Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-11-06

and Maud shaved for them, but service was
wearisome, as it must be, when dry, thank
less hearts claimed it.
| If only Mr. Harbutt were back, sighed
I Maud Dear how funny be wasW was
the laughing echo to her sigh. Kate was a
bright-eyed being, and always ready to
make the best of their troubles.
IL wonder whether he is as happy with
those grand folks as he was here? He had
all his things just as he chose, SAID Kate
with buster in her hand-the ladies were
out for the dav-looking around on chaos.
| Where should she begin to straighten?
| Strange that he never writes" Maud
unused.
Did he ever write, dear?" Kate said
80 write letters | mean. He composed, and
he imagined, and he ruminated but until
| those nephews looked him up | don't be-
lieve he received as much as one letter a
month certainly he never wrote one"
mo, Isuppose not. Where was that one
letter from that he sent when he Left"
Durham-but that's nothing he only
went there to see somebody who had some
rare manuscripts He said that in the
letter he was going to see his nephew at
Edinburgh, and then when the people
| found place to take he was going to
settle down with them. A wild-goose
chase for such man as he"
Yes" again Maud spoke musingly; :"
wish he had staid here until they had
| found the place"
The very next day Maud saw this in the
obituary of the Times
On the Goth, at the Inyercauld Arms, Rosslyn,
while travelling, James Harbutt, aged seventy
| one.
Monotony, wearisome monotony, fol-
| lowed. The tiresome ladies stayed on until
A. L. ! IL tIo
year; then they thought they would like a
change, and they left.
They left small debt unpaid, and they
gave no address.
As girls do, even girls who have too close
an cquaintanceship with the rough side of
life, the two Boyles made grand glory in
the departure of the Misses Payne.
We may get some one even worse,
though said Kate, practically.
- Never mind what may be, we are free
now Maud rejoined, being, as we have
said, always more light of heart than her
sister was.
On that half-holiday the girls, being so
gay over their freedom, walked with Dick
to the station, saw him off, and then went
for summer evening sauntsr among the
fields Yes, If you strike boldly of from
the dreary bricks and mortar of New
Cross, and walk with the elasticity of
Young, healthful limbs, you may, sooner
than you may think, be among the sweet
smelling hayfields.
1t was June, and if the hedge-rows were
rather dusty there were fields beyond them.
Maud's young soul drank in the fresh sum-
mer gladness, and she talk on of every
possible subject. Past, present and future
all drew something from her; perhaps the
past touched her tie least, for she had been
so young in the days of their good things
that, though she said she remembered
everything, those old days had, neverthe-
less, but visionary hold upon her.
4" have made mistake, Kate, l see."
she said as they walked homeward. 81
should have gone away to teach-I should
have made more money, and
And you would have held better po-
sition." Kate always nailed a point de-
cisively. One drudge in family is
enough"
" l hate you to speak like that, Katie"
Maud had warm temper; such posses
sion is usually the companion of warm
heart. "If you drudge-horrid word II
drudge. If | get more money, would not
mother have it?
Don't be angry. I've genius for do
nestle management; for goodness sake let
me exercise it. But / agree with you about
going away; you would be far better off in
a family. Why should you not be as Miss
Marsden used to be with us?n
she was a swell governeSs."
Not any more than you can be. l re-
member better than you do"
Dear, how l should love those days of
glory! Are they ever likely to come back
What can we do? Shall hoard? Will
Harry suddenly come home millionaire?
VIII nautr'a ms m 10 haon,re n
partner at his tender age?"
Maud ?"
"Kate, why should not these things be-"
"Why should they not? You might as
well say you expect to lind a bag of gold
when the next rainbow Shines
I" 1 always do expect that have done
ever since l was baby"
By and by Mauds wild humor subsidized,
and she talked again about business Yes,
these girls had so long been accustomed to
hard experiences that they fell naturally
into talk of pros and cons in a dry business
way. BY the time they reached home they
had settled that Maud should go away.
Their mother was told at once; she saw
it was wise, and a little more planning was
done as they sat over their simple supper.
The Times should be had every day for tie
sake of the advertisements. and the vicar
and the doctor should be asked to help.
All this was set in train the next morn
ing, also the next day Kate commanded
thorough turnout of the rooms, so as to be
in readiness for q newcomer
The evening post brought letter from
Harry dated " San Francisco. He had
not written for nearly year, and this was
the news: he had found farming in Canada
no good for him, and be had gone TO San
Francisco, meaning if ill-luck followed
him then, never 10 write home again.
Good luck came instead, and he was doing
we'll
Il manage q store, he said, and two
years ago my boss was worse Off than l
was when l came here. 1 won't say more,
but III make this pay. Perhaps I'll be
sending you some bauk-notes home before
the year is out"
Poor Harry exclaimed his mother.
She smiled, and vet her eyes were moist.
Kate Maud tucked her hand under
Der sisters arm as they went up to bed
that night" the days of glory are coming
again Now you see :"
Kate laughed-she was very glad about
Harry.
u see, she said, that you must put
clean paper in those drawers tomorrow
Maud made little grimace.
The morrow came and she was doing it.