The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-11-12


F. fight il out alone, l suppose. But there's
| one thing I'll show her; she may win all
| the rest Of the family down to the cook,
but she shall nerer win me~
Moreover" she went on to herself,
"since she's such an adept in forcing her.
self into power, will not wait to have the
KEYS demanded" So when she rose from
| the table she drew from her pocket her
| bunch of housekeeping keys, laid them
down on the table and stalked proudly out
| of the room.
Mr. Barnard started up angrily, but his
| wife laid hand upon his arm.
please leave her to me, james, IN
! derstand her feelings exactly"
1t did not add to Margie's pleasure to see
that home affairs moved more smoothly
than while she was mistress; that quietly,
without jar, the old cook who had ruled
| so long walked ont and n new one came in.
| 1t caused a bitter reflection, not altogether,
Ifear, without satisfaction, to see luxuries
| appearing IN the house, and on the table,
| that she was sure her father could not
! afford.
''She'll ruin him next, )" was the comment
in her mind, not knowing that the step
mother had an income of her own nearly
| equal to her husbands.
One day Margie saw workmen in the
| parlor, and soon after new Fireplace
| appeared, with bright wood fire. When
| the old-fashioned carpet that had tried her
| soul was taken up to be cleaned, it re-
| turned no more, but modern wool carpet
was laid down, and rugs were scattered
| around. Thus all over the house, in every
room, improvements went gradually on.
| Every one was in good taste, and would
| have been delightful to Margie, if she had
not resClutely steeled her heart to good
| influences.
One day on coming home from one of her
long visits TO her friend Molly, she found
that her room-which until now had been
nntOuched-had received a visit. & rickety
! old rocking chair, too old to be safe, had
been removed, and pretty new one, de-
lightfully easy and comfortable, occupied
its place.
Her first sudden emotion was pleasure.
but she remembered that unlucky word
manage" and anger quickly followed.
"This is the way she begins her 'manag-
| ing, ," was the thought, and she flung open
the door, dragged the new chair out, and
called to the housemaid who happened to
be passing:
"Mary, this is not'mine; when l wish my
| furniture changed l will tell you. I'll
trouble you to return my chair"-and she
closed her door. The old chair was brought
down from the attic, and no more attempts
were made to improve her room.
Not long after this began some strange
experiences in Margie's life. The first
thing that happened was what she had
wished for all her life-a regular allowance
for her own expenses. Heretofore when
she wanted money, she had been obliged to
ask her father for what she needed, and
tell him how much would do, and what she
should use it for. Sometimes he had de-
INJURED and thought her wishes extrava-
CANT, and it had been a trouble to her.
Since the step-mother arrived this matter
had been harder than ever to arrange,
since the old pleasant relations with ner
father were all over, and she had gone
without everything that was possible,
even suffering for clothes before asking.
This state of things she unreusonably
added to the account against her step
mother, and was embittered accordingly.
Nothing could depict her surprise, there
fore, when one morning she received by
mail a check for larger amount than she
had ever possessed at once, with a short
business-like announcement that she should
receive in future like check quarterly for
her own expenses.
Margie never had a pleasanter GRAND
than that afternoon, when she went to the
bank and received her money, and from
there hurried to Molly's to tell the good
news, and secure her company in q long
wished-for shopping excursion.
She returned home almost happy, but
the sight of the smiling face of her step
mother turned the current of her feelings
dinner as gloomy as ever.
She tried to thank her father that even
ing, but failing to catch him alone, wrote
him note of thanks the next morning.
From this time many pleasant things
came to her. Speaking one day of a de-
lightful journey her friend Molly was soon
to take with her mother, and how she
should like to go, the next day she re-
ceived a check, with full permission to
join the party.
On her return in the autumn she re-
ceived in the same way, season tickets to
certain musical entertainments she had
always longed for. When her friends be-
gan to make up classes of different sorts
for the winter, she received tickets for
each. Nothing was forgotten, a new
piano appeared for her Christmas present,
and on her birthday q generous check with
which she was requested to refurnish her
own room, thing she had long desired
to do.
SO it went on, and if she had not so
steeled herself against her step mother,
she could almost have loved her for being
the cause-though remote-of these
changes in her life. She never had so many
sources of happiness, never was so easy
about money and dress.
When this had been going on for some
time, she began to receive letters which
professed to be from an old-fashioned
friend who wished to be of use to her
mothers daughter, and signed herself
"Your Fairy Godmother."
These letters were written with the
happiest tact. They began entirely on in
tellectual subjects, to lead her thoughts, to
direct her reading; and while not alarming
her pride or arousing sensitiveness. and
never speaking of any person, they gradu-
ally led her to see many things in a differ
ent light, broadened and deepened her
character, and by guiding her reading and
studies in music and art made great changes
in her.
Margie delighted in them. She was
keenly DESTROYS of the best culture, and she
saw in them exactly what she felt the
need of, the advice and help of a cultured
and refined woman; one to take the place
of a mother.
She answered them with enthusiasm,
and it soon grew into a very frequent cor
respondence. Once she ventured to speak
of her life at home and hint of her unhap-
piness, but the answer came promptly,
gently putting an end to this, and request
ing her not to write about the family.
Nothing of all these pleasures softened
Margie's conduct toward her step-mother.
Unconsciously to herself, most Of the Bit
terness hal gone out of her heart; her
years mental and spiritual growth had
raised her above her former self, but her
manner was stereotyped, and she was not
yet noble enough to acknowledge her mis-
take.
Things were brought to crisis in the
Barnard household by terrible accident.
Returning one afternoon from a visit to a
friend, Margie found the house in confu-
sion; two doctors carriages before the
door; her father sent for; the children
crying; the servants standing around the
halls.
On her appearance she was assailed with
the news. Horses had run away, Mrs.
Barnard was very badly hurt-the doctors
feared fatally. They were in there now.
where's father" was her question.
I'm the library, half crazy" was the re-