The Press., 1893-12-07

sASW ee AAeSAe1AJ POApOA VI sOAPOA AAOAAS' would have taken, but one that seemed to amaze Rose Bud by it's immensity She stood with her eyes growing rounde with every word. Her long faxen brait fell over her shoulder. and she clasped he hands together nervously.
 s.Well, Miss Bud, are you satisfied: he asked at last.
 ''It seems like a dream said she Will you really give me all that for tn book?"
 ''You may make ten times more b, your next" said he.
 My next?" she answered. .sOh, ther cannot be any more! Never! never neverr and she sighed.
 '.Oh, yes," Gregory said. '.There vii be many. You are so extremely youns 50 maryelously young-to write lik that. You have just begun"
 eff could talk to you as I'd like to you would know it just as I do," sait she, and suddenly she sat down besid the little table on which the black baske of wax fruit stood and hid her face il her hands. Gregory rose and stood a the window.
 Looking out, the young mother wa in the hammock again rocking tn child. She had plucked some great vel low sunfowers, which she waved be fore its eyes to attract it's attention.
 A country beauty turned into q dowd, by the trials of motherhood. Somethin! of the vixen in her, too, he judged.
 He looked back into the room. .Ros had risen and now came toward him Her eyelids were slightly reddened D, weeping, but she looked more like tn
 little girlish Madonna than ever.
 'I must seem very silly to you,"' said she. But we were in such B corner, poor Lizzie and I, and to think that story should save us! couldn't tell you how feel"
 Gregory took both her hands in his and looked down into her eyes.
 "How strange" he thought, ''that the grand, gray bearded hero of my imagi- nation should be transformed into this little soul; that there under the faxen hair, smooth as a bit of satin, behind that low forehead with it's gold pencil Id eyebrows, lie all these wonderful thoughts and fancies. cannot realize it" The hands futtered in his. He be- came conscious that he was holding them too long.
 ''I shall ask you to sign the contract have brought, he said.
 "Yes," she answered. She went to a little bookcase in one of the recesses and looked into it.
 "There never is any ink in Lizzie's bottle," said she. ''I'll get mine." Then she ran up stairs and was soon back again. She brought bottle of blue ink md little pen in glass holder with blue stripes that ran about it like those on barber's pole.
 ''I got that in one of those 25 cent prize packages" said she. Don't you think 1t very pretty?"
 "And that wonderful book was all written with that?' he said, holding the cheap toy reverently.
 "With the handle, but used six pens,' said she solemnly. My fingers were all cramped sometimes" She sat down at the table. He took the contract from his pocket, read it to her and told her where to sign. There was no mis- taking the handwriting, the very same that had covered the blue paper in the blue bundle.
 When she had carefully applied the blotter to the contract and given it back to him with smile, she said:
 "Won't you take chair and visit a little, and won't you have cup of tea and piece of pie? I'm afraid I've nothing else to offer you, unless you like milk"
 CHAPTER V.
 Gregory declined the refreshment, but not the chair. He sat down again. As he looked at the girl and listened to her homely speech he felt like one in a dream. It even occurred to him that all the talk at which he had laughed of people composing under spirit infu- ence" might have foundation in fact. If this girl wrote that book, miracles were certainly still to be expected. At least there was some other sense-some other means of acquiring knowledge of the world and of mems hearts than phi losophers were yet acquainted with.
 y 8 haunted house?" he said, to make talk. ''There is material for another novel perhaps if you have any liking for stories of the supernatural.
 Do you really think they can come back?' she asked. ''I wish I knew"
 ''We all wish that, I think" Gregory said.
 ''No one need be afraid of monsieur if he did," she went on. "He was SO kind and gentle. I would not be afraid. Sometimes as I wrote up there. with only 8 candle in the great, wide garret, would fancy he was near me. But he never came, never. I missed him so much. He taught me all know. We have very few advantages here, but he had been through college, had taken high degrees, and had turn for lan- guages, he said, and taught me to know French and German. When he died, l wanted to die too. Weeks before he died I used to sit up in the great garret where his bed was. couldn't do any thing but give him his medicine and a cool drink. or read to him. or write for him, or sing a little. But still I sat there always while he was sick"
 "You nursed him?" asked Gregory. "A young thing like you."
 "Yes," said Rose Bud. ''There was no one else. Lizzie had her hands full with the baby. Up there, just waiting to die, he used to talk to me. He had been very unhappy in his lifetime, for he was de- formed and lame and little old. Not so dreadfully old, you know, but going on to it. There was only I, except when the minister's wife used to con>c
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