Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-06-12

lobs = nailing and hammering m V emo ! Tom Hariand lit his pipe and ct snok,ne and meditatiAg While his sister caeaxed tho table. It was not till she had sent sway tho plates and dishes, restored the room to ordsg. { lit Toms FeadinG-lamp, and produced . for midnble basket of hose that wanted mending, that she came and Laid her hands on his shoulders.
 ..I thought you and Mr. Benson were grsas great friends?"
 So we are,n was the reply.
 And that you had no secrets from him. but discussed all your affairs with him and asked his advice.''
 Why, so do. What are you driving at, child?"
 "If this Is the case. why were you dis pleased with me for esking about Sir Fred erick in MT. Benson's hearing7" You goose, are you still in the dark2" and Tom laughed at her bewilderment. Benson
 Is not q brown-bearded young Hercules, but . small slight, black-lnuzzled. middle-aged man our visitor was Sir Frederick himself" 1 Madge collapsed on to the hearthrug, and tried to recall every word she had spoken that evening.
 | When she looked up t was to say, reproach- fully:
 You ought to have told mo sooner.n Sir Frederick sra uested that would leave you in ignorance till he had gone." 1" Then he ought to have told me. It was too bad r
 "He explained that he was not aware of tho mistake you had fallen into till you called
 him Mr. Benson and it was so pleasant to be received and treated as an old friend, that
 he could not resist holoing his tongue" 2" And spoke of him as n dear old gentle ! man, talked freely of my hopes that he would continue to employ you, and said should" But hero Madge's face went down upon her
 hands, and s!io alternately cried and laughed till Tom grew cross, telling her she was at- { taching ridiculous importance to the incl dent. Itis not at all probable that she would ever see Sir Frederick. again. Neither did she during the remainder of ! her stay in London; but tickets for the opera, some concerts, and some picture galleries, l besides sundry baskets of fruit and flowers, proved that the Barcnet had not forgotten | her.
 l When Tom could quite spare her, Madge 1 went back to her country home, intending to profit by her studies Of the ancient and mod l srn painters, and work hard to achieve great ! ness for herself. | But her intentions werc frustrated, for as 1 soon as she went homo Sir Frederick Lorimer l visited Dorsetshire, made the acquaintance of ! Mr. Hnrland senior, won the esteem of
 Madge's mother, and ere long asked tho wor- thy couple for their daughter. " have always resolved not to marry" he said, till I could meet with dear, good, l unaffected girl who realized my dreams of ! what a woman should be. I lost my heart to you, my Madge, when you graciously inclined
 towards me as tho trusty Benson. Cannot
 you give me yours in return? Though am
 not Benson, still aspire to be known as Toms friend"
 Madgc pouted.
 "You took q shameful advantage of mel I might have said all sorts of dreadful thingsp' " Instead of which, you declared with fiat tering enthusiasm that should have place in your heart for evefc You will not retract this?"
 And she did not, for she had learned to love
 him dearly. c. D.