Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1890-12-18
1T was good to confess. wasn't it sis


ditedgs tell when they Lreak things?"
Yes, dltcags. Youll remember that,
dear, won't your
Yes, III remember We don't see Miss
Deborah anywhere. do we:"
NO; but she's at home. We can see
the smoke from her chimney. How would
you like to go and cali on her Harold?"
The word go" was always an attractive
one to my little brother. He started up at
once.
Miss Flanders was a .all. gannt woman
about sixty years of age. She lived alone
IN little red house, in sort of hollow. so
shut in from the rest of the world that one
had to climb the friendly rocks to get a
glimpse of her dooryard. Her only r,la-
tive, nephew, had been sailor for years
and tie various curioslties which he had
brought her from time to time had always
seemed marvellously attractive to my eyes
Though Miss Flanders meyer .ns.3,. calls.
she iways expected them. Hitherto,
however, our visits had always been made
with mixed emotions. The African par
rot delighted us. the Persian cat We held
in high esteem; but the old latiys voice
was loud and rasping. and her first greet
ing mas "ss,nally reprimard fc,rr not com
ing oftencr.
Dear me she exclaimed. as she opened
| the door: what strangers | might he
dead and buried for all my neighbors know
OF me. What brought me To your minds
to day."
was at a less for reply, but Harold
came to the rescue
We saw your smoke"
| gave his hand warning pressure but
1t was not needed
She looked down into his innocent face
and her own relaxed.
saw my smoke. YOU little rascal. But
| how d you know 1t was my smoke pray?
II might a been Tom n.,s. or. Harrp's
smoke by this time. for aif you knew
\ ahont ii. She spoke the three names tn
/ gethcr. as II they had been one. II wa,
harold's turn To hesitate now: but hast
/ ened TO inform Miss Flanders OF mothers
departure and the anxiety yhich We had
ieit on her account This softentd her a,
| once.
Mother sick: Well. tha. d a pity.-a
druuI pity. Poor l!ttlc things, Come in.
come in 20
Five minutes aftcrward we were seated
/ in her small parlor, and close beside us
was the little stand which held some Of her
most precious treasures the brass cup
from Damascus; the qlccr scissors from
Constantlnople; the ivory elephant from
India; and. what Interested us quite as
much, the baskets aud boxes In nests. cue
httin. 30 closely within the other that each
one taken on revcals Il fresh surprise
llarol! vas especially delighted He
had never been allowed to touch these
things before; and even now he received |
many charges. both from Miss Flanders /
and myself.
bne set Of delicate boxes, the largest Of /
which looked very much like goo,i-sizcd |
spool Of thread hclu -. fully out OF his |
reach
But, sister" he begged.
NJ, no, Harold You'd certainly break
Il dun know what hoald do ii uat
got broke, put in Miss Flanders. Twas
The very last thing my George brought
home, an there's no KNOWN whether Ill
ever set eyes on his face again. poor fcl-
low. think everything of that
You mustn't touch 1t, Harry" said |.
decidedly, Let sister take out the boxes
fer YOU" Then whispered In his ear
Remember Mrs. Lincolus plate My
last words had the desired effect He
drew back At once. II don't want to peel
II. You peel it. sister" We laughed at
his funny way OF putting III and indeed,
each covering lifted its neighbor 80 close
~ that II Was not unlike an outer skin
There were sixteen in all and the last three
had 10 De taken of With a pin. 50 very
small and fragile were they. In spite OF
my sixteen years. was a. childlshly inter
snn sstfH in cn 'hr, {, asi ,nt Harold hiInself
Nfi i6tg 67aFfah aarlS%s S%s Harr, 80 table
OF making those tiny, tiny boxes How
very gently they must be handled.'
Yes. answered Harold, Then, as he
saw that was going to put them back.
Let me hand them to You, rery gcHNy,
wont yuu sister,
Not for the world. Don't touch them
on any account, Just think how Miss
Flanders would feel if anything happened
to them.
put the little fragile things together,
very deftly, as | thought. How marvellous
Is they fitted Harold watched me with in
terest. Miss Flanders had gone into the
kitchen at that moment 10 Ill her tea
Kettle
was counting, as | went along. Two,
three four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, Inn
all went smoothly took up the tenth
box Perhaps my previous success had
made me careless; perhaps the box resist
ed a little Al all events, as it went into
its place, il gave >piteful little snap, that
brought the hot blood up into my cheeks.
he had heard it. 80 sister is it
Hush" whispered, my face all ailame
Hardly knowing whatI was doing, | ar
ranged the rest of the boxes, and put the
inofitnsiNe looking ease back upon the
table
Miss Flanders came back ia moment;
and. oh, how grim and forbidding her face
looked 10 me then, in spite Of the smile /
which it wore Il can't tell her said to ,
myself, Il just can't" And very hastily |
We made our adieux.
"Well, I'll let you 90, If you must" she |
said kindly, ''but don't let me 90 clean out /
Of your minds again. You're welcome to |
look at the cur'osities any time, for | know /
you won't break EN-"
Harold gave me queer glance. which | |
ignored. | felt too miserable and coward |
IL 10 take his hand but, as mine hung
listlessly down, felt the comforting press
ure of his warm little fingers.
Sister" he asked in a whisper, did
you hear it cr-rack?"
Hear what crack | inquired Grossly
Then, despsng myself, | sat down upon
the stone wall, and covered my face.
Too bad it got broke, sister"
didn't answer.
"P-r-aps we'd better go back and tell
Miss Flanders it got broke
Still no reply.
'sIt's better to tell. Its dl,cays better to
tell, cause, you know. she might think
somebody else did it."
Still silence.
Coward girls don't tell" he went on.
in soft persuasive voice. Brave girls
tells. Don't cry, sister"
For had quite forgotten my sixteen
years. Indeed, we seemed to have chang
ed Dlaccs cOmDletely
| You dear, little forgiving brother" l
exclaimed, as l remembered my severity
| to him only an hour or so before But
how can go back and tell that woman?
| She'll scold dreadfuly, | know; and it
will break her heart, too, for she thinks so
much Of those boxes. How | wish Id
never seen them! Oh, don't know what
she will do when she finds it OUT"
'Of course you don't know" said Har-
old ''She didn't know herself. Don't you
remember she said she didn't?"
II can't tell her." exclaimed. II can't,
l can't, CAN'T"
The very words which Harold had used
to me an hour before; and he gave me
back my own answer, but spoken, oh, so
tenderly
MY sister wouldn't like to be coward
girl. l shouldn't think she'd like to be
that"
If it had only been somebody else, any
body but Miss Deborah Flanders
Harold had nothing to say.
Really. Harold" | faltered, feeling