Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-07-10
IN A PICTURE.

80. In A PICTURE.
It was q disastrous day for the Vanes
when old Peggy died. TO be sure, she
was only a servant, but such an honest,
faithful, long-tried Old creature could
not slip out of her place without being
and mourned for. She had
waited on Roscoe Vane's beautiful
granddaughters since they were
babies, and humored her masters
whims to the day of his death. "What
will they do without Peggy? If it
were some people 1t would not make
so much difference, but the Vanes----''
and the neighbors left the sentence ex-
pressively unfinished.
And how was that? Well, the
Vanes acre little singular. Roscoe
Vane, the second, did nothing but
study art and paint pictures, or rather
a picture. He had had the same one
ON his easel for five years. Once in q
while he would retouch it and alter it;
the rest OF the time he admired it.
The girls were fond of music, but they
knew nothing of art. They had been
taught that this was a great picture,
but Ray said she wasn't sure. Ray
was y beauty; Ruth was simply pretty.
Ray would do nothing but sing and
dress and dance about the garden.
Ruth practiced music diligently. but
stitched at her sisters pretty costumes
and visited the poor. Yet neither of
the pretty girls ever soiled their dainty
hands. Their Uncle Roscoe forbid it.
He was reserved, refined to fragility,
like his father before him. At fifty his
hair was already white. When Peggy
died she had, apparently, many last
things to tell him, for he was alone
with her more than. three hours. At
ter that he shut himself up with his
picture more than ever.
IL don't know" said Ray, pouting
her red lips, ''what Uncle Roc expected
to become Of you and me, Ruthie!''
"Why, Ray?'
"W'ell, I am eighteen tomorrow,
and you have been twenty this long
time.'
Eyes," smiled Ruthie, stitching away
on Ray ruffles.
"Grandpa intended us to 90 into
society; but Uncle Roc
"Has no intentions regarding any,
thing. l know it, Ray. But IL am
quite contented with my lot"
''Thatis because Lisle SLaniels comes
to walk with you in the garden, or lay
over the piano while you play"
well, you have Lord Layton for 3
lover
Yes, a veritable lord visited at the
old mansion; poor, but not rhreadbare;
no longer young, but courtly and
agreeable. He had invested his small
income in America, and he liked Ros-
coe Vane.
"He's fifty, if he's day. But he
has his title, and he's not bit disa-
greeable. / might do worse,' and
Ray tapped her little foot thoughtfully.
"There's no danger Of any one marry
ing us for our money, Ruthie," she
continued, after awhile. "You know
papa lett us nothing. Do you suppose
there's any money-anywhere?"
''There must be little--for our
bread and butter, Ray" said Ruthie,
thoughtfully. ''But I think some
times, Ray, that we are very poor.
When they called this place the Or
chards--''
$50 ridiculous!'' interrupted Ray,
with it's ten-foot garden''
''But when grandpa was young it
was surrounded by apple orchards,
and pear orchards, and peach Or
chards. 1t was part OF a great estate.
There was a summer mansion down
by the river, and cottages for the
workmen; bat grandpa was not good
at taking care OF property, and little
by little it went. Land and houses
were sold, a road was cut through,
and house lots sold and built upon.
All is changed. We might have been
great helresses, Ray" concluded
Ruthie, sadly, ''bat, as said before,
Think we are very poor"
Ray silently reviewed tho situation.
Il shall make the best of it," she
said, at last, rising and speaking to
her reflection in the mirror "Ruthie,
who told you all this?''
elsie Staniels.
In faithful, wise, untiring old Peg
gy's place came an inefficient mulatto
girl, who went to sleep over the fire,
and let the mullins burn. Uncle Roc
was surprised that his mutton was
underdone and his coffee muddy. 1t
never never occurred to Ray that she
could help it if they starved to death
but when Lord Layton was coming
to dine, Ruthie, in very slave, in de:
fiance of her uncle's well-known COM
mands, went into the kitchen with a
cook book and prepared decent din
ner.
But day by day the old house seemed
to grow forlorn and shabby. There
was no one now to fight dust and de-
cay. The small paned windows were
obscured by dust, the brasses tarnish.
ed, mold crept into the presses, and
the mice into the larder. Uncle Roc
came out of his study only TO look de-
jectedly around, shake his head, and
retreat again to his den. Ray made
the same pretty toilet. and sung as
gaily as ever for Lord Layton, but had
spells of meditating. 1t was a dull
and lonely summer.
Lisle Staniel, with his blue eyes
golden hair, and debonair grace, came
sometimes and chatted with Ruthie--
strolling III the little garden with it:
sweet williams and princess feathers
or practicing song with her. Surely
he liked little Ruthie, but was that ALI
He was poor; he could hardly think o.
marrying; certainly he had never said
one word to her of it. Though it wa.
Ruthie's nature to be, serene, some
times her eyes were red with crying
And now Uncle Roc stayed in tht
bedroom that led from his studio. HI
had eaten little for week, and, whel
Ruthie, who had learned-after many
times burning the bread and her fac.
together-to make toast, carried hin
up a repast, which, though scant wa.
delicate, he moved the tray aside anl