Morris tribune., 1886-10-27
THE COMING HOME.
jnicaao MaMs.

ed the exceedingly small pugilistic
spirit Nell possessed.
Il don't consider the suggestions
parallel at ALL" she said, blushing g. Tic.
Tie. II know the cottage is very small,
but it is habitatlo."
"Habitahle!" cried Fannie. "You
couldn't swing a cat in the whole
housed"
1--WE will let the cats exist without
swinging, them" said Nell, stoutlv
''See here! We can't live here any
longer"
No" Aunt Sue answered ruefully,
not for the present at any rate"
our worthy guardian having alb
seconded with all the property he held
IN trust from our father, including
your $4,000, Aunt Sue, we must
! look for some means ofexistence more
humble than this big house and ST.
900 year income"
"Oh, Nell!' and here Fannie's blue
eyes overfewed, chow could he?"
II can't tell, my dear sister; but he
did. That's the important question.
Now. as we can't pay the rent of this
house any longer, | propose we take
possession of the little cottage at Har-
lem that we own, furnish it out ofthis |
house, sell the tables and chairs re.
manning over, and look out for some
work. l suppose we can do some
thing" she added doubtfully. -
Something of Nel's courage inspired
Aunt Sue for she suddenly straight
ened up, an41 SAID:
- Before Brother James, yourfather,
my dears, made money and took me
to his home, God bless him! l had
to work for my bread. made caps,
and l could teach you girls now"
Millinery" said Fannie.
mo; caps for the army and navy,
and boys wore them then, too, more
than they do now"
well decide about that later"
said Nell, seeing Fannie's face fall
again, but now we must 60 over and
see about the house. How much
money have you got, Aunt Sue?"
Ninety seven dollars"
"And you, Fannie?"
1.-TWO dollars and sixty-five cents"
said Fanny, after deliberately count
ing the contents of her portem onnaie.
And | have over $50. Quite enough
to move you see, independent OF the
sale of the furniture. | will take Jane
over this morning and set her to clean
ing, if you will see about the carpets
and furniture; decide what is best to
take, | mean"
"You and Aunt Sue arrange it,
Fannie said, YEARLY, leaving the
room.
poor FAM Nell said, her whole
tone of voice changing, as she looked
after her sister. ''It's harder for her
than anybody"
II don't see why" said Aunt Sue,
rather sharply; ''she has gone about
looking like ghost ever since that
scamp Norris ran off, but am sure
he took your money and mine as well
as hers"
"Oh, Aunt Sue, are you blind? Don't
you see that Mr.. Norris is Fred's ia
Their, and Fred has also mysteriously
vanished; and, oh, didn't you see long
ago that Fred was in love with poor
Fan, and her great blue eyes brighten
ed for him as they did no one else?"
Il never thought of that. Fan new
er said a word"
GLOW could she? Fred never &C
tually proposed to her; but he surely,
surely wanted to, and so intended"
"Id like to hang his father"
And after this energetic declaration
| Aunt Sue Joined Nell in a ramble over
the house, deciding upon the best dis
| position of the handsome appoint
ments. Many a heart-wrench went
with the decisions to sell objects en-
| deared by years of associations but
too large or handsome for the tiny
home they proposed to occupy. Fan
ME helped by fits and starts, but, as
| Nell surmised, the girl had a heart
ache to carry that far surpassed the
pain of pecuniary loss or change of
| fortune.
| She was a tall, slender blonde, very
pretty, and of gentle, loving DISPOSE
| ton; never possessing the energy OF
brown-eyed Nell, whose beauty was
| for snub nose and big mouth in the
sunny disposition, and had quick
vivacity that was very attractive.
Fred. Norris, the son of the guardi-
an who had so foulIy betrayed the
trust of the girls dead father, had
brought his handsome face and win
ming manners often to the house over
which Miss Susan Dorrimer presided,
| and had left no power of persuasion
untried in his endeavor to win pretty
| Fannie's heart. He was partner in
his fathers law Office, winning his
own way to fortune, and no thought
OF the blondes patrimony tempted
him. 1t was pure, true love that
| softened his voice for Fannie's ear,
shone in his eyes when they rested
upon her, and brought him often to
her side.
And the love he coveted was given
him, though no words had yet been
| spoken, when Herbert Norris sudden
~ fled, and twenty.iour hours later
his son was also missing.
1t was a blessing, Nell said, that
their journey, as the cottage in Har-
lem was certainly not tempting, as it
| stood, for O. winter residence. 1t made
a large hole in the money realized
from the sale of the furniture to put
the old house in repair, it having
been empty for a long time. And
even when it was newly painted and
papered and frightened by the pref
| test OF furniture 1t looked very mar
row and poor. contrasted with the
| home where the girls had lived from
| childhood. The piano had to stand
all askew to fit it at all in the little
parlor, and the easy chairs and loung-
es looked all out OF proportion. But
Nell worked busily, and gradually the
''fiitting" became a frolic; and even
Fannie became interested in wedging
bureaus into impossible recesses and
finding accommodation for the con-
tens of the great vans at the door.
"Just imagine, we have a spare
ROOM" cried Nell, gleefully; "here is
Aunt Sues, here ours, here one for
servant, if we ever again indulge in
such luxury, and here magnifi-
cent apartment, handsomely fur
nished, to let! All the rubbish and
trunks can go in the attic or loft, or
whatever you choose to call the sky
L. ,G,.~r 31ol,