The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-02-06

-'y DuC III LOOKS
SO poverty-strickcn to stay in town all
summer" pleaded Dot.
"Well," said Fan, bitterly, "wc arc
poverty-stricken.'
1t was Numerically true. We, Fnn,
Dot and myself, otherwise Agnes, nro
tho "Guthcridge girls" All our friends
call us SO, although it is many long
year since / crossed the boundary line
between girlhood and womanhool. NV
mother died when was but six years
old, leaving me q small fortune in the
hands CT an honest trustee, who more
than doubled its proportions before I
came OF age. When l was seventeen
years old, my father married the pref
test little bluc-eycd girl, only two
years older than her stcp-daughtcr, and
who evidently worshipcd her handsome,
elderly husband, in spite of tho dis
parity of years between them. A year
later, my twin-sistcrs were born, and
christencd Frances and Dora, speedily
converted to Fan and Dot. Ten long
years Of happiness followed, before nv
dear. loving little stcp-mother died Wo
were q most united family, and nv
fathers great wealth gave us every
luxury, SO that there was absolutely no
came amongst US. Two years later, my
father died, leaving . large property to
lbe divided amongst us, and appointing
James Trucman, his lifelong friend,
lour guardian
by the terms of his will, my sisters
were to be considered of age at eighteen,
and the property to be then divided. In
the meantime, | was to supcrintcnd
nf11, fn1- &c a.,
and be in all things Il second mother to
them.
just one week before their eighteenth
birthday, james Trucman disappeared.
carrying with him, it was presumed, all
our property as we'll as that Of some
dozen or so of other people whose mon
cy he held in trust.
Down we came from our life of luxu-
,rious case, with startling rnpidity, to
live upon my income, inherited from nv
mother, Il comfortable independence for
ono woman, but found to be rather in
adequate to meet all tho wants of two
girls brought UP u have every wish
granted
Aunt Maria was not my aunt, but
aunt to my little bluc-cycd step-mothcr.
She had Il farm in Pennsylvania, where
,drcn, and endured such martyrdom
from her scolding and fault-nnding
that the memory was a kind of horror
to us. Still, she had most kindly writ
ten every summer since to invite us to
visit her, and it was re ally our .'forlorn
hope" If we must escape the heat and
dust of the city.
Perhaps" said Dot, in forlorn
nri a
that we are grown up"
''Grown up!" said Fan, scornfully..
do you ever expect to grow up, Dot?"
For must record here that, although
they were twins, never were sisters
more unlike than Fan and Dot. Fan
was tall, slender and graceful, with
plcxion and rare beauty Of feature.
She was digniticd in manner, rather
cold to those with whom she was not
very intimate, and had wcll-stored
mind and many graceful accomplish
ments. Dot was petite, plump, blonde.
as pretty ms fairy, with fluffy golden
hair and blue eyes; impulsivc and atfcc-
tionate, scatter-braincd, and with only
such accomplishments as could be
learned specifically.
"We must go somewhere" she said;
r"and as Aggie has turned stingy, we
will go to Aunt Maria's."
So wc went. Aunt Maria sent Jake
with tho spring-wagon to meet us. and
Jake informed us:
"Bcen railway smash here. an Miss
lMaria's got one house full. tell yer
fourteen Of 'em. all hurtcd bad. Broken
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