Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1895-12-19

If you please, sir
" Ehg What now"

!
have been made for the wife Of the giant
| Blunderborc, so out Of proportion was it tl
/ the diminutive wcarcr, and out Of il.
! depths peered thin little face, with big
/ frightened brown eyes. Her clothing wa.
so clean and neat that one scarcely noticed
| how very poor it was, and as she stared M
! into the terrible face above her one OF tho
/ little feet wriggled Uueasily in the depths
| Of the costly rug.
If you please, sir, mother said 10 tell
/ you that she couldn't como up today be-
cause she's sick"
The childish treble was little shaken
| this time, for the shaggy eyebrows wer.
very close TO her, and they gave the old
! gentleman a look that was terrible beyond
| belief.
He was in q dreadful temper, this crus-
| ty old gentleman, and nothing made him
angrier than for poor people to get into his
house. He hated the sight of poverty and
MI his servants had special orders to guard
the doors and the gates and to see that no
moan of woe on want ever reached his
ears. And yet, after alf-tt-5sils little beggar
had slipped past the bolts and baE-into
his very study, where his own servants
scarcely dared TO enter.
/ don't know what dreadful thing might
have happened if 1t had not been for that
one little word mother in the child 5
fluttering speech. Children SO seldom
speak the word nowadays that It gave q
little shock of surprise Instantly he found
himself looking beyond the child, at an
old, long forgotten sccne-a little cabin,
with white country road winding past IL
and an awkward boy going down the road,
stopping at the last curve TO wave his
hand to his mother, who stood in the door
watching him go out into the world.
Then he remembered himself and asked
sharply:
And who is your mother pray, and
why should she come here?'
"Please, sir, =" said the quavering little
voice, mothers the dust woman"
Tho what" calculated the old gentle
man, with another dreadful frown.
She comes up once week and dusts
the bric-a- brac," explained the child.
"The housekeeper hired her, She says she
doesn't feel equal To II herself, and mother
does it so nicely"
"AhaP muttered the old gentleman
with nn angry CLEAN in tho eyes under
those fearful brows. $50 Mrs. Murray
brings outsiders into the house when my
back is turned, does sheS They're all
alike, n pack of cheats and robbers! I'll
teach her to Violate my confidence and I'LL
my house with irresponsible people! You
may stay In this room till Mrs Murray
comes Do you hoarY And then 1 shall
have message 10 send to your mother. ~
He rang the bell violently and ordered
that Mrs. Murray DO sent 20 him as soon
as she returned, Having made this salts
factory arrangement, he took up his paper
again and ignored the little figure In the
sunbonnet
But before he had read dosan tines
there was light touch on his arm, and
the brown eyes We're looking up into his
please, sir, may look out of the win
dow while we're waiting?'
He was so astonished that he could NOS
reply for moment, but he did finally give
a scornful grunt of assent,
There was silence in the room for long
time. Not q clock licked for old Mr..
Roberts could not endure the ticking Of
clocks. Not q leaf stirred, not a cricket
chirped. The stiffness disturbed him at
last, and he looked up, The child was out
on the little balcony leaning on the stone
balustrade Her bonnet had fallen off,
and the sunlight falling on the mass of
brown hair, wove it full of CLEANS of gold.
Another touch on his arm-thero she
was again Hor hand-such littlo morsel
of Il hand-trembled with some now emo
tion, and her eyes shOne with n strange
light.
III must be nice to live on hill!" was
what she said.
Tho old gentleman in the armchair had
never been moro astounded In his life. He
stared at her and forgot 30 say anything.
Il have always wanted to live on q
hill sho went on. "Our house Is away
down ydnder, and you can't see anything
but the houses across the street. But up
here you can look so far, and the sky's so
close to you. Don't you think people can
be better when they live ON II hillY"
The newspaper fell to the floor unheedod,
ANA the orusty old gentleman and the lit
tie girl looked at one another. Aftor
awhile the old gentleman went To- the bal
cony and looked down 20 tho roofs Of the
crowded houses ia the narrow streets be-
low and then away 10 the far horizon.
This beautiful home of his crowned the
summit Of this purple hill and was up
lifted so far above the noise and dust aud
wretchedness Of the city that lay below.
Truly, it was q pleasant thing to live on
hill. He had never Thought Of ii before,
but ali at onoo he fanCicd himself down
among those miserable tonoments, looking
up at this beautiful home and thinking
how near to heaven 1t reached
There was IA huprled tap at the door,
and Mrs, Murray presented herself. Her
comfortable figure was attired stlll In the
neat dress that she had worn in the street.
Her round face was wroathed with smiles,
but she was obviously auttoTod and quak-
ing with fear,
"D!d you leave word that you wanted
IA 500 me- sirf" sho asked and then waited
Tor the blow TO fall
Mrs Murray, - said the old gentleman
In his stiffest and most formal manner,
"am To understand that you have en-
ployed woman to come hero once u week
aud dust tho brio-a-hracy'
EYES, SIR Mrs. Holmes her name is,
and she's very careful, sir. couldn't do
better myself"
She glanced up anxiousiy nt the wooden
countenance heforo her, What terrible
thing was no going TO say nextY
Mrs Murray, the woman has sent this
child to say that she is too i'll TO come
That will do. You will excuse hor until
she recovers. -
Mrs Murray went back 10 her own
room and fell into chair If it had been
consistent with the dignity of Mr.. Roberts
hOusekeeper to staggcr, she certainly
would have staggered. She kept repeating
TO herself: "Did you cycrl" and ~ can't
believe II e" She said aftcrwafQ that you
might have knocked nor down with n
straw. though that was hgurativo, Of
course.
This was the beginning Of Marioric's
visits to the great house on the hill. Her
mother did not come again, hut every day
the big sunbopuet went toiliug up, and
then tho CLINT Of the golden hair would be
seen In the great rooms where no child had
ever strayod before Not that She was bois-
ferrous, or laughing, or childlil,c in any
way. She would sit in Mrs Murrays room
for hours. with her hands folded on her
lap, Watching the lady mt her work aud
sometimes talking softly, og she would
follow her from Room t. room, gazing
with -upg uclight at every beautiful object.
Mr.. Roberts know that she was in the
house, but hC said nothing lie was cuu-
scious sometimes that ,he child stopped
near him and stuod with her hands behind
ayl. regarding him with grave scrutiny,
but he did not drive her away, as he might
have been expected to do q iow weeks be
fore
He was In his study ono morning when
no heard Mrs. Murray come into the ad-
Joining reon, The door was ajar. and