Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1891-03-13

little miser!"
81 am not miser." retorted Bess
"But do like to help Aunty Nan
little, and to pay Cousin Thankful
Morse's ward at the Old Ladies'
Home"
'One can't support all the old peo-
pie in creation," Flora said. "Aunt
Nan isn't our real relation after all"
"But she brought us up and cared
for us when we were little, Flora"
'And she don't need half the things
you are always getting for her.
scornfully added Flora. "YOu spoil
everybody, Bess."
Cousin Thankful Morse had come
over from the Home, by the aid of
stout crutch, to see the girls start on
their sleighing expedition; she sat by
the fire, drinking a cup of tea and
munching toast.
ella meW cried she. "Bess not
going? And arter settin' such a deal
o. store by it'll Well, l declare. it's
too bad"
Bess sat quietly down to work at
the olive plush dress with its SHIN
mering draperies of rich olive satin
and velvet passementerie trimmings;
while Flora attfred herself in the red
merino, and adjusted a new hat
picturesquely trimmed with fur, that
she had borrowed from Madame En-
rico's head trimmer for the occasion.
"Bess has made up her mind not to
come," said she, in answer to young
Cotesworth's eager inquiry. "She had
a chance to do little extra sewing
for extra pay, and dear Bess is dread
fully fond of money for one SO young.
Quite a miscr, you know" And
Flora's laugh rang out sweet and
clear, above the jingle of the sleigh
bells.
II was long past midnight when the
gav party returned, but Bess still sat
sowing ut InacnIHo. IrsS0nov,
with q pale, set face, to Flora's exag-
gerated description of "the delightful
time they had had"
"Fd help you, Bess, if | wasn't so
awfully tired" said Flora, with a
yawn. "Arc you nearly through"
Bcss smiled. Did Flora dream, she
thought, how tired she was? And
there were yet four or five hours
work on the gown.
"Oh," casually added Flora, al for
got to tell you that stepped on the
skirt of the red merfno dress, getting
into the sleigh to come home, and
tore it into ribbons. But 1t was an
old thing, anyway. You couldn't
have got much more wear out of it.
And Charlie was SO nice"
oeWas he? Didn't he ask where l
was?"
Flora shook her head. Where was
the use, she thought, of encouraging
Bess to think too much of the hand
some young steam-fitter, whom she,
Flora, had fully determined to make
her own prey2
"I'm so tired of this everlasting
dress-making," said Flora to herself.
.'And Charles Cotesworth would be
husband for any girl to be proud of. y
Cousin Thankful Morse sat in her
little room at the Old Ladies' Home,
the next day, when the matron
brought the steamftter's foreman to
look at the fiawed radiator-pipes un-
der the window. She knew him at
once.
s'Why it's Mr.. Cotesworth, amt
it?' said she, peering over the rims of
her silver spectacles. "Well, | do de-
clarel Why, Bess Trefoil was just
here. She come to bring me new
fur tippet and muff; couldn't "a gone
to church next Sunday with the old
lynx set, so badly eaten with moths,
She set up all night to finish job for
the dressmaker; it was one too, that
Flora ought to hav' done, but she
somehow contrived to push it off on
to Bess Flora allays was a selfish
creetur'- Bess jest spent
the money for me and her
aunt Mani Bess is allays thinking of
other people. It's Bess as pays my
board here, Mr.. CoteswOrth," added
the loquacious old lady, as Charlie
bent to examine the joints of the steam
pipes. sI'd be on the townd eff it
wasn't for her. Flora wouldn't care
nothin' eff | was. She thinks old folks
bain't no business to exist. Poor
Bess! | was dreadful sorry for her
last night; she wanted to go on that
sleigh-ride awful bad! But she
knowed eff she lost the place at Mad
ame What t's-her-name's, there wouldn't
be no rent paid nor clothes bought for
Mrs. Trefoil!"
Charles Cotesworth strengthened
himself up.
"She really wanted to go, thenr'
said he. "Flora told me"
Cousin Thankful wagged her head
of stiff little gray curls.
"You can't put no dependence on
what Flora Trefoil says" declared
she. "She's allays a-tryin' to put