The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-22


accepted an appointment to Buenos Ayres.
where he had to stay for five years. When
he left England Sally was promising girl
of IA, and he was easy about her future,
for step by step she had won her way into
the household, first gaining the hearts of
the servants. then Aunt Mattie's, and then
by slower degrees Aunt Hannah's. Sally
as child, girl and woman was unch anged
in one thing-the little wild heather heart
had gone out to Kenneth when he fought
for her, and remained his always. Her
love had grown with her growth-educa-
ton and refinement were as sunshine and
dew to it, fostering and feeding. At first
it was arranged that she was to be
trained for service, but her wonderful
development altered their plans Then
she was to be apprenticed TO some first.
rate shop; and, lastly trained as teacher.
So she was seut to Kensington High school,
and spent her holidays at Bedford Lodge.
She was gardening one June morning soon
after kenneth's departure, and Aunt Han
nah watched the tall, 1.-THE figure moving
about among the dowers.
Who she exclaimed, would ever have
believed that the dirty child Kenneth
brought home that memorable evening
would ever look like that?'
flowers said Matte, gently. The very
sight of the girl seemed to bring gladness
into the hearts of the two old spinsters.
Aunt Hannah had softened wonderfully
under Sally's pretty influences, and, as for
Matte, Sally was enshrined in her heart
nextto her own dear Kenneth.
SISTER" said Hannah, abruptly, leaving
the window, "we ought to think seriously
about Sally. We love her dearly, but.
But what ?' asked Matte, anxiously.
But, of course, she comes out of the
gutter. Our first duty is TO Kenneth-we
must let him run no risk
He has no thought of that; besides, he
won't be back for five years !"
She must go to good boarding-school
and be trained as governess. She Is
pretty now; what will she be when she has
outgrown the awkward age?"
But, Hannah, don't let us lose her al
together"
Men always make fools of themselves
over beauty, and always swill." At this
moment Sally came to the open window
with two poisies in her hand. Her cheeks
were flushed with tender, rosy glow, her
eyes sparkled with happy life.
This is for you, she cried, pinning the
posy in Aunt Mattie's dress.
Flowers are for the young. dear; the
old never want them till the end comes"
Nevertheless, Matte tucked them in pref
tily and glanced at the mirror. Then Sally
made rush at Aunt Hannah, but was re-
pulsed with:
BE off with your tomfoolery, Sally. Put
your flowers in water and go and practice
But Sally coaxed till she gained her point,
and the servants stared to see Aunt Han
nah's uncompromising left shoulder daint-
lily adorned.
though tears stood in her loving, old eyes,
Sarah, my dear, she said (Saliy started
at the unusual "Sarah.'') you are IA now.
and we have determined to send you to
boarding-schooi."
What! leave you all?" cried Sally,
turning pale.
You viii spend part of your holidays
here, perhaps" said Aunt Hannah. "Re-
member, you have to earn your living. My
nephew can't always keep you in idle
ness" Sally's dark eyes flashed as she
answered.
He has done so much, you may trust
me to do the rest. They said at school
had ine voice. If 1 worked hard /
1sYou'd have to toll for years to earn
even your bread, but I'll see to it.
She did SO and speedily. The very next
day Aunt Hannah walked Sally off to a
professor to give his opinion of her sing
ing. Aunt Hannah sat upright, umbrella
in hand.
You viii understand, professor, my
opinion is there's been no real singing
since Malibran died, and I'd have half
your modern screeching women gagged.
This girl thinks she has voice, SO let her
sing to you and have done with it,
When Sally hadrfnished one verse of
ballad, Aunt Harnah calculated, Good
ness gracious, bless the girl"
said, 1.-The voice is real contraltO of great
beauty; but it needs training and years of
hard study"
at shall have both" said Aunt Hannah.
Five years afterward, when Kenneth re-
turned from Buenos Ayres, Sally was still
at school. Almost the first thing he said
was:
What have these years done for my lit
tie Sally?''
THAT style of talk won't do, said Ham
nah. ''When Sally scrubbed floors it
didn't matter; she is pretty young lady
now, and things are different"
There was nothing pretty about Sally
when | left but her eyes. l shall never
forget how frightfully sharp her elbows
were."
'She's the best and dearest and prettiest
girl in the world" said Matte.
II hope she is unchanged in some
things, said he.
If he could have looked into Sally's heart
he would have seen one thing unchanged.
1t still seemed as right and natural to her
to love Kenneth as to love God: both had
been SO good to her. Sometimes she re-
called the dark vision of Cow court, but
even that caught a glory from the thought
that there Kenneth first found her. There
was one black memory connected with
those days that nothing could brighten,
but that she kept hidden in the depths of
her heart
sThere'S letter from Sally cried Kan
meth, one day at breakfast; and then he
said: '.She has had an offer of marriage.
Her music master has proposed to her-of
course she has refused him."
''And why of course?'' asked Aunt
Hannah, sharply.
For the best of all reasons-she doesn't
love him"
"Fiddlestick! The mans honest. sup
pose, and can give her good home. She
sprang from the gutter, and can't expect to
..She had better go back to the gutter
than marry without love-" answered Ken
meth.
Sally wrote simply and straightfor-
wardly. The trouble of il was that there
had been SO much talk that Miss Addison
though she must leave at once, and had
lsubiect TO kenneth's approyaD obtained
for her the post of pupil teacher in a school
bit, in which Sally said she hoped she had
acted in way that Kenneth approved.
"She's brick ]" he said emphatically.
She must come here for week before
going to Streatham," said Matte.
CHAPTER vi.
Sally was to come at 5. Kenneth won
dered what she was like. He expected to