The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1890-02-08

"Mrs. Van Roosevelt WINS here again
to-day"
1.-The girl busying herself around
the little kitchen paused at the words.
About the screen, uuntiep" she
asked wistfully.
About the screen. my love-"
s'And she offered?"
--Seventy-hve dollars this time"
"And." rather hopelessly. 'you
u
II refused IT, DEAR very promptly
and proudly.
phyllis pressed her red lips very
tightly together.
How she wished her aunt would sell
the article in question: They were so
very poor. Her salary as teacher In
the village school barely paid for
their necessaries, and she did SO long
TO be able 10 spend "a few dollars fool
ishly sometimes.
She was "a pretty girl--an extraordi-
narily pretty girl. Her slender but
well-rounded form was mostly alertly
and charmingly broad graceful. and
the face, with its smooth. brow. its
sunbright hair, its short. arch feat
ures. its delicate coioring. aud dreamy,
violet eyes. deserved better gowning
to emphasize its exquisi,eness than
the faded and mendcd old blue cash
mere which she wore
"But, Auntic. all your other old
heirlooms went long ago TO buy bread
and butter for us both went In the
timc before / was old enough TO earn
the little ! do. Why do you prize
this so much more highly than the
restPn
The small. withered old lady. dress
ed in black alpaca, with a net hand
kerchief crossed over her bosom, ceas-
ed her slow rocking and looked up
into the questioning young face.
I'm keeping II to give you for
wedding present"
THAT Is very kind OF you. auntie.
but indeed / would rather have you sell
IL and enjoy some comfort now
Mrs. Merritts little brown, bird-lilxe
eyes twinkled shrewdly.
81 would II | were offered enough tor
it.n
But" cried Phyllis, stopping ia the
net OF filling the tea-kottIe, ''$75,
auntic'
'Soventy-hvc dollars can't touch itr'
declared the old lady with asperlty.
Phyllis sighed.
Ii was quite useless TO argue with
her aunt when she got an idea In her
head
AS the girl washed up the supper
dishes and tidied up the tiny room,
IA t..h Il I'M. lii
en- aud which with two other apart-
ments formed their whole establish
mont she recalled many OF the odd
stories she had heard about her aunt.
A peculiar character every one
seemed 10 consider her demcnted.
many intimated. Certain il was that
one episode related OF her seemed 10
justify suspicion OF her sanity.
Very wealthy In her own right was
shu when she had married handsome
ndvcntnrer named Oswald Merritt. She
had converted all her property into
money. invested the money into bonds,
aud then made bonfire OF the bonds!
Her jewels disappeared. no one knew
where. She said she wished TO test
tie sincerity OF her husbands love.
and believed husband should solely
support his wife
hut test so severe Oswald Merritt
could not and did not stand. lnfurialed
ut his brides decd and doctrine he
told her lac had only married her for
hcr money. and took himscl; OF.
For years. worthless. abusive. dis
sip ted, he hung around the neighbour
hood. seeking no reconciliation with
his wife. but ever 20 her proving a
persistent and malicious menace.
To her immense relief she learned
one day that he had fallen out OF "A
ihird-story window ana broken his
neck.
His widow devoted herself 10 the
care OF her brothers orphan child,
Phyllis CLYDE. till the latter was OF an
nge 10 work. had supported them both
by nursing. doing plain sowing. ard
occasionally sclling bit OF her an
tique furniture and old. family silver.
Now the only relic left was the fire
SER en-. with which Mrs. Merit SO
stnbbosnly refused 10 part
That night. when she Ind given her
nunt her regular cup OF cocoa and tuck
oil her snugly away In bed, PHYLLIS
went into the wee box OF a pnrlor and
stood before the screen In question.
North more than $75 indeed" she
mnrmured dIsgustedly. That clum-
~. ugly. uselcs old thingl But then II
Il lust the articles which arc ugly.
clumsy. and useless that rich people
seem 10 run crazy after nowadays"
Il was oval In shape. bound In dull
silver. and swung In a slender frame
o! black mahogany. The back n