a
Is unyielding, and refused to grant