Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va) 1886-1890, 1889-11-17
THOSE DREADFUL GIRLS.

The park surrounding Charlton
manor house was lookirs its best one
lovely morning in CO as Hope
Charlton took her way down the ave-
nue. of beeches, and watched the rab-
bits as they scudded merrily amongst
the dried fern stalks and the long
grass, and saw the squirrels racing up
and down the tall stems of the frs in
the background. She felt she was
bound on a strange Grand; she was
not used to tbs .pang which seized her
when she caRe iEE Sight of the gray
pile of home" for she might call it
by that name no longer.
Her father had suffered like many
of his friends during years of agricul;,
tural depression, but had bravely faced
his troubles and having let his house
TO some Americans who were anxious
- spend winter in a good sporting
district, had betaken himself to ia
maica to see if anything could be done
with an estate he possessed there;
while his wife and children took up
their abode for the time in the Dover
hoose, an old red brick building,
whose garden walls joined the park
on the side where the village street
came up to the lodge gates. Hope
and her mother, who was an inyalid,
had been with Mr.. Charlton to Mead
hampton, and Hope had seen the last
of the steamer which had conveyed
lin away, and was now bent on car
rying out his final instructions, and
seeing that the housekeeper made
everything look its best for the recep-
ton of Mrs. Caleb Gerrans and her
daughters Pauline and Clarissa. She
made a pretty picture in the autumn
sunshine as she walked briskly on,
her gray cap and ulster suiting well
her slim figure and her blue eyes and
bright hair.
The next morning was one of those
hopelessly wet days which make one
feel as if the world could never be dry
again, and Hope was hearing her little
sisters lessons, when she was inter
rupted by ring at the door bell and
the almost immediate entrance OF two
tall girls, who each seized one OF her
hands, and exclaimed, in rapid duet:
"Well, now, you are real good we
are ever so much obliged to you. Did
you PICK all those nosegays, and fix
up or bedrooms2 They are just
1ovelyi It is wet enough to drown a
beaver, but we put on thick shoes and
wrappers, and came right along.
Hope felt somewhat bewildered with
the highly pitched voices and the
twang, as well as by the extreme
beauty of her visitors; but when they
were seated in the faded arm chairs by
the library fire, and she had time to
disentangle Pauline from Clarissa, she
enjoyed the long chat which ensued.
The entrance of her mother caused 8
diversion, and when the frail looking
lady took her place on the sofa Clarlssa
exclaimed:
'.Oh, myl are you sick, ma'ama am
real sorry" !,
Mother is not strong,n exclaimed
Hope; and the young ladies did not
stay long, fearing they should weary
her. :.
my dear. what dreadful girls Z,
SAID mrs. Charlton, Setting herseII
among her cushions, as the door closed
on the visitors.
Hope laughed. ssThey were very
kind, mother, and they like the dear
old house, and never said one word OF
pity to us for having to leave it. !
feared they would. They find it diff,
cult toget Mrs. Potter 10 understand
what they would like in some things,
and I am going up this afternoon to
talk to her. They really live In q
place they say is out west, but are
come just now from New York, and
their brother will join them soon, they
hope"
Their ghrotherl'' said Mrs. ghari-
arM lt Mr.. Gerratss mas the