The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1893-12-29

! things might go Wen Will Ilel YET
Well. | must go | suppose, Sle
said to herself one morning. She was
greatly depressed. A fresh bill had
just been sent in. popsy had appeared
with great rent in her frock. ana
had to be patched and darned before
| it was possible to take her out for Il
walk Popsy bore this misfortune
with the greatest equanimlty But II
went to her mothers heart to see the
child shabby The Codlington Chroni-
Gle lay on the table. folded down So rs
to show an advertisement beginning,
"A widow lady. of good education, de-
sires to find daily pupils. etc Bell
pushed it away impatiently IN
afraid Barney was right. and that 1t
isn't Il bit of use my trying to earn any
money" She said. dismally
4 knock came at the door Of her sit
/ ting room, and. on her saying Come
in" Mr. Mills appeared in the door
way. holding Il letter in his hand. Mt
Mills was Il thin saturnlne-vlsageu
man. with a blue-black stubble of beard
on his shaved jaws. He was painting
and wiping his forehead with Il blue
checked handkerchief as he presented
the letter to Mrs. Jack with the other
hand He had taken the precaution OF
wrapping it in bit of thin paper that
il might not be soiled by his inky tim
ger and thumb.
Il letter for me. Mr.. Mills:
Yes. madam | took the liberty Of
carrying it up myself without loss Of
! time, thinking that it might be of con-
sequence 1t was directed care of the
office madam.
"Oh. how very kind of YOU Mr.. Mills
| am afraid you have put yourself into
IL great heat by coming so quickly.
I Thank you very. very much.
Not at all. madam. | hope you will
excuse the liberty"
And Mr.. Mills modestly withdrew.
carrying with him the recollection Of
a smile and 4 blush. which danced
through the dingy printin. office al
the rest Of the day. like Il will-o the
wsp. And he began mentally to COM
pose Il poem-in fancy he saw it III
ready printed in the poets corner OF
the Codlington Chronicle. and entitled
| ..StanzaS tn a',-Which however
was not destined to proceed further III
Il concrete form than the line. Oh,
/ lllybell. Sweet lillybell.
Meanwhile Mrs. Jack tore open the
letter It was addressed to J. L.. Office
of the codlington Chronicle and con-
tanned il request that the lady, whose
advertisement. numbered thirty-seyen.
had appeared in last week $ Chronicle.
would be kind enough to call the fol
lowing day on Mrs. Boddington. Beech
Grove Codlington.
Bell rushed breathlesSly down stairs
| with the letter in her hand to show it
to Barney Brt Barney WAS out,
a., she might have known would be
the case if She had taken time to think
for moment Falling Barney. Bsll
ran into the kitchen to tell Mrs. Petite
rick her EnWs Somebody she must
| contide in.
Mrs Petherick was duly Interested
end paused in the act of rolling out the
taste for Il budding TO listen to the
letter. Lard! Mrs. Jack" She said.
heartily, I'm as pleased as Punch to
see you pleased. but | cant abear to
think of you toiling and moiling and
trapsing out wet or dry to give les
sons
Mrs Jack was too pleased and eNcit-
ed to discuss the point. But who is
Mrs Roddington, Mrs Petherick?" she
added, eagerly Mrs petherick did rot
know: but she knew that Beech Grove
was Il pretty house. with Il garden,
standing about half il mile from the
town. on the London Road. Perhaps
this lady is Il newcomer. said Mrs
Jack. All the better. l would rather
be employed by a stranger to Coaling-
ton. | wonder how many children She
has. hope she's nice. lis nice let
ter, don't you think so, Mrs Pethcr-
ick:'
Mrs. Petherick gravely gave her opin-
ion that 1T was VERY nice letter in
deed" And then Bell ran up stairs
again, and seizing Popsy had just
come in from her mornings Walk-by
both hands, performed wild dance Of
delight, jumping round and round with
her rather stolid and very fat partner
Popsy's mode of joining in the dance
was to swing herself up by her moth
er's supporting hands. with both feet
off the ground at once, and to come
flat down Oh the sluare-toed little feet
again. with bang
Mother and child were in the midst
of this performance. when they We're
reught to sudden standstill by the
sound Of a well known voice.
i did knock. Bell said the voice.
Dnt l suppose you did not hear ne
| wonder you did not hear the carriage
drive up
! Bell faced 70 nd. flushed. painting and
!, dishevelled. and confroIted her mother
in-laW and Rebecca
Mrs Lilly face evinccd no kind OF
emotion. Rebecca looked at her with
slightly raised eyebrows Rebecca was
Tot i'll naturcd a. bottom She never
said the spteful things which Emma
was apt to launch at her sister-in- law
But Rebecca had 4 way Of assuming
i tolerant kind Of superiority which
Bell sometimes resented with Quick.
impulsiye Indignation Bells anger was