The Dickinson press., 1884-10-25
ture carts at the door as I came back
from the village this afternoon"

"Oh, the village!" cried Belle, toss.
ing her blonde head. "It's strange
Saidee, how much time you get to run
about and enjoy yourself, while 1 an
drudging at home. But there's a young
gentleman there-the handsomest man
Alice Aiken says that she ever saw.
and Mr.. Pyle knows him, and he is tc
be at the picnic tomorrow to get &C.
quainted with Young people Of the
neighborhood. Won't it be delightful?'
Very" said Saidee, inditferently.
But while Belle was talking she had
made up her mind what to do the day
of the May picnic.
Early in the morning, while the flush
of sunrise was still crimsoning the sky,
and blonde Belle lay asleep with her
yellow hair in crimping pins, Saidee
arose, dressed herselfquietly and slipped
out of the back door like q little gray
shadow.
At = o'clock Aunt Leah raped with
her cane on the ceiling of her room,
which was directly beneath the N oc-
cupied by her nieces. Belle made her
appearance presently in q faded calico
wrapper, rubbing her eyes after drow-
Sy 1aSnlOn.
"Where's breakfast" said Aunt Le-
all.
"Where's Saidee?" counter oues-
toned Belle. ooh, I know, the selfish
thing! She has got up early, and gone
down into the woods to get some pink
aZelias for her hair before the other
girls think of it. She wants to aston
ish us all at the picnic. But I think she
might have told me-"
"Im afraid Saidee thinks more of
herself than she does of us" said Aunt
Leah, sourly.
And Belle, in n very ill-humor, began
to prepare the breakfasts task gener-
ally assumed by her elder sister.
While Saidee, hurrying down the
path by the swamp, took the shortcut
across the clover meadow, and was pres
emily knocking at the door of the brick
house where the load Of furniture had
stood the day before.
The old lady with the crooked cap
and the cherry cheeks came to the door.
"Have you yet engaged anyone to
help you get settled?" asked Saidee,
blushing very prettily.
eve can't hear of a SOUL" said the
old lady. Everyone is engaged just
now, and"
"If you thought I could be of use,"
family began Saidee.
"Bless me, child!" said the old lady;
"you are too slight and small. Be-
aides," looking closer, "you are a lady"
"But 1 know how to clean houses, for
all that" said Saidee valiantly. GIVE
done it every year at home. We are
ladies, hut we are not people of means.
And / think you will be suited with my
work. 1t is necessary that L should
earn q little money, and -"
"Ccme i'll, my 1carw said the old
lady" come in, and have q cup of cot
fee with us. I am Mrs. Hartwick-
and THIS is my daughter Kate"
"Sadie Linn" exclaimed the soft
voice of a pretty young girl, lying with
a sprained ankle on the sofa.
To her amazement, our heroine re-
eognized II OF her old schoolmates,
Katherine Hartwick, who had gradu-
ated in the same class with her at board
i%ng-school two years ago.
"But you surely never come here to
work? Z" said Kate in amazement.
eyes, l have" said brave Saidee.
"Why is it any less creditable to clean
paint and wash windows than to play
croquet or do Kensington stitches?
And my Aunt Leah has lost all her lit
tie property and We are very, very poor!
So now you know all about it. And
when I have eaten my breakfast, if Mrs.
Hartwick will give me a cleaning cloth
and plenty of soft soap I'll show her
what I can do"
So that Miss Lynn was mounted on
a step-ladder, polishing off an antique
mirror, when Hates soft voice was
heard saying:
"Oh, Harry, is that yous We sup
posed, of course, you were ut the pic
mic. Miss Lynn, this is my brother
Harry. Harry, let me present you to
Saidee Lynn, my dear old s~choolmate,
who has come here to help us clean
house,"
Miss Lynn made as graceful o bow
as she could under the circumstances.
Mr. Harry Hartwick inclined his head.
"At the picnic, indeedw he retorted,
merrily. "Not at all. I've been hunt
ing high and low for some one to help
you, and for lack of any success I have
returned to do q little white-washing
myself"
ooh, have you" said Saidee. "Iknow
such o nice recipe for kalsomine-as
white as alabaster, and it won't rub off
at ALL"
Lets make it up" said Mr.. Hart
wick, promptly.
No picnic could ever have been more
delightful than this day among dust,
white-wash, securing sand and brooms.
Kate, on her sofa, hemmed curtains;
Mr.. Hartwick hustled to and fro; Sal
dee, with her curly hair tied up In a
handkerchief, secured paint, and Harry
whitened ceilings; and at twilight had
three roomsl in perfect order.
GIVE have achieved wonders said
Kate, looking around at the neatly
tackled carpets-the soft, garnet plush
hangings-the pictures on the walls
the crystal brightness of the windows
while Mrs. Hartwick took Saidee mys-
teriously Oh side.
"My DEAR" said she, 1T do not know
how to thank you sufficiently. But I
am ashamed to offer you a dollar and a
half, although
"But I shall not be ashamed to take
it" said Saidee, smiling. "Why should
I? That is, if you really think I have
earned it,"
"My dear, you have more than
earned it," said the old lady, "and if
you could possibly come tomorrow"
"Of course I will come," said Saidee.