Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1885-06-11
BLACK ERIC. I"
BY SARA B. ROSE.

thought was not their equal"
"But L am the equal of the Scar
boros, Myrtle. Not one of the family
excepting Hugh, has soul to appre
ciate the beauties of art; not one Of
them could tell the difference between
chrome and q genuine gem in oil.
would be an ornament to their family,
my dear"
"They do not think So"
"They have never seen me, my
sister; and besides. if 1 were not their
equal, do you not think that my feel
ings are to be considered? From my
own point of Wow L think that my hap
piness is as important as Mrs. Scar
boro's."
"That may be all very well-from
your point of view-but we differ O
little, Muriel."
I'VE differ great deal, Myrtle. Now,
1 never could do the degrading work
which you delight in-taking those hor-
rible pictures of the dead in the
morgue, for instance; and your last
freak is even worse yet-allowing the
Sheriff to bring criminals into our very
presence to get their photos for the
rogues' gallery. Yes, we differ, and
you are the worst of the two."
my work brings us bread and but
ter, Muriel, while your gems in
oil -"
"Well, what about them ?" asked my
sister, impatiently, as 1 paused,
ashamed of myself
"They certainly save US Wallpaper
that is an item, sis. Do let's stop quar-
reling, now. You touch up these pho
tographs, while l prepare lunch" ex-
citfmeu, 5uar efnS oP ssnSa i1u2-. yEoc 1--s~~
the little room where our cooking was
done.
Muriel never seemed to realize that
we were but poor artists. She carried
the air of grand duchess with her
wherever she went, and spoke conde-
scendingly to people who were worth
their hundreds of thousands. ] was
quite provoked at her, for while i
caught eagerly at any work l could get,
even tintypes, she would touch nothing
but ideal faces, and landscapes in oil.
The landscapes were ideal also, for we
were too poor to travel. Beautiful and
dreamy as her pictures were, could
not help begrudging the time she spent
over LueHl, lOI BIO ucNcI oOlo Oh0 VI
them by any chance.
Hard work l had of it, too. Besides
being the bread-winner, 1 did the
homework, running down stairs and up
again q half dozen times a day, after
paGeesqyies sRbgq a Sslh6au tt4llfde ea. @cees-
Still, 1 should remember that it was
my duty, for had not papa, after divid-
ing his store of unsold pictures between
us, said:
Myrtle, although you are the young
er, leave Muriel in your care. You
are practical, you will succeed. Muriel
will be as her father has been before
her, dreamer of dreams"
Thinking it over, felt sorry that /
had ever felt impatient toward my sis
ter, even when she found fault with my
degrading work." as she called it.
And now she wanted to marry man
whose parents thought her beneath
them. / had too much pride for that
ANYHOW; but l resolved, as spread our
little table, not to NEEDLE with things
which did not concern me, and then,
when all was ready, ] mustered my
sweetest smile and returned to Muriel.
u6 WCAO unVOuOhCN,
and Mr.. Hugh Scarboro was lolling in
purchased Tor my patrons TO pose i'd.
Our Photographic rooms afforded an
enhancing view of roofs and chimneys
innumerable, and Muriers dreamy blue
eyes looked out as fondly at them as il
they were the grandest of gardens,
filed with the most beautiful flowers.
"a Z. n1AA11l
solemnly, as we all sat down to lunch
con.
without saying q word to me-"
said, in spite of my resolve.
"You did not say anything to me when
you made arrangements to take in the
swindlers," returned Muriel.
Il know it," 1 replied humbly,
ashamed of myself once more. "How
did you settle it?"
"We are to be married at the end OF
one year"
NY silence seemed to astonish Muriel,
and Hugh said wonderingly:
"And now that it is settled, explain
your meaning, Muriel, when you said
take in the swindlers.
Il WILL" she replied, with more ami
nation than usual. "You know she has
been taking pictures at the morgue
Well, she was not satisfied with that ;
she has actually sent in lower terms
than Barton, who has been taking the
rogues' pictures at the police court, and
she has undermined him. At any rate,
they have been here with half dozen
burglars and one or two murderers and
assault and batterers, and we may ex-
pect them at any time with more"
"A wise man is the Sheriff." said
Hugh, laughing. Myrtle don't mean
to get left"
at pays well, / replied, pleased with
Hugh's approval. "But it is not very
easy work. Harter, the burglar, sprang
out of the chair, irons and all. in order
to spoil his picture yesterday, and Lief
fngwell, the wife-beater, posed as care
fully as any belle could do, but ut the
critical moment, he made the fearfulest
grimace possible to man. Not one Of
them likes to have his picture TAKEN
they will spoil it il they cam"
"There Is some one coming up the
stairs, )" said Hugh, rising with Muriel,
and following me into the studio.
The door opened, and two blne-coat-
ed policemen entered, escorting as
handsome man as ever beheld.
Even Muriel lost her unconcerned air as
her artistic eye took in the tall, we'll
knit figure, the dark, brilliant eyes, the
richly bronzed complexion, and the
halfamused smile around the perfect
mouth.