The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1885-08-13

that had always been in the family
but he had to be Harold, straight
out of novel Lefty had read. And
when we called him Pet and Blossom
and Princeling, half to avoid that de-
testable name, half because he was so
sweet, Lefty declared that wedespised
her and her baby, and he wasn't
worthy, she supposed, to be the heir
of the Grahams unless he was called
Mark, and presently we were as badly
off as ever It was absurd. of course.
We laughed over the trihes that made
our miseries; but it was no triAe when,
with only block between us, she
wouldn't let Rob come to see us for a
month. It ended in our going down
to the mills mornings when he was
there, and so getting to know the new
superintendent. Presently Pam asked
him to the house, in the Lady Bounti-
full way she had toward friendless
people of all sorts and conditions.
She never thought that he was no
match for our Annie, theyoungest and
prettiest of us, and though she called
herself an old maid, actually only
twenty-five, and not looking that.
But when she saw what she had done,
and that something serious might
come of it, though nothing had yet,
for Frank Truman was as proud as
he was poor, she put the blame where
it belonged-on Letty's shoulders.
"For if it hadn't been for you, my
dear, weshould never have known him.
Inever before knew a superintendent
socially, mean."
~ don't know that it's so deplor-
able," said. cts the family way,
and we can afford to overlook his pow
erty, since he's really very much OF
a gentleman, I'm sure" And | smiled
at Lefty, for we were reconciled now,
and she had run in to show us how the
baby was learning to take steps.
"That must be such a consolation -
said Lefty, flushing, and taking it
wrong, as l might have known she
would-"to Annie, mean-that she
is only following in her brothers steps;
but I should think, out OF regard at
least to him, and courtesy to me"
"Why, I never meant to reflect on
you," I cried. ave never disap-
proved"
"You never had a chance; and it
wouldn't have done the least good if
you had" she cried, defiantly.
"No, indeed" Pam said, coming to
my rescue "Rob was too thoroughly
in love to mind if we had talked all
day at him: 1t was clear case OF be-
witchment."
"I'm much obliged, I'm sure" Lefty
said, picking up Harold; "but if you
mean to intimate that I tried-that
we tried-to capture my husband-'
~ only meant to intimate,' Pam
said, sweetly, that you were then, as
you are still, so very pretty that
Rob-
"Oh, then, I've nothing but my pref
ty face
(which baby has inherited" I put
in. "Really, dear, the child grows
more like you every day OF his life
"He's the image OF his father, cried
Lefty. "Eyes, mouth, everything. I
wouldn't own him if he was not. And
you know you only say he resembles
me to tease me"
That was perfectly absurd, for the
child was Dent all over, more's the
pity; but you might as well have tried
to reason with q turkey-cock just then.
She swept up the baby and was out
of the house while we were laughing at
her vehemence. We never could get
into Letty's feeling about it, l sup
pose. We thought by this time, mar
ried two years, and sure OF our atfec-
ton, she ght to take things more
lightly; but it was plain she did not.
For she talked so to Rob about the
certainty of marital shipwreck if a
rich woman married a poor man-
though it wasn't all sunny seas the
other way either-that he made it his
duty to discountenance the whole
thing. He sent Frank Truman off to
the west for few weeks to look after
some business for the firm, and in the
meantime he brought down old Talbot,
senior partner in the Tuckahoe mills,
where he had a third interest, to con.
sole Annie. I should have thought
Lefty would have liked the Other
match better; but she seemed to think
that if Annie married the old widower
who was as rich as all of us put to-
gether, that would balance things
perfectly. And as Frank, when he
came back, was too proud to speak
and none of us felt sure it was indeed a
matter of life and death with Annie
and so inclined to let things take theil
course, we were presently in as pretty
a snarl as heart could wish. Tucka
hoe was only ten miles off, and Mr.
Talbot used to drive over once
or twice week; and when he was not
at our house he Was at Rob's. He was
really rather nice, though being twenty
or more years older than Annie
it didn't seem reasonable match, and
sometimes wondered ifhe didn't have
an eye on Pamela, or If he couldn't be
brought around to that. Pam was
stately and impressive, and much bet
ter suited in years and dignity. 1t
would have been a perfect match fol
her; and then little Annie could take
Frank, and the double wedding would
prove our democracy beyond dispute
Pam was gracious to him, too-all on
Annie's account, she said; and the
queen-dowager pretended to help, sc
that plainly the Tai bot bark was on
sunny seas.
And it was while we were all in this
tangle that Harold was lost.
It was all from the French nurse, as
I said at once to Pam; and l had said
often before that no good could come
of getting chattering foreigner to
care for the child, and make him learn
her tongue before he could his own
1t was the queen-dowager's idea, Twas
sure, and I had no patience with it
But Marie seemed good girl, and she
certainly was picturesque and hand
some in her peasant costume, and it
was pretty to hear the little fellow LISP
his "estce-ques." Rob made rather
more of her than of the other servants,
noticed; but he was generous to them
all, and 1t was only natural that he
should have more to say to Prince Har
ODDS handmaiden: But when one soft
September afternoon prince and hand
maiden disappeared together-why
Lefty remembered it:
1t appeared from the incoherent &C
count fettv gave when she came over