Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-10-03
BY Mrs. r. M. Howard.
Copyrighted, 1891
CHAPTER VTI-COSTTEUrD


"And so you met Mrs. Monteith in Phila-
delRaia," laughed Mrs. Stanford, sand she
doubtless thought she was showing me q
favor In crushing you"
Mrs. Stanford forgot that Mrs. Monteith
had but shown the same spirit she had her
self cherished.
Really, must contrive to let her hear
this delightfully."- romantic story Of yours"
Mrs. Stanford looked at it in mercenary
and social light only, while Isabers heart
was full of the sweet, strange joy of having
found out the long-sought knowledge of
her parentage, and she changed the subject
by telling her sister -in-law her plan in re
gard to Lottie Ford. The lady was in a
facetious humor, and cried, gayly: 81 shall
expect to hear next that you and Harvey
have started an orphan asylum, or at the
least an invalid's retreat" and she laughed
heartily at the brIlliancy Of her idea. ''But
really, joking aside" she added, more seri-
ously, 't will be nice for Oracle if the girl
IS intelligent and refined, and Of course you
would not think of the thing otherwise"
s'My dear sister, if you could only recover
from the idea that a person is necessarily
vulgar and i'll bred simply because she is
poor" said Isabel with a deprecaung
smile.
''Oh, mother, if you only knew how hard
It is for me to lie here and see you doing so
much for me-" The speaker was Lotte
Ford; she lay upon the lounge, in the one
room which answered for sitting-room, din
ing-room and parlOr, and watched the
patient mother as she polished the bosom of
a fine shirt she was ironing, for Mrs. Ford
was obliged to do a great deal of fine laun-
dry work now that LOttie was sick and the
expenses heavier.
She was small, spare woman, with Lot
ties gentle spirit reflected in her thin face;
it had been pretty once, in the days long,
long ago, when Mr. Ford, then thrifty me-
chanic, brought her to a coy nest called
home, and for many years they were so
happy, and the wolf-poverty-kepta re-
spectful distance from their door.
Then trouble came IN the form Of sick
ness and death, and two lovely children
were laid in the grave, and LOttIe had the
fall which resulted IN her lameness, and the
little mother was glad to turn her faculty
for fine ironing to advantage in helping
along, for Mr.. Ford, though the kindest and
most willing of men, was no longer young |
and strong.
'Dont fret, Lottie,' she said, as she fitted |
the bosOm-board into another shirt 'Let |
US be thankful that [ can get the work to |
do; If could only see you getting better l |
could work with a light heart" And she |
sighed as she went into the little kitchen /
for fresh iron.
"How l wish l might hear from Isabel,''
said Lottie, as the mother returned. 81
have thought of her so much Of late"
''Yes," replied Mrs. Ford, ''that basket of
fruit and flowers she sent you cheered and
helped you better than a half-dozen doctors
visits"
DOUBTLESS she has too many interests in
her new life to think of poor Lottie very
often, though" sighed the daughter.
At that very moment Mrs. Stanford's own
elegant carriage was at the front of the
shabby tenement house, and Isabel, her face
aglOw with the delight of meeting her
friend again, ran up the stairs, and, as the
door was ajar, she stepped in without knock
ing, and before Lottie could quite compre-
hend who or what it was, she had her arms
around the poor, pale little figure, crying
joyfully: ''Lottie, you darling, precious lit
tie Lottie, have come to take you home
4yith mer'