Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1890-06-04
A LUCKY COIN.

'BondsI' said Mrs. Barr, eXplosively.
She had come into the sitting-room
round-eyed and evidently excited, had
Junk down on the lounge opposite her
daughter, who sat by the window max
ing saucy Tam O'Shanter to match
her new fall suit. and delivered herself
of this one word.
.Bondsl' she said again, still mere
emphatically. you IN ght have knock
ell me down with feather when l
drst caught sight of 'em. Adap
What ever are you talking about?'
inquired Ada, after silence spent In
carefully setting her cap far back on
her pretty, curl-papered head, - judge
how II fitted.
I'm talking about your poor fathers S
cousin Mary ValdOr's bonds returned
the matron, with much dignity. y GU
know we both supposed she hadn't
hardly anything when she CAM here
at the time he died, and then wasn't
well enough to 60 back, and had 10
stay Oh here
Ada nodded, with her mouth full of
pins, and went on arranging the puffy
folds of her cap. Her mothers gossip
ing excitements were too frequent TO
attract much notice from her. nor was
her second cousin Mary "A person in
whom she took any special interest
Mary ValdOr was only a poverty
stricken old maid, faded and broken
down with long years of work and
trouble, and why should Miss Ada, alb
sOrbed in her clothes, and her small
social triumphs, care for such very
insignificant person.
There had been a time, indeed, when
her mother was exceedingly proud of
the relationship, and lost no opportu-
nifty to inform her acquaintance that
ti1e beatit fui Miss Faldof, the Southern
heiress who was so often mentioned in
society news from Saratoga and Wash
ington, was her husbands cousin, and
that she herself had spent a delightful
winter at the great Valdor house, deep
III the pine woods of Georgia
But Mrs. Barr was one of the many
people who find 1t easy to change with
changed times; and the Eospitable VAL
dor house had long ago been left a
smoking ruin in Sherman's track, and
its wlnsom young mistress had lost
fortune and father and lover, and been
obliged to eaIn her own scanty bread
for many year.
So Mrs. Barr had hitherto believed.
at least, but her discovery this morning
sheI new light on the situation
i went into her room just now,' she
was going volubly on, and found
she'd been looking for something IN heI
trunk. and turned pretty near every
thing out. Ever since she gave you
that lovely old lace, I've been longing
10 have a look through ber things, to
see if she hadn't kept more of her
finery; for such clothes as she used to
wear you never did see, and nobody
could have a better right to what she's
got left than YOU; for, of course, she'll
never use them. But she always was
awrully particular in her ways, was
Mary-I used to think she Was born
old maid, for all the beauX she had
when | knew her-and l Eeyer had a
chance till to-day. 1t seems she'd got
tired stopping and her heart troubled
her so she'd had to lie down; and 81
when 1 offered to put things 10 rights
for her she couldn't well refuse. And
what do you think | found, Ada BARR
She made would-be Impressive
Pause. Ada stuck a fancy PIN through
a cluster of loops, and critically regard
ed the effect.
I'm sure can't guess, she at length
deigned to reply.
'Bondsr triumphantIy returned her
mother-'a great, biz, brown-paper
package, stuffed so full OF bonds that
It had burst in one place, so l could
see what they were. / didn't dare take
any of them out to look at closer, for
Mary's eyes were r ght ON me; but,
thank goodness I've found her out, and
she doesn't know it. There must be a
hundred OF more of them, at the least ,
Ada's busy hands fell helpleSsly Oh
her lap. She sat astounded.
But then,' she said slowly, IF that's
so, cousin Mary must he rich And
why she should wear such plain clothes 5,
and come here and act as if she were
so awfully poor, L can't understand
But | can!' returned Mrs. Barr.
Haven't you read plenty of stories
where miserly rich people went to see
their relatives and pretended to be poor.
SO they could find out who really liked
them, and then left all their money to
the ones that were kind tn them
when they thought they'd never get
paid for il? Mary always WAS romantic
and sharp witted, both together, and 1t
would be just like her to play us such
trick. And here I've put her in that
little back room up stairs, and grumbled
about taking up Eer meals TO her,
when sha couldn't come down to them,
and you've gone Oh practicing right
under her head, though you knew IT
ached, and hardly paid her decent at
teritiun, when if we'd only known the
truth there wouldn't have been any
thing either of US would have thought
too much to do for her. And all the
While Jessie has been as sweet and
l.aa a No
what dreadful mistake she's led us
iutol'
The mean old thingI' sighed Ada,
with angry despair. OF course she's
cut US ont of her will, even if she's not
put i'll that sly cat OF a Jessie
No, that she hasn't done, reassuT-
rgly declared Mrs. Barr; for she told
me once she'd never made VIII, and
you know she doesn't know We know.
All we've g 1T to do is TO be careful
now, and make everything of her from
this on, and she'll think It's all disin-
terested, and won't lay up anything
against us, for she's real soft-hearted.
As for Jessie, if you'll just try, yCu can
make Mary like you better than her;
for she's no relation to her-only my
Own sister : s'ep-daughter-and your
Il great deal the prett est, and
DO hush, mai int r upted Ada. q
-ee Jessie at the door ,
Tie outer door of the sitting-room,
indeed, opened at that instant to ad-
III { Je sic Grant.
There are few women who seem al
ways to bring "A pleam of sunshine AMI
4 breath of fresh air with them wherever
they 60, anl Jessie was one of these.
She lacked Ada's wax doll pretIines +,
it was true; but her tall, 1.-the, vigorous
dguIe was charmingly defined by her