The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1886-07-15
LEOLINE.

ooh, mother, [ wish we were rich!
1 think il is a shame that we are oblig-
ed to live in this little hut, while my
naughty cousin lives in q mansion and
wears the diamonds that should have
been mine"
my dear, how can you call this
pretty cottage a hut, and how can YOU
complain when you are doing SO well?
Let May wear her diamonds, and
please, dear, for my sake, if for moth
ing else, do try to be c~ontented."
Florence Arleigh made no reply, but
pressed Il kiss on her mother forehead
and left the room.
AS the door closed, Mrs. Arleigh
leaned back in her chair and watched
the last rays of the setting sun, while
her thoughts flew far away to the home
of her childhood. Her cheek was fam
ned by the soft South wind and no sound
disturbed her musings of by-gone days.
She gazed into the blue sky, where the
clouds floated and foated away in the
distance, but she saw not the clouds,
for her mind pictured the old home,
where her infant footsteps had been
guided by the tender hand of a mother.
Then she saw herself, a happy
maiden, in the shady, old forest,
twining a wreath of flowers and crown
ing herself Queen of the May. She
smiled as she thought how surprised
she had been to learn that an artist
had been sketching Ter while she adj
dressed the trees as her subjects. How
her young heart had leaped with de-
light as she saw the admiration express
ed in the eyes of the stranger. Then
she thought how she had been wooed
and won by the artist and how he had
taken her to the residence of his father.
Then tear after tear fell from her eyes
as she thought how she and her hus-
band had been turned away from the
home of her father-in-law, and how
her husbands proud sister had said:
"When l marry, l shall not disgrace
my family by marrying the child of q
poor farmer" OH! the DAYS that fol-
lowed, the happy days, in which she
tried to make their cottage a pleasant
home for Leon, who worked early and
late 10 paint the pictures which brought
enough money to support them. Bit
terly she wept as she thought of the
brilliant June day when death entered
her home and her brave, handsome
Leon was laid in the little parlor and
her two children walked on tip-toe say
inc, over and over. Papa is dead, and
is sick" Her reverie was in
:errupted by sounds of mirth, which
came from the chamber of the little
cottage which Mr.. Arleigh had been
pleased to will to his sons widow.
Upstairs is a coy room in which
Florence and Leoline Arleigh do the
copying by which they earn their bread.
They have been copying, but are not
doing so now, for Leoline is laughing
heartily while Florence stands before
the mirror saving. in tragic tones,
''How have the mighty fallen! And Ar
leigh must earn her bread by the sweat
of her brow. Where is the poet who
will immortalize the fair face reflected
in yon mirror? Where are the brave
men who will gaze with admiration up
on these golden ~tresses, these azure
eyes? Where are they? Alas! they
are here, but they are not the ones in
whose pockets the gold dollars jingle
merrily, for the men whose money
would make them acceptable in my
sight pass my beauty unadorned' and
bow at the shrine of my cousin"
Leoline leaned back in her chair and
laughed until the tears started from her
ewes. .'Oh, Florence" she said, .'are
you crazy or are you rehearsing for pri-
yate theatricals?"
Neither, but, seriously, Leo, I was
not intended for this kind of existence.
I was not born to spend my life daub-
ing my fingers with ink. [ was born to
walk like this through rooms which art
had done its most to beautify," and
Florence raised herself to her full
height and walked majestically across
the room.
Well" said Leoline, '.if you have
finished, we will continue our work"
.1Oh, dear! Work. work! Nothing
work. 1 think our grandfather
.S,sas too mean for anything or he would
not have given all his property to Aunt
Emma and left us without a cent"
Florence" said Leoline gravely,
sour grandfather is dead and whatever
his faults may have been, we are not to
nudge him. He gave us this pretty cot
taoe and we are doing nicely"
:.There, you little saint; | take it all
hack. Let us have peace" said Flor
,nce, kissing Leoline and hurrying to q
mali table on which were scattered
GEM ink, paper, etc. |