Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1893-04-08
A NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..

IL am coming instantly" sal n
clear young voice from th" Tiny
kitchen. where very pretty girl VAS
busily ironing
She looked tired and troubled a.
che FASTENED to the sunny room.
wh,r rather elderly man was re-
cllning In an invalid chair. his band.
aged feet resting on n cushioned sup
port, his discuntcntcd visagc turned
impatirntly toward her
MARY. Mary, what are you DOING
] wan, you 80 rh'w mo my 'rithm"tic
lesson. and wan, my glove m"nd"d"
cried u ruddy lad, hanging the door
behind him. and iiinRing his cap and
school. books upon the table.
give mo the glove, joey said
his sister. taking dainty work
basket from n table In the corner. aud
chccrfully max Ing herself ready for
iurtructing and mcnding at the same
time
And. Mary, dear child. please give
me my box from the table, said Nunt
Prim, who was much less willing
applican, Tor her ready services.
For Aunt rrim was a patient little
body, whose wants were few, u who
deemed herself more blessed Civ
ing than receiving
She had been almost mother TO
pretty Mary and lively Joey, but lat
terly she had succumhrd to some mys-
tcrious ailmcnt which seemed to
change and saddcn her. ana which
had blanched her still fair face and
was whitening her dark hair h'!uro
her time.
Pale aud spiritlcS she lay among
the pillows cf u sofa her ever indus
trious hands inactive. her gentle voice
! silent, sometimes listening ah~"ntly
TO the sounds OF the little household,
and sometimes watching busy Mary
very in,cntly watching her with
her large and patient eyes, which
were becoming larger and more pa
tient day by day
IL. too. may yet bc n burden to
YOU" she sighed, a. Mary brought
her the box and took a s"wiug.rhair
beside hor sofa You have ~umo
tlrc.umc times with US all. dear child"
And worse times are not far away,
with me- disabled and our savings all
gone" Mr. Sclmer complained, from
his invalid chair by the sunny win
dow. IL don't know what W. shall
do Joey will be- Obliged to change
his school for shop. though that =
one thing certain.
II should like that; and could 20
l.. l..
who WAS zcalously munich NJ ri" in
some convenient mich Of the kitchen
pantry.
You don't know what you would
like" Mr.. Sclmcr returned. har,hly;
land you will have no chance Of any
kind Of schooling. We shall come u
beggary, and rrim and shall hrve
no shelter for our old age. But va
might have comforts enough, all al
us. II Mary were not 50 silly and con
trsry. She knows what wish her 70
do. and any reasonable girl would ha
satisfied with u gentleman like John
Lawrence.
bob King mighnt be sati. fed,
though intcrpolated joey, VIII had
annihilatcd some pie and was ready
for his lessons
"lIumph" calculated Mr.. Sclmcr.
eli he cared much for her. he wuulC
come back when We are in such Ill
luck. But whether he does or no. b,
cant have Mary; she can do better
and she must, thore Is all there Is OF
that"
Mary sighed. and two big tear,
splashed down upon the slate where
she had just calculated ia" ari,h
metical problem which had puzzle,
Master Joey
lis Johns Mr.. Lawrence - "a dis
tasteful to you9" Aunt rrim sudden
ly questioned. her face close to tn,
wall, her cold fingers almost c,uvul
sively tightening about the dimplcd
wrist Of her pretty NIECE,
"Oh, no like him very much,
Mary said, frankly.
She liked Mr.. Lawrence very M lch
indeed, and had there hrcn M R"hcr
King, then, perhaps. She might h""C
;ho entrcatie- 81 her father tina
helpless, jpylcss father, who mus
ever remain hopeless captiy" u hi
invAlid-chair' ~ there had beer
no Rob King. then. Tor the good o
her dear ones, she might yield,
"Roh may never come back again,
said Aunt rrim, i.caking in II strange
ly forced voice. and John Mr., Law
renee seems very fond NJ yuu.
"Of course. he II fond of her, Mr.
Selmcr avcrr"d. with emphasis. IN
one could help seeing that"
Did she remember pA,icn
Prim. lying there with her face IN tn
wall--lying there with cold tromo
at her heart aud u low scarlet wavcr
ing on her faded cheeks' Did sh
remember ono sweet. vain, brio
dream II her youth, one sweet low,
so bitterly cstrangcd, and all by
mistake foolish mistake, ~ sh
had learned too late?
MIR Lawrence was always ferllnI
and generous" she presently said Il
those piteously constrained accents
And you will learn TO care for him
Mary, Just rs he cares for you
cannot help doing that And yol
were never really promised to Rob
poor Rob, who Ia as impocunious O
ourselves Dear child, promise whA
yor, father wishcs
The gentle counsel OF tho ever ur
selfish Prim effected what tho harshe
arguments Of Mr. Selmer could neve
have done. Besides. Mary was wear