Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-02-26
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One year exactly after the fatal day of the
trial Mrs. Westertield, secluded in the sanct-
uary of her bedroom, celebrated her release
from the obligation of wearing widows
weeds.
The conventional gradations in the out
ward expression of grief which lead from
black clothing to gray formed no part OF this
afflicted Iady's system of mourning. She
laid her best blue walking dress, and hernew
bonnet to match, on the bed and admired
them to her hearts content Her discarded
garments were left on the floor. THANK
heaven, Eve done with your she said, and
kicked her rusty mourning out of the way as
she advanced to the fireplace to ring the bell.
Where is my little boyT' she asked, when
the landlady entered the room.
Hes down with me in the kitchen, ma am;
I'm teaching him to make plum cake for
himself. He's SO happyl I hope you don't
want him just now?'
Not the least in the world want you
to take care Of hin. while am away. BY
the bye, where's Syd?"
The eldest child (the girl) had been christ
ened Sydney, in compliment to one of her
fathers female relatives. The name was not
liked by her mother-who had shortened it
to sgd, by way of leaving as little of it as
possible With look at Mrs. Westerfeld
which expressed ill-concealed aversion, the
Iandlady answered.: ''She's up in the lum-
ber-room, poor child. She says you sent her
there to be out of the way"
"Ah, to be sure, so | did"
There's no fireplace in the garnet, ma'am.
I'm afraid the little girl must be cold and
lonely"
1t was useless to plead for Syd-Mrs. West
ertield was not listening. Her attention was
absorbed by her own plump and pretty hands.
She took tiny file from her dressing table,
and put a few finishing touches to her nails.
"Send me some hot water" she Said;'I want
to dress"
The servant girl who carried the hot water
upstairs was new to the ways of the house.
After having waited on Mrs. Westerlield, she
| had been instructed by the kind-hearted
! landlady to go on to the top floor. You will
| find a pretty little girl in the garnet, all by
herself. Say you are to bring her down TO
| my room as soon as her mamma has gone
| out"
| Mrs. Westerheld's habitual neglect Of her
eldest child was known to every person in
the house. Even the new servant had heard
of il. Interested by what she saw, on OPEN
ing the garnet door, she stopped on the
| threshold and looked in.
TIE lumber in the room consisted Of two
rotten old trunks, broken chair, and dirty
| volume of sermons of the old-faShioned
quarto size. The grimy ceiling, slantng
| downward to a cracked window, was STAIN
ed with rain that had found its way through
the 1oof. The faded wallpaper, loOSened
| by damp, was torn away in some places and
bulged loose in others. There were holes in
the skirting-board, and from one of them
peeped the brightly tiinid eyes of the child
one living companion in the garret-a mouse,
! feeding on crumbs which she had saved from
| her breakfast
sgd looked up when the mouse darted
back into its hole, on the opening of the door.
"LiZZie! Lizzie" she said, gravely, lyon
ought to have come in without making a
noise. You have frightened away my young
est child
| The good-natured servant burst out laugh
ing. Have you got a large family, miss?"
she inquired, humOring the joke.
| Sgd failed to see the joke. "Only two
MORE" she answered, as graveIy as overland
| lifted up from the floor two miserable dolls,
reduced to tie last extremity of dirt and di-
| aapiud.un. MY Lwu u1uUol, I'm, ansV
child resumed, setting up the dolls against
one of the empty trunks. The eldest Is a
girl, and her name is sgd. The other is a
boy, untidy in his clothes, as you see. Their
kind mamma forgives them when they are
naughty, and buys ponies for them to ride
on, and always has something nice for them
to eat when they are hungry. Have you got
kind mamma, Lizzie? And are you very
fond of her?"
Those innocent allsiSir.is to the neglect
which was the one sad experience of Syd's
young life touched the servants heart. A
bygone time was present to her memory,
when she, too, had been left without a play
fellow To keep her company or a fire to warm