Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1892-12-09

| Jay AnEtnInE haDDCned r with 4
glance at the pnper. which had fiuttered
aubeeded IN The foor -'7l'I dl-r
"No. not much. onlv-well never
mind" NV
Two, three hours mast ,Jess;ca and
Minerva came in. two strong florjd oirls
with loud voices and blunt manners.
and Immediately demanded did y 4
Poor. mystiied Mrs Hunt sbook her
head.
III don't know. girls. but he said he
was. going in town. Business. | guess. -
rIIumph y calculated .Jessica. awhere's
Bessie Gone with him % .g
"No, She went for something; I've
forgot. But any rate she's round some
where
The Misses Hunt AZ changed oiances.
but dcigned no reply to the patient,
overworked mother, who was rather
afraid of these self-reliant daughters,
preferring in her heart gentle misun-
derstood Bessie before either.
It was several hours past the time for
| their early tea when John Hunt came
home. Abram Alvey was with him,
and bis lips were compressed in thin,
hard line.
John Hunt himself, during the short
time he had been absent seemed to have
grown years older He was pale, rest
less, and the hand that rested on tho
table shook as with palsy.
His wife came forward, seriously
alarmed.
"What happened, John ? Anything &?
BE you sick Just sit down and let me
get you a good, strong cup o tea right
Off It'll do you good" for in spite of
the clouds which sometimes obscured
their domestic horizon, Emily Hunt was
loyal and true to the man whom she had
in her earlier youth chosen for better.
for worse.
He made gesture of repugnance at
the suggestion of food or drink.
II can't eat anything, wife," he said
as threw his arms across the table in a
hopeless, detected fashion, and hid his
face upon them. "I-I-tcll her
Abram."
He has been specuatin'," went on
that individual, the rigid lines in his
face never softening, the tones of bis
voice hard and metallic as cold steel
'specuatin', tell you, and has ended
by running his family. That's ALL"
Mrs. Hunt sank helplessly into the
nearest chair aud stared, speech less, at
her brother. Jessica and Miverva chung
together on the sofa, an expression OF
ain ost ludicrous dismay on their faces.
"Well, | never !" exclaimed Minerva.
the first to break the heavy silence that
ensued Father, whatever possessed
your
Jessica suddenly burst into violent
ft of weeping. The bent figure beside
the table never moved.
"Father Look up"
Without glance in either direction,
tall, straight, with bright spot burn
ing in either cheek and brilliant gilt
ter in her eyes, Bessie suddenly crossed
tho room and knelt gently and sym
pathotically beside her fathers chair.
Father y Don't take il so to heart
Il cannot be 50 bad and" 10 n lower
voice, 81 will help you now"
Then John Hunt raised his head,
CLEAN of hope stealing into his dreary
eyes as ho placed his hands tenderly
among the red-brown trcsses clustering
above the high white brow.
"YOu, Bessie 2"
Eyes, father" she responded quietly
m 4
And 30 il proved The test of which
Abram Alvey had often boosted had at
last come.
But contrary to his expectations, Jes-
sica and Minerva, the "selfreliant
girls" did not come up to his standard.
They chung around, " as he expressed
il, bcmoaning their unlucky fate and
making tho place almost unbearable 10
the disheartenod man. He bore up as
long MS he could, and then succumbed
TO tho inevitable.
ID was then that Bessie, the "useless
one. !" came TO the fore. The "frittery
fancy work" that Abram Alvey had 80
scornfully condemned, proved its worth.
Rapidly the bright steel needle few
through gauze and silk, and for the
dainty creations turned out by the def
fingers, Bessie received snug com
petepce. Her time was almost taken
up. but somehow she managed to crowd
in n few music pupils. and 40 add n
trAe more TO their income.
And il was after giving n lesson one
day TINT she came in. and throwing
aside hor hat, laid hor flushed. bright
face on the pillow beside her fathers.