The Iola register., 1891-10-09


She had been my housemaid she left
to marry wretch who deserted her.
and left her to support herself and her
year old baby. She fell i'll, and l went
to see her two or three times, and when
she died, as there were no relations, /
brought the forlorn baby home till
something could be done with it. The
whole of it was, determined to keep
it altogether. That was why your
father was SO angry. And that child
is Mabel Verdi
Lionel whistled softly.
"And was that ALL
"That was all. We are an obstinate
family, Lionel. The more your father
objected to my bringing the child up,
the more resolved became"
"H'm! 1t was very good of you. The
girl must have been no end of trouble.
And so you have brought her up to be
your maid or companion!'
"She is my adopted niece" I said
rather stiffly, for his tone hurt me in
some way. Il shall leave her every
thing have"
He said no more. 1t seemed to me
that he too thought had lost caste by
what had done. was sorry, for 1
had taken strange liking to the boy.
Soon after lie took his leave, promis
ing to come on the following day and
bring his traps" No sooner was he
gone than Mabel came back dressed
for dinner.
"Aunty, do you know it is nearly %
and you are not dressed?"
Never mind, love-" said, gathering
up my knitting. Dinner can wait for
me for once. Mabel, the long family
disagreement is at an end. That was
my nephew Lionel"
"At an end?" Mabel cried. "Oh,
Aunt Dorothy, l am glad of that! Now,
perhaps, you will tell me what it was"
shook my head and laughed, for
that was point on which. though she
was very curious, Iwould never en-
tighten her.
isn't he handsome, Mabel? What
did you think of him."
II scarcely saw him." she answered
indifferently.
She laughed at me many times that
evening for my absence of mind, told
me that took salt to my apple tart at
dinner and never knew it, and that l
smiled at my tea and at everything.
1t may have been true, for / could
think of nothing but the message of
reconciliation after so many years. l
wrote long letter to Julius, thatis my
brother, that very night.
The next afternoon Lionel came.
81 hope you're prepared to have me
on your hands for at least fortnight,
aunt" said he, as we sat together chat
ting. ain fact, shall very likely want
to stay for good-you look so homelike
and comfortable here"
"Armitage hall used always to be
homelike and comfortable enough" 1
remarked, and then, regretted the
words, for a cloud came over his face.
"Ah, yes, in my dear mothers time,"
he answered softly.
at is all this sort of thing that does it,
l think" he said, after a pause, pick
ing up my knitting from gypsy table
and letting.two of the needles slip cut
so that an endless number of stitches
sEere instantly lost. 81 hope 1 haven't
done any damage" and he stuck the
needles in again at random and laid
the work down. "All these dainty
womanly trifes"-And he raised some
pretty crewel work of Mabel's from
the work basket on which it lay. He
looked at it meditatively, then turned
his attention to the basket and its
other contents.
The little silver thimble he tried on
his little finger, which would not go
fairly into it, then looked up and
caught me smiling. -. -
Don't laugh at me, Aunt Dorothy.
Somehow the sight of these brings back
many things. "This, for instance" he
! said, still looking at the tiny thimble,
, "is just the size of my mother's"-
He broke off, for Mabel came in just
then. l introduced them at once
Mabel blushing as though it were she
1 who had been caught inspecting some
one else's property, Lionel gravely
, courteous and perfectly at his ease.
f Ire ceived a kind letter from Julius
| very soon after, in which he told me
how glad he was for his son to be with
" me, and plainly minated that he would
l be pleased if persuaded him to stay
as long as he would for he, Julius, hat
O no intention of coming up to town a
all this winter, and he was afraid tht
= boy would be bored to death if com
PEELED to remain throughout Decembel
at the hall. -
And so the fortnight heightened in
. to month, and Lionel was still will
9 us. He escorted us to theaters, con
: eerts and the opera, and we had gaye
winter than usual.
o. At first was half afraid he nigh
e fall in love with my pet. but l sool
came to the conclusion that such al
'" idea was altogether absurd. The tw,
conversed so Iittle-for Mabel was