The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-02-15
A MODERN PARIAH.

A moOERN fAhtAH.
NoS l s'Pose y0a'll have 10 come and
stay with me, L;sbe'h, yer fathers gone
and yer brother Joe bin an got married. =
The speaker x2s tai, gaunt woman,
whose expressionless face seemed cut oa.
Of solid ro,k, without one sosiened line,
even in this hour OF trial. Lisbe:h Nor
ton booked rpquickly- 70. thank you
Aunt Rachel. you have no work Tor nse
and should not Ike TO be burden.
am going 10 the city and Intend 10 ge: a
si;uation a. hoJi~srnaid III work little
cheaper tl.an ti.- others do If can have
time 70 90 10 the An School one day in
the week and some Of the evenings.
~Going oas 70 service the hard
voice answered sneeriasiy. Its jcs;
Ike you, anyhow yoa always were
cranky but don't think my brothers
dsrser would stoop 80 iow. wha:li Jim
Downing say
Il haven't asked him. replied the
girl. with proud ii;fiug Of her head and
j vivid color in her cheeks
@Weil. you'd better advised Aunt
Rachel, and II be doesn't put his foot
down on. thAt NY name amt Rachel
Jones that's al
4 shah 60 a. think best FOR myself"
answered Lisbeth very quietly. and left
the roosn 10 attend 10 some household
duties The gEzy evening gezme slowly oa-
Brother Joe and his new wife took Aunt
Rachel 70 her Grezry hoaae on their way
to spend the evening with nsighbor-
Lisheth SAT down % her sewing with fast
tesiins hears, listening al intervals for 4
step she knew 50 vel that might al any
moment Ie heard on the gravel walk be
meath the widow She had nc; long 70
wait. for gentle knock was followed By
. quick opening ef the door in country
fashion. and q young man. with close
cropped yet dark curing hair, entered
H.s,loE: further ceremony. He took her
hand and attempted q drzE herdoEn 10
> chair beside him. but she s-rzng lightly
up, nader pretence Of turning down the
wick Of the lamp tor fe4r Il might crack
the glass. and then sealed herself on the
opposite side of the hre-plsoe- Bu. the
tones of he- voice EeTe tender, even trezn-
bling. ss she talked Of everyday affairs:
at lzs,, wiih some hesitation, she said !:
. wanted a chance Iot tell yoa that az
going 10 the city to star"
The young man looked surprised, and
there was protest in his voice As he said,
: Why Lisbeih, isn't il rather suiien
You surely don't mean 10 stay2r
~Yes / do she answered drcarily,
= I'm not wanted here Maria takes my
plaoe already. and lis right she should.
BIZ 4 cz,s ne uR dreadfully; I've been
head oE the house and ali Joe had 10 d.
pend on - io1g-I can't get used 10 t. =
1t isonly till next year heprotesied.
. Then my apprenticeship Is finished,
and you might take ne f9r better and for
xorse-
There wss minutes Tause. and then
she spoke slowly, brt 9Th an air q con
vic;ion. ] couldn't; NY clothes world
wear oct; my temper would be soGred I;
/ should not lie worth taking, ] am not ii
foranyfhing bEli homework father never
thoa.ai ifHsatieFed for g;ris- spz mus;
begin my life Ana it viii be hard al first.
Bat ! have Just got 80 Gar zith my studies
IN an, wsni to ga further; 50 | shall
&c; a house maids place. and can save
erer a hundred dollars by the time yen
are
She never finished her sentence, for be
broke in: You a servant, Lisbeih Nor
ton, Yen viii no. degrade yourself so >
Il Do rot think II de-rades ne, trying
to earI .. loEess ligips, aHl E,eFa than
If we're dressmaker OF music teacher
she answered. with spirit
His face paled with passion, his dark
eyes giored- II you soto service aave
done with yOu,r he said, finally
Ycu have, James Downing said Lis
beth. in cool. calm. tones; and there is
the door-good evening"
HIS manner changed, On, L5sbeth be
persuaded he said, impioringly. with a
so1nd ss Qs .ezz il his voice B1t she
shook her head and did not speak. a. he
picked Up MS esp and faaabIei FOR the
latch, evidently blind with grief and an
ger. Neither Of them remembered after
years just hox they parted, bat the sad
break never healed, and during the weeks
that she renaindei at the old homestead
Iisbeth did not again s1rei her old lSse1-
Miss Arabelia Downing ~as strong in her
dean7eiasioa Of the ycung girls protest
: To think our jim had IN idea OF marry
ing her once she said IN = noment Of
confidence, common servant It's q
shane Eo- her She might have taken IN
sexing or trimmed hats. or had straw
berry bed-thatis fashionable nox-any-
thing but that Well. shes lost caste any
way. and Jim vii likely marry Amelia
Blakely, who has little money. ihongh
she isn't as pretty as Lisoeth Morton Be;
then beaaiss aHlF skia deep, anFxsyF
which must have been q consolation to
her If he. glass gas faithful And 50 in
this small villzge. where every farmers
wife xas -nurss. svzasstrsS. house maid,
cook all In one, ous little f5rlosn girl
was an outcast from society because she
chose 10 do whatever her hands found to
DO we'll Aunt Rachel, Ia IL Of spas
mcdic generosity, made her twelve lar2s
aprons OF the eoarsest foweling, suitable
for scaisery maid in the po;-rzshing
moments and Lisbeth thanked her for
them with good grace But al. these petty
= - - I 4