, 1890-01-11

Ssaseu' Inc afternoon sun, weary OF
sulking, was coming out in splendid
state. In its radiance every drop on
every clover leaf was a glittering jewel,
and the pools in the street reflected bits
of the brilliant sky.
On and on wandered BERTHE, her scar
let skirt blowing backward, her yellow
hair tangling flossily as the breeze caught
and played with it. AS she passed 1.-THE
Oaks" she paused to put her small, in
quisitive face against the iron railing and
peer through.
What a grand, big house it was! And
how smooth and green was the large
lawn, all lovely with beds of blooml
And how sweet the flowers smelt after
the rain-the geraniums and carnations,
and sweetbrier and verbenas!
81 should so love to see the funny man
Sister Margery saw" she said to herself.
And then, just as If she had had a magi-
cal ring, her wish was gratiied. For
out on the main walk, not twelve feet
away, from a small side path came Mr..
Sterling.
He saw the little maiden outside the
railing-the bright eyed, curious face.
He liked children. He auntered towards
the gate.
Hello, little lassie what is your
name?'
"Kearney, sir"
"oh, you're n of the Kearney sisters,
are you? Which one?"
I'm not the clever one" she said.
He smiled.
"No?"
"No. Clotilde is the clever one"
"wellY"
"And I'm not the good one. Janet is
the good one"
"Indeedl"
YES" with a nod. "And I'm not the
pretty one either. Margery is the pretty
one"
"And your"
ooh, I'm the bad one. At least that
is the way Uncle Dick says we ought to
be dis-dis-distinguishedI"
She was ~breathless from her struggle
with the big word.
Then" he said, laughter lighting up
his quiet brown eyes-'then it was Mar
gerry 1 saw todayT'
Eyes, and 1 think" Indignantly, ''she
was all wrong. 1 don't think you're one
bit awkward"
"Eh?"
81 think you're downright nice. And
some day-not now, because the girls
said l mustn't, but some day, when we're
better acquainted, I'm going to ask you
to let me ride on your little white pony"
He bowed gravely.
Certainly"
cts 80 sweet!" growing friendly and
confidential. "Do you know that last
summer-keep still, Kitty Kearneyr' to
the pussy, which was writhingly at
tempting an escape-'last summer Mar
gerry, who is the grandest artist that ever
lived, l think, made a sketch of it
when it was out at pasture. Just wait
here and I'll run and get it. Come on,
Twigl'
Away she scampered, her little dog
after her. Smiling amusedly, the tall,
brown gentleman by the gate waited her
return.
In about fifteen minutes she was back
with a fiat book under her arm.
at is in there, and he is eating grassr'
He took the book rather difhdently,
but very curiously, too. 1t could not
matter. Sketches were made to be
looked at. And this was a sketch of his
own pet pony.
"By George!"
He almost dropped the book.
"Oh, please, please" cried BERTHE, il an
agony of remorse. II quite forgot your
picture was in there. What won't Mar
gerry say! Oh, never mind the pony's
picture now!'
She snatched the book, turned, ran
home as fast as her fat legs would carry
her, leaving Give Sterling crimsoning
and laughing as he never had crimsoned
and laughed before.
"Wel, I've seen myself for once as
others see me, thanks to the pretty onel'
He dropped his eye glasses and saun-
tered back to the house. For several
days he neither saw nor heard ANYTHING
of his n%eighbors. Then he CHANGED to
encounter BERTHE.
"Oh, please, l can't talk to you,' the
child said. THE girls say 1 am SO UNI
reliable. You know Margery caught
me when l was sneaking her sketch book
back, and made me tell her where 1 had
taken it to-"
"And them"
"Then,' confessed BERTHE, with a con-
trite gulp, "then she sat down and criedI'
81 say! Nor
"She did. There she is now! Oh,
Margery, Margeryr'
The girl had come Unexpectedly around
the corner. To avoid a meeting was i'm
possible. She was quite near her sister
and the master of '"The Oaks
"This is Mr.. Sterling, Margery. You
know you weren't reg-regularly intro
duced before. I've been telling him how
you cried about
A delicious blush of modification, re-
greet, pleading swept across Margery's
wild rose face. Frankly she held out
her hand, lifted her clear eyes.
Il am so sorry for having been so
rude! Viii you forgive me if you can?
And come owe and play tennis this
afternoon
THANK you. Yes" he said.
why, Margery," the others said to
her when he, after a rafting good game,
had returned home, ''he is just splen.
didg'
Good looking, tooI'
"And a gentleman
A three!' decided Margerv. prompt.
ly, as she sought the sketch of their
new neighbor and deliberately tore il un
She is Mrs. Give Sterling now.