The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-15

! years were soon long struggle with her.
! don't know how she managed to learn anything
| during this course, unless she absorbed it at the
| pores. although she listened. to be sure, pretty
| intelligently IN her corner of the hearth when
Ralph read aloud evenings.
Its just as | said" declared Aunt Juliet,
| who, being the person of means in the connec-
| ton, took the liberty of saying what she liked
You've taken a little hussey that you don't
| know anything about into your hearts to break
| themw
Nina was still, at fifteen years. a little, lean,
brown thing with owls eyes, and as farouche
| and shy as anything of the woods, when Lance
| came home. Lance was Raphs brother, and
| had been away at the naval school and then
| sailed round the world, and had not been at our
| home in these six years We'll" he said.
what imp of darkness is this2" And she heard
him: and nothing could bring her into the same
room with him during the whole time OF his
stay. But by and by she hung over the ball
| ustrade to listen to his voice. or she hung over
the balcony to see him on the lawn-ah If he
were not looking-or she flashed like FREELY
| from window to window to watch him If
! he strolled around the riverpath and
behind the fringe of birch and beech with
| Flora Penny, pretty neighbor. II always
did hate white girl " sho muttered Il like
dark people" she said. like you and me. We
are alive !"
Once or swice during Lance's stay Nina went
into the kitchen, and with a strong hand COM
PEELED old Rose, the cook, to show her how to
prepare certain dishes, and then she watched
outside the door of the luncheon now to learn
of their reception, which was tolerably favora-
BILE. II always knew could do ii if wanted
observed bent over work in hidden corners till
she had finished little purse of steel beads.
"HereP she cried over the oannisters, the morn,
ing Lance going away. You take this!
There's lucky penny in it," He looked up and
saw her bending there-the strangest lady, SO
serious, and dark, aud witch like, that ever sent
knight on his devoir
Il will take it." he said. 'if you will come
down and give it to me-"
he drew forward and some unwilling
power held her back, and laid the little brown
leaf of hand in his. And then Lance drew her
little nearer, and bending from his lordly
height to kiss goodbye, turned and bent
and gravely kissed her. too.
In another instant she had broken away, and
had raced out into the orchard and hidden her
self in the long grass; and when she came in,
hours afterward, she announced that she
was was never going to wash the spot upon her
face that Lance had kissed
THAT girl is fool" said Aunt Juliet, who had
dropped In don't know whether the fact that
her foot caught in croquet wicket and threw
her down on her way to the gate afterwards had
anything to do with her remark or not.
Shortly after tins Nina sald, You < Know .p al
ly wanted to do it. / wanted to cook those
things; and you know what he said about them
a knot in the silk Now want to learn French
and music, and all that white thing Flora Denny
knows And you'll SCI" And she did.
Not all at once, of course, did We see the de-
sired proficiency; but she had q natural aptl-
tude for music and for art And presently
strange quietude seemed to have fallen on the
there was a slender dark young girl whose angles
were turning into curves on whose olive cheek
a ruddy tint was blossoming. whose lips were
bow-knot of scarlet, and whose eyes-there new
er were such eyes out of glpsy's head! The
swift righteousness of movement had become a
sort of flashing grace; indifference to dress had
changed to a wondrous taste for the picturesque;
and carelessness for the feelings OF others had
vanished before her old, intense tenderness for
one and all of US.
'.She has been going through the chrysalis
STAGE" said Ralph ''And what gorgeous but
tertiy she is going to be-.
at an said l. .All this has resulted from some
dream of Lance, and Lance will marry her
white enemy there of course. and she Will sad
den into little brown moth of some sort"
Nonsense" said Ralph. Lance only opened
her eyes. Every girl, every boy, has to have
half dozen chances before the real one comes IS
Yes. Lance will marry Flora and much JOY go
with them. But Nina shall do better"
Ralph was right. One day Flora came in
quietly with a letter in her hand. and told us in
her gentle-voced way of her engagement to
Lance; and if Nina had had dream the dream
was over. But l was not at all right myself:
Nina did not sadden to any extent for any length
of time and before could account Tor 1t our
selves she was brighter ard sweeter and even
gayer about the house than any household fairy
''You had better call me your Brownie, she
said. when began to perceive from how many
little tasks she saved me; how much she looked
out for Ralph's comfort how absorbed she was
in Fife how she beautified the house with her
pencil and her flowers, what bit OF vital hearth
fire she had become.
But while this peacefulness developing at
home there was trouble brooding abroad.
Raiph's business was in sad way, and creditors
were cruel and disaster was impending. And
one day it The great operation on which,
outside of his legal business, Ralph had been en-
gagged so long, fell with crash, and all our
hopes of the future and all our certainty OF the
present fell with it. Everything was to be gwen
up, and with all the rest our home, that had
been such a nest of happiness for all our mar
ried years.
OF course did what could to hold up my
poor Ralphs hands, and it was settled that we
were to go into lodgings and live In the smallest
way possible while ne was picking up some prac-
tce again, taking desk in an Office that was
open to him.
to have burdened yourselves with another
mouth to feed and back TO clothe"
nina is no burden" said l. ''she is a bless
ing. She is an angel we entertained IN
awares."
.'Oh, yes; she's all your fancy painted her;
she's lovely. she's divine: But shes got to liver
the means. And don't see how you're going
to do it without starving and stripping your
selves. Surely you can't afford to keep cook
now and Til take Rose of your hands. I've al
ways wanted her."
OF course, gave Rose the option OF going to
Aunt Juliet No | thank you nam SAID
mann, not if she had the only mansion there
was in heavenw
II alwa1s told you I was your little servant
maid" said Nina. .'And now l shall either go
out ts work some way. or stay and do your
work hers2 I can't do too much for you |
can't do too much for him! Do you know once
thought for just a little while, that Lance
the only man in the world! Lance isn't shadow
beside him! There isn't such n soul alive as
his, and you were made for him! Oh If only
were good for something now~
1--WE will all work together l said, thinking
it best to disregard her enthusiasm lest it be-
came historical. The laundress and the
ond girl have gone: and it's just we'll; for We
shouldn't have room for them in our new lodg-
ings"-and then it was l VINO was hysterical, for
I hal H0vvp x-i1C he oh or rpv
dear home being more just then than
could bear. The appraisers had been there
that day, going over everything. and it had all
seemed such intrusion and PROCLAMATION that
it had been too much for me- and wondered
when an apparently accidental bucketful of wa
ter dashed from an upper-story window as
rvar cci1ncr Giving them q thorough