Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1891-02-21
MI. lIeeSOl' 5 VIII.
BY 4. RIDER HAGGARD.
CHAPTER III.
AUGUSTUS LITTLE sIsTrp


"hen Augusta left Nelson's
- = very SAD condition of mind, to exnloin
milcn IL VIII be necessary to saw 49, 80,
Iadv,s nr oD2ut mat accomplished yonnc,
49,, previous history Her father 0I Ing
men n 1,t sy nlan, and, like most CLERGY.
tbin,rs - 1oserourqened with the GOOD
or, ro+l ms %oTLd When MI. Smit6ers
rather, the Rev James Sp,i+heltS
had died he left behind him . Iriii1iiers-,
Two chlldren-Augusta arod ~ ana
oe i; aged 2. There had hoo, anu anu
otnGrs, both boys, who had come ~, w. ~
Torld between Augusta and Iaor,1 ~ , Ile
Tney had both preceded their fathar r. az 4tI
t,tiiu Oh shadows Mrs Smithers ~ 10
0' Cuii@VeIy Tor herself, life Interest ~
sum OF 1lCOO which, being well ~
vested brought her in G350 yaa, .' IN IA
~ ofaer to turn this little income - ~ ~
oesI possible account and giva bo. ~. 'no
glfls the best educational onnortI,,,i t'o
possible under the circumstances sLn 'i os'
heT husbands death, moved from mn + IL
NilIage where he had for MANY vears ho olle
IIdUe INTO the city of Birminoban
t1eIe sue hVed IN absolute retirement for
S aolle seven years and then suddenly d,ad
Lil9 the two girls, then respectiveIy
80 anu years of age, to mourn her loss
- :; ~ 1893 as uhey We're, to fight their
way IN the hard world, ~ '4ieAi
MIS- 0mithers had been a savino
IN IoiI"n' ana on her death it was fonnd
$50, 49,, 9l'er paying all debts, there re-
TI-n d sum OF ZOO for the two girls to
1,,ot1 on' ana nothing else. for their
AIoI1ef fortune died with her Now II
VIII be obvious that the Interest o,iS;,, -
from 1000 is not sufficient to s,innor+ -, is
young people, and therefore AuGusta was
forced TO 1--we upon the principal From
an early age, however, she (Augrstal had
SHOWN strong literary tendency. and
Snn0'tiy after her mothers death she nub.
I9neu hef 1rst book at her own expense
- was a dead failure, and cost her e59
Une Oalahce between the profit and loss
account After awhile, however. she rn-
covered from this blow and wrote "Je-
mlnas Vow, which was taken m he
Neeson S, and, strange as it may seem
proved the success of the year. OF tho
nature OF the agreement into which she
entered with Nelson's the reader is al.
ready acquainted, and he will not there
lore be surprised to learn that under its
cruel provisions Augusta. notwithstand
ing her name and fame, was absolutely
prohlolted from reaping the fruits of her
success She could only publish with
NleeSoh s and at the fixed pay of per
9ent. on the advertised price of her work
Now, something over three wears had
elapsed since the death of Mrs Smithe
and it will therefore be obvious that there
was not much remaining OF the GuUG
which she had left behind her The two
girls had indeed lived economicalIv
enough in a couple of small rooms in a
back street, but their expenses had been
enormously increased by the serious iii
ness from pulmonary complaint of the
little girl JEANNE, now child bet Ween II
and Is years of age On that very morn
ing Augusta had seen the doctor and
been crushed into the dust by the expires
sion of his conviction that. unless her
little sister was moved to a warmer eli
mate for period of at least a year, she
would not live through the winter, and
might die at any moment.
Take JEANNE to Il warmer climate! He
might as well have told Augusta to
take her TO the moon. Alas she had not
the money, and did not know where to
turn to get it Oh! reader, pray to Heaven
that it may never be your lot to see your
best beloved die for the want of a few
hundred pounds wherewith to save her
life
1t was in this terrible emergency thai
she had-driven thereto by her agony Of
mind-tried to get something beyond her
strict and legal due out of Meeson s
MeeSon S that had made hundreds and
hundreds out of her book and paid her
fifty pounds. We know how she Jared Ill
that attempt On leaving their office
Augusta bethought her of her banker
Perhaps he might be willing to advance
something 1t was horrible task. but she
determined to undertake it, so she walked
to the bank and asked to see the manager
He was out. but would be in at 3 o'clock
She went to Il shop near and got a bun
and glass of milk and waited till she was
ashamed to wait any longer, and then she
walked about the streets till O'Clock At
the stroke of the hour she returned, and
was shown into the managers private
room, where a dry, unsympathetic looking
little man was sitting before a big book
1t was not the same man whom Augusta
had met before. and her heart sunk pro.
p0rtiOnately
What followed need not be repeated
here The manager listened to her falter
ing tale with a few stereotyped expires
sions Of sympathy, and, when she had
done, regretted" that speculative loans
were contrary to the custom of the bank,
and politely bowed her out.
1t was nearly o'clock upon damp,
drilling afternoon, a November after
noon that hung like Il living misery over
the black slush of the Birmingham streets.
and would in itself have sufticed to bring
the ightest hearted, happiest mortal to
the very gates of despair, when Augusta,
wet, wearied and almost crying, at last
entered the door of their little sitting
room She entered very quietly for the
maid of all work had met her in the pas
IL -, -
asleep. She had been coughing very
much about dinner time, but now she
was asleep
There was a fire in the CRATE. small
one for the coal was economical by means
nj two large fire bricks, and on a table
(Aupustas writing tablet placed at the
further side OF the room was parailne
Io1nn turned low Drawn up in front,
but a little to one side of the fire, was a.
sofa covered with red rep. and on the SOFA
Lava fair haired little form, so thin and
frao,ile that it looked like the ghost or
outline of girl rather than girl her
saIf If was JEANNE, her sick sister, and
80 was asleep Augusta stole softly up
70 look at her 1t was a sweet little race
that her eyes fell on. although 1t was SO
sbockingly thin. with long curved Iasnes'
delicate nostrils, and mouth shaped IKE
n how All the lines ana groves WHICH
tbe cbisel of Pain knows so well how TO
carve were smoothed out OF it now ana
in their place lay the shadow OF a snlile-
Augusta looked at her and clinched her
fst While a lump rose in her throat a l.1
her gray eyes filled with tears. how SS eoul QUO
She get the money to save herr me Se'ti
before a rich man, a'man VINO was oe'ee1
able to her, had wanted to marry ner; anu
1otlinu say 10 nlIl
9 81 "a rrone abroad. else she would have
ne uau -, ond married him-at d