The Bessemer indicator., 1894-05-26
INTERCEPTED LETTER

"well." said Aurorn, "what shall We
do nowT ->GS
The drcary equinoctial rain WAS ever;
the oblique Autumn sun glinted on
matted drifts of wet leaves and pools
OF water in the road; solitary red
chrysanthemum lifted Its tufts Of flow.
err under the window. They had open
ed the windows wide to let in the air
and light, after Grandaunt Miriam's
funeral. There were the wheelmnrks
and deep ground-ruts yet in the road,
where the hearse had been driven up
to the gate; but the yellow hickory
leaves, nuttering down like golden rain
at every gust Of wind. very fast OBJ
nteratng them.
Grandaunt Miriam was dead and laid
| to rest In the sunny corner Of the
village churchynrd, and Adelino and
Aurora were left alone in the world.
| TIN sure" said the widow Allston,
who lived In the next house, II don't
know what's to become O. them gals.
They amt been brought up to do moth
In. And they're dreadful ordinary
lookin' gals. They wasn't pretty when
NJ
'em is turned forty now"
And that was precisely the problem
which was in Aurora Fields mind
when sho sat before the cracking fire,
with her elbows on her knees and her
chin In her hands, and looked dreamuy
across the hearthstone Mt her sister Ad-
cline.
what can we dor said AdelIne,
who was tho meeker and less enterpris-
ing spirit of the two.
We've got to live" declared Aurora.
"Oh, of course-we've got to live"
And we've got nothing to live upon
but the old house and thirty acres Of
rocky, uphill ground!' said Aurora.
"Grnndaunt Miriam's pension died with
her, and she never saved a penny out
Of it-though. indeed. how could she,
poor old thing7 And don't see TINT
there's anything left for US but to keep
boarders."
But, who will board with usr' said
Adeline, In her feeble, inefficient way.
Aurora shrugged her shoulde1 i'm
patiently.
"You never had any faculty, Addie,"
said she. "and s'pose it's too late for
you to begin to reform now. But
should think you might have had the
common sense to put two md two
together. Amt there that big red
brick factory a-buildin' by Jennings
Falls, md won't 1t bo full o girls In
two months time? And won't they
I've been counting up-there are four,
Eve, six rooms we could spare, as well
as not. And I'm a pretty decent cook
II could get tho materials to cook
with, and s'pose you could, at least,
look after the rest of the houseT'
"Yes, could do that, thinkr said
meek Adellne, who always had a sense
of inferiority in her sisters presence.
''At least would tryw
Then" said Aurora, Tets 60 right
to work and get the house thoroughly
cleaned the very flrst thing"
"NowT' gasped Adeline.
"of course. now! Do You suppose 1
meant next year, retorted her sister,
irately. ''The house IL full of old truck
and furniture, and we'll have to have
hnlf a dozen bonflres. at least, before
things'n be decently cleared out And
| we've got to do 1t ourselves, Adeline!
We can't afford to hire any one to help
US. And so the sooner we begin the
better"
"Yes, suppose sor' assented Ade-
line.
So, the next morning the Field girls
set themselves diligently to work. Au-
rora had a certain hard-henrted energy
of purpose that rather enjoyed toll and
hustle, but poor Adeline's heart failed
within her at the prospect. The tears
came into her eyes, as she took GRIND
aunt Miriam's old faded clothes and
books and papers out of the musty-
smelling drawers.
Where am I to put thesef' she
asked.
Burn 'emw was her sisters curt re-
ply.
Adeline looked nghnst. Grandaunt
Miriam had been a stern old tyrnnt to
her, II was true-a domlneering mis-
tress who exactcd everything from her,
and gave her In return nothing but the
merest subsistence. Gnndaunt Miriam
had ruthlessly crushed in the bud that
ono only little love affair which she
that she had any right to call 1t love
affair at all. Doctor Hunt-he wnA
only a young medical student then
had walked home from the historical
lectures with her, one bleak March
evening, and Grandaunt Miriam had
never asked him to come In and warm
himself
"If you're goin' to keep company
with any one, Adellne," the old woman
bad sourly uttered, 'let 1t be with some
that can support you decently. hain't
no faith In these sproutin' doctors"
There was the end Of 1t. Doctor
Hunt never came again, and poor AIDE
line remained an ungnthered rose upor
the family stem. She had liked Fran
cis Hunt; she had even been wild
enough to fancy that he liked her. But
Grandaunt Miriam had decided the
matter for her as she decided every
thing else.
Yet, in spite Of this, poor Adelins
cried when she put the old woman'i
dogs cared books and crumpled paper
into the fire, with the yellow letter.
that Granduncle Fossett had winter
her before they were married. and til,
lock of faded ha1en hair that she hat
cut of from the cofldned head Of hei
only baby. dead sixty year. since.
the rest" she said mechanically, aI
she sorted out the discolored heap
''Iook, Aurora, do you think"
She checked herself abruptly AZ ri,
lifted on q pair Of spectAcles THAT firs
copcsssion to the standard Of approach
ing old age) and scruttnized the foldet
piece Of rAper still more closely.
"Why," I'D she, ''the seal amt brnk
eni Why, its directed to insr'
II n Ne6 directed TO her, and In Dr
Hypfe peeu13Af angular hand writiia,
that - woe1A hAvs known Il. shs kal
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