The herald., 1896-03-14


money, isn't it?"
We've never had it to lose Annie said
"the family fortunes are to rise on school
teaching
Dick glanced at her with quick admira-
ton in his handsome young eyes. He was
twenty-four, but he bundered over his
words like school-boy.
Miss Graham" he said "you won't
mind if l say think it's awfullv fine in
you. don't you know, to teach, and all that
sort of thing? OF course. girls do things
now. l mean nice girls. don't you know,
Why, Cousin Kate gave music lessons be-
fore she married; and she was Town
send. Still it's people like that. don't you
know. that can afford to do things like
that"
Il don't suppose any one can afford to be
dependent" Annie said, simply, "and my
father is really poor, Mr.. Temple"
Her beautiful, direct look as she said
this made the young fellows heart sud
denly leap. He wanted to burst out and
tell her how much he admired her; ad-
mired? no, loved her. That was the
word, Yes, he, who had thought he had
outived all that sort of thing. All in a
moment he felt that he wanted to tell her
this; but she seemed so remote that he
dared not speak.
Il suppose / ought to get my governor to
go and call on hers" he thought to him
self, these decayed gentlefolks are death
on propriety. But maybe she wouldn't look
at me- anyway he added to himself, in
miserable afterthought for she began to
speak in such an interested way of some
mathematical work she had to do that
night, that he felt there was no room for
him in her thoughts; and he left her at
the college door and went back, ardent and
despairing, to confide in his cousin Kate
who had, it must be admitted, rather a
startled expression when he told her he
was all bowled over by Miss Graham
But, Dick. what would your father say
if it got serious? Cousin Henry has such
ideas, you know. She's a charming girl,
but we don't know anything about her
people,
I'VE know they are poor" Dick said,
boldly; but that doesn't matter in the
least. Surely, you are not so narrow, Cous-
in Kate as to think it matters?"
"No, that doesn't matter. of course"
Cousin Kate said, doubtfully.
and blushng little, upstairs to her room.
But she did no work in higher mathematics
that night
| Instead, she finished her packing, and
| wrote her last semi-weekly letter of the
| term to her father. To be sure. he would
! get it just day or two before she came
! herself; but she would not have had John
ny Graham miss that Saturday letter for q
]
about in his pocket and read it over and
over, and put it on the wooden chair be-
! side his bed at night. Perhaps it was a lit
tie more affectionate, this last letter, than
usual she told him about the weather, and
! that she would start on Monday, and
would telegraph him when to expect her.
And something of the progress of her two
pupils; and how she had made an expert
ment in the laboratory, and had burned her
fingers: and-that she had met an inter
| esting man, a cousin of Mrs. Paul s. He had
taken her out rowing once or twice, she
said. And, oh! she was so happy that she
was coming home, She could hardly be-
lieve it was true, she was so glad. And
then she said she was always his little girl
who loved him-"Annie"
Then she put her head down on her arms,
folded on her writing table, and shivered
once or twice, and there were tears in her
| eyes when she rose. and, with the delicate
feeling for order which Is inherent in the
refined woman, began to put her room to
rights for the night.
"When he said our class ought I to
have spoken?" she asked herself, shrinking
in her thoughts, not from the confession
but the implied slight to Johnny Graham
Besides, he knows; told Mrs. Paul" she
reminded herself. mo, no. couldn't!
And all her love and all her pride fer he.