The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-07-05
A NEGLECTED DAUGHTER.

Foftanatus, as you must believe by the
way you poster me for money. In your
dead mothers day girls didn't rig them
selves out for the purpose of attracting at
ten ion. A plain calico frock and simple
straw bonnet are all that female requires
for Sunday wear.
And the speaker, a small, middle-aged-
man, closed his grim mouth, and relapsed
into silence, watching his tall, handsome
daughter narrowly out of his keen black
eyes.
ssFather, you are terribly unjust to me,
your daughter. You are one OF the richest
men in Meadowland, and it is your duty
to see that your daughter is respectfully, if
not handsomely dressed. My apparel is
neither decent for church wear nor for the
street. Repeatedly you have turned deaf
ear to my entreaties to do something where
BY could purchase my own clothing, for
/ am ashamed of being pointed at, and
stgmatized as the 'Miser's Daughter, and
made the butt of ridicule on account of my
scanty, old fashioned garments. If my
mother had lived it would have been other
WISE"
The tears gathered in her eyes as she
thought of that gentle woman who lay at
rest in the cemetery on the hill, and she
began to pace the floor in quick nervous
way.
s'Sit down, Hulda You act like child
instead of q young woman almost out of
her teens. That outburst of yours was es-
pecially childish, and provocative of no
good whatever. You dress well enough,
and will not have you apeing those brain
less. ultra-fashionable women who fire.
quent the village during the summer sea-
son. And as Tor seeking situation" he
cd xvskh {h,,ra H. kol1
ssdon't ever let me hear you mention it
again. Hiram Lester is too proud to have
his daughter work for livelihood"
"Then he ought to be too proud to let his
daughter go dressed worse than any soul
lion," was the retort that rushed to Hulda's
lips.
As she left the room she gave vent to
shower of tears.
SIT is too bad" she sobbed; ssnay, it is
shameful to treat me thus. If he were
poor should not mind it; but he is so
rich he counts his money by the thousands.
He gave me good education, because
Lester must not be allowed to grow up
ignorant, he is not willing that 1 should APP
ply it to any practical use. l could teach
if he would let me find school, or might
give music lessons, provided l could find
the scholars. But no, I must stay at hon
tuals, and receive-what do 1 receive ?"
with an abrupt pause, ''for my labor? Ha,
ha," with bitter laugh, s'the food eat
and the clothes a gypsy woman would
sneer at. 4 shall bear 1t no longer: refor-
nation takes place, and at once. Fathers
pride shall be humbled, and shall have
becoming costume without its costing him
farthing."
Tying on her old sun hat, she went
down the street to the only grand mansion
in the village. 1t belonged to bachelor,
Robert Ranger, who became possessed of
it by the death of an uncle.
AS yet he had not seen the propesty, but
was expected daily from California where
he had been sojourning for the past year.
With firm steps Hulda pressed onward
till she reached the place, stately pile of
grey granite, over which the Virginia
creeper clambercd, the well-kept grounds
dotted with shrubbery.
She went directly to see the house keep
er. Mrs. Madison, with whom she was well
acquainted.
Mrs. Madison heard her proposition with
surprise.
at is astounding" she exclaimed, with
uplifted hands. ''The daughter of the
second richest man in the place in quest of
work"
"Yes, I'll admit that" smiled the appli-
cant: "but nevertheless it is true. want
clothes to make myself presentable at
church and in the street. Father, who has
no intention of being mean, but who has
no knowledge of woman's wants, will not
get them for me; so l must earn them my
self. You want girl to help clean house
and get it in readiness for Mr.. Rangers ar
rival / solicit the situation.
nd wuba IL Lee - I.
with the understanding that she should be-
gin her work in the morning
s.And very good for you, my DEAR" said
the kind old lady, "that your father is to
be absent on business for ten or twelve
days; he would raise such fuss that you
would be glad to relinquish all hopes of
earning what you deem absolutely indis-
pensible to your happiness, Good-bye;
and don't be in hurry to get here in the
morning" she said, as the girl went down
the walk with buoyant steps.
That night MIR. Lester went away on
business of Importance, and the next morn
ing Hulda presented herself at the Ranger
mansion ready to make herself generally
useful
As the days went by, Mrs. Madison
found her a perfect treasure. She was
never cross like some of the other girls in
fully performed.
1t was warm radiant morning in spring.
Flowers were blooming, birds were war
bling, and all nature were a jubilant look,
and as Hulda, scrubbing brush in one hand
and pail of water in the other, entered
the broad, cool hall to give it cleaning,
she cast her eyes longingly on the belt of
woods lying beyond and she wished she
were free to wend her way hither. But,
strangling all such desire, she set down her
pail and energetically commenced her
work.
With her sleeves rolled up above her ell
bows, displaying to advantage her round
white arms. and singing love ditty at the
top of her voice, she scrubbed vigorously
away; and there in the doorway. q CLEAN
of mischief in his dreamy brown eyes,
stood well-made, vigorous young man Of
eight twenty, in Panama hat and linen
buster, who had just came up the terraced
walk, and stopped to drink IN the music of
the girls voice.
Who was she? By all that was good and
great, who was this girl with the lambent
grey eyes, the glossy black hair that stray
ed over her face, and the dimpled arms so
white and shapely, that welded good
heavens It could not be scrubbing
brush?
He stepped forward to see if he was not
mistaken, and at that instant Hulda be-
came aware of his proximity.
The blood rushed to her face; she drop
ped her brush, but was eminently self
possessed as she raised herself from her
knees and said:
s.Tbis is Mr.. Ranger, believe? Walk
into the sitting room here. at your right,
and viii call the house-keeper, You