Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-05-19
DORA.

but l. and l was nobody But
thought as much of Harold as ever a
human being could think of another.
And knew that he was wronged and
felt that Mrs. Rolling had done a
dreadful thing when she took Squire
Halsted for her second husband and
let him rule her, take possession of
her money and ill-use her handsome
boy.
l had my share of it, too, for while
Mr.. Rolling lived and while she was
a widow | was like daughter of the
house. But no sooner had she come
back from her honeymoon than all
that was altered. The squire looked
at me cOldly and l heard him ask
Mrs Halsted who | was.
Her mother died when she was
born. a" Mrs Halsted said, land | took
the baby to my own nursery, whore
Harold lay in the cradle"
"Moro fool you, my dear" said the
squire.
The father went away" said Mrs.
Halsted, land was lost at sea-so
they said-and kept the little girl y
You must remember that she will
need to earn her own bread" said the
squire. "She is not lady. Let the
servants keep her in their part of the
house and teach her her duties as
waitress.
"Oh, Mr. Halsted" cried the bride,
AZ cannot do that"
my dear" said Mr.. Halsted, II
am master here"
The poor lady was helpless, She
had no longer any control of her own
money was six years old, Harold
the same age, and a terrible life we
had of it. | was very we'll used in
the kitchen, but / felt cast down and
degraded. l wore big crash aprons
that covered me from head to foot,
instead of my pretty muslin and silk
dresses. | was delicate and waiting
is hard work when your wrists are
slender
Mrs. Halsted did all she could for
me. / used to hear her pleading
with the squire to let her send me to
a boarding-school to learn to be a
teacher, but he called her "a little
goose" and she fancied him very
wise.
But for Harold / should never have
known anything, as after school he
used to come to me and teach me
what he had learned himself.
Cook would whisper:
That's right, Master Harold. It's
a good deed you are doing. God spare
you. l was never taught TO rade
meself on account of an evil-minded
stepfather iv me own that put me to
sarvice before l could get schoolin',
an know tho loss. "
And not servant but would have
waited in my place, for they said
was too small to carry dishes; but
the cruel squire would have me come
in to make sure that he was obeyed.
Mrs. Halsted really felt bad about
it, know. But two little girls came
soon and then little boy, and soon
she cared nothing for her own splen-
did boy, and why should she care for
me?
But / am wandering away from the
morning when Herold Robling, just
eighteen that day, walked down the
garden path in the gray morning
light and | with him, choking down
my sobs. For now the one being |
loved was going away from me, per-
haps forever
1t was only five o'clock and no one
was up The grass was wet with
dew and there were only "a few pink
streaks in the sky to tell that day
was coming. We did not dare to
speak until we got out of hearing of
the house, but then l said:
''Oh, Harold what will you do with
no money and no friends-alone in
the world?"
MANY a young fellow has done
the same sort of thing" Harold said.
"No man with limbs and senses need
to starve, and | mean to make my
fortune. But I'd rather work in the
trenches for my daily bread than to
live in Squire Halsted's house. and
with mother he has bewitche1 into
doing what he wishes, whatever it
may be. 1t was crime TO make %
servant of,you, little sister. But re.
member, the moment | have power
in my hands all that shall be altered.
i will write you, and you shall know
Just how | get on. "
But now he had got to the wharf
where he was TO take little market
boat TO New York. and / was obliged
TO leave him, for he did not want the
squire to find out what he had done
until he was fairly out of reach, and
then he put his arms about my waist
and kissed me.
"Good-by, little sister," he said.
good-by Dora, my pet. Keep up a
good heart and never forget TO an
swer my letters" And he was off,
and went home weeping as though
my heart would break
There was terrible time at the
house when they found out he had
gone, and the squire swore he would
never enter his doors again. But the
squire's daughters. who hated Harold