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

said to herself one morning she was
| greatly depressed. 4 fresh bill had
| just been sent in. Popsy had appeared
with great rent in her frock. and
had to be patched and darned before
| it was possible to take her out for a
walk. Popsy bore this misfortune
with the greatest equanimity But it
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 impaticntly. I'm
afraid Barney was right, and that 1t
isn't bit of use my trying to earn any
money" She said, dismally
A knock came 1T 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. Mr..
Mills was Il thin saturnine- visaged
man with Il blue-back Stubble Of beard
on his shaved jaws. He was painting
and wiping his forehead with blue
checked handkerchief as he presented
the letter to Mrs Jack with the other
hand. He had taken the precaution Of
wrapping it in 4 bit OF thin paper that
it might not be Soiled by his iuky fin
ger and thumb.
"A 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 50 quickly.
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
Il smile and Il blush. which danced
through the dingy printing office ail
the rest of the day. like a Will-o the
Wsp. And he began mentally to com
pose Il poem-in fancy he saw it ii
ready printed in the poets corner Of
the Codlington Chronicle. and entitled
.Stanzas to *''-which however
was not destined to proceed further III
a concrete form than the line '.Dh,
lllybell. Sweet lllybell,''
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 seven.
had appeared in last weeks Chronicle.
would be kind enough TO call the fol
lowing day on Mrs. Boddington, Beech
Grove. codlington.
Bell rushed breathlcssly down stairs
with the letter III her hand to show it
to Barney" Brt Barney was ont.
Il, she might have known would be
the case if she had taken time to think
for a moment. Falling Barney Bell
ran into the kitchen to tell Mrs Petite
rick her E"W> Somebody she must
confide in.
Mrs. Petherick was duly interested.
end paused in the act Of rolling out the
I.aste for Il pudding to listen to the
letter Lard. Mrs. Jack" she said.
heartily, I'm as pleased as Punch to
see you pleased. but | can't abear To
think Of you toiling and moiling and
trapsing out wet or dry TO give les
sons.
Mrs. Jack was too pleased and cxct-
ed TO discuss the point But who is
Mrs Boddington. Mrs Petherirk:" z" she
added, eagerly. Mrs. pethelck did not
know; but she knew that Beech Grove
was Il pretty house. With 4 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. | would rather
be employed by stranger to Codlng-
ton. | wonder how many children she
has. | hope she's nice lis 4 nice let
ter, don't you think so, Mrs. Pether-
ick:'
Mrs Petherick gravely gave her op!n-
10, tl,.rt 1Aft,
deed And then Bell ran up stairs
again. and seizing Popsy who 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
fiat down on the Sqlarctoed little feet
again. with bang
Mother and child We're in the midst
Of this performance. when they We're
hre ught to Il sudden standstill by the
sound Of a we'll known voice,
Il did knock, Bell" said the voice
but | suppose you did not hear me
| wonder you did not hear the carriage
drive up
Bell faced 70 nd flushed painting ana
disEeyelled, and confronted her mother
in-law and Rebecca.
Mrs. Lilly face evinccd no kind Of
emotion. Rebecca looked at her with
slightly raised eyebrows. Rebecca was
l OF i'll natured o. bottom She never
said the spiteful things which Emma
was apt to launch at her sister-in-law
But Rebecca had 4 way Of assuming
tolerant kind of superiority which
Bell sometimes resented with quick,
| impulsive Indignation. Bells anger was
usually fire CT straw. however and,
| on the whole. she had stronger re-