The Springdale news., 1889-09-20

low -boarders. to be sure, replied Miss Patty, who, being the youngest of the three old maids, gave herself frivolous airs. but as for the dear little chicks in blue sashes, 1 wish l was boarding in a houseful. y
 This childishpess was leniently overlooked in Patty; what discretion could one expect at forty?
 Mr. Perine stepped into his shining drag at precisely nine o'clock. He was never a quarter of a minute out of the way, and women along the road set their cottage clocks by his appear ance. He drove the two miles to his city office in exactly seventeen minutes. as he had done for twenty five years. The ladies Perine betook themselves to their several feminine occupations, for they were industrious women, in a way, and quiet reigned in the hall and parlors. The few flies that had braved an entrance through the shaded windows felt lonely and subdued, and meekly promenaded the ceiling, with no thought Of buzzing.
 The sound ofwheels on the graveled drive about noon brought three heads instantly to the oriel window of the upper hail. and two woolly ones ap- peared at the side porch.
 s.Who in the world is coming to see us in a hack" exclaimed Miss Louisa, in disgust.
 And such a hackn
 Extraordinary" cried Miss Ger trude, "there is trunk, and the wretch is throwing it on my grass as if it were a dirt road, Here, you fel- low, there is some mistake; that trunk does not belong here, especially on the grass-here. listen"
 But the sloucby hack-driver had evidently gotten his fare, and paid no attention to the shrill, unintelligible voice.
 "Sarvent, mistis;n the old gray headed butler showed signs of excite ment about the whites of his eyes; "dar is a young pusson in de parlor. marm. 1 meks bole to spose she axes yo' eomp'ny. ,
 ''Is it q lady, James,"
 "Well now, mistis. she mought be a lady. by dc look of her, and den agen she moughtn't o
 .'Did she give her name?9
 'Lord love yer, mistis cried the old domestic, forgetting his deeorum, de DO thing cough so she ain t got pref to say nuttin; pear like she gwine faint away fo' she could get any word outen her mouf, and 1 tink 1 bcs come and let on bout her
 Before the words were fairly uttered, Miss Patty was at the parlor door. The poor young woman had indeed fainted; the stained handkerchief, the red line on her lips and her ghast)y pallor telling tie pitiful story. Seat ed on therug at her feet was a sturdy, three -year-oId boy, in short skirts and bare legs. He was fearlessly inyesti- gating the eyes and teeth of the leop- ards head, and evidently had no con seiousnes5 of any thing unusual in his companion $ condition. Perhaps, alas. it was a sight familiar to him. All was confusion and terror in the usually still house. These old maids had never been sick in all their welI-regulated lives, and, except for sort of woman ly instinct, had little conception of what ought to be done. 4 bed, spoonful of brandy. q cool spray in her face, a doctor-aud presently the sunk en dark eyes opened, but there was not strength for single word of explana- tion, and before sundewn another hem orrhage carried off the feeble life that had so suddenly and strangely come into the Burnside household that morn ing.
 The child was too young to tell any thing except that his name was "Wim. He prattled of too-too cars, bridges, of Mamma sick, of liter b ack doggie at ours home, of tandy in e tunli, and such objects of baby in- terest. Fortunately he did not pine long for his young mother, hidden forever from his sight in hasty, un- wept grave. Doubtless she had been too feeble to give the child much at tention, and he seemed quite able to bear the barden of his own existence, finding vivid amusement in every thing around him. There was not the faintest clew to the identity of the l dead woman. In her pocket was not even a purse, only q course unmarked handkerchief, The shabby little trunk was almost empty, except for few suits of neatly-made clothes for the boy and few carefully darned articles of female underclothing, not a letter, not book, not scrap of paper any where.
 "We will keep the child, brother" said Miss Perine, until you ask ad- vice of some experienced person as to where to place him.
 "Yes, assented Mir. Middleton Perine. laughing uncontrollably over Vim persistent efforts to sit on the