The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1896-12-11


ty, going away to weep in secret over
having allowed her temper 10 over
throw the result of weeks of patient
forbearance.
She had made 10 real progress in
the elder Mrs. hennedy's affections,
when one sad day john came home
with a strange pain in his honest
heart, kissed Betty and little Nell,
and turning his face to the wall died.
Then the poor little stricken soul put
back her mother-in-law, who would
have taken her to her heart, and said
No, not now. You made him unhap-
Ply through me, and DOW that he is
gone, who alone made this house en-
durable, | am going home to my own
people,"
'As you like, Elizabeth" returned |
the old lady, still clingipg to her pre-
JUDGE, all the stronger for having |
been laid aside for a moment. Il al |
ways believed Your ways were too |
sweet to be real"
So Betty packed her trunk and |
gathered up all the pretty tribes with |
which she had tried to relieve the |
heavy, severe aspect of the dull old |
rooms. If Mrs. Kennedy missed the |
dainty painted screen from before the |
fire place or the scarf that had draped |
the cold marble of the mantle above,
she made no sign, and Betty said to |
herself, bitterly, that had she left |
them they would probably have found |
Il short way to the dust heap.
She stood dressed in her sombre |
widows garb waiting, with little
Nell's hand III hers, for the cab |
which was to come to carry her away |
from house where for five long years |
she had done her best to make herself |
beloved and ANONYMOUSLY failed,
when she saw message arrive with a |
telegram, and in Il few minutes there
smOte upon her ears sudden cry of
horror and dlsmay. Forgetting her
wrongs she flew up the stairs into old |
Mrs. henuedy's room to find her sit
ting white and rigid on Il chair, to |
which the girls cluug, too, as if the
news contained in the ominous yellow
envelope had deprived them of |
strenth and self-control.
Without more ado Betty picked up
the telegram and read its message of |
ruiz, utter and complete, to the three |
women huddled together before her.
Then she quietely removed her bon
net and gloves, and chatting the poor
old lady's icy hands got her to bed,
set the girls TO work at making tea |
and bringing hot water for their
mothers reviving.
Isn't we dom, muyver?' whisper
ed Little Nell, catching her mother as
she ran past her with bowl of mus
tard III oEe and Il decanter of brandy |
in the other.
No, dear, never as long as she
needs and wants me, for she was my |
Johns mother and perhaps this is
the way to her love-though, oh, my
dear one, You are not here to rejoice |
with Ine ii | find it, answered Betty, |
speaking more to herself however,
than TO the child.
The doctor said she saved the Old |
lady's life that night by her untiring
work with her. However that may
be, Mrs. Kennedy lived, though never
again was she her old imperiouS, die
tatorial self. They had nothing left
of the comfortable property which
had been theirs, even the old house
went. so they took cottage near by,
and here was fought battle with the
wolf at the door.
And whose hands were they that
barred him out? Betty's, Who was it |
y
worry? Betty. Who was it that taught
music, played the organ and got a
salary for it, too; that reused the girls
from their apathetic sorrow and per-
Suaded them to remember old house
wifely accomplishments; that carried |
off dozen jars of their pickles to the
city, sold them at Il good price and /
came back with orders for more? Who |
was it that brought the first smile |
back to the feeble old lady's face by |
her sunshine laugh and light-hearted |
jest? Betty, Betty; always Bettyn
And now that it was no longer pos |
sible to carry those heavy, dull silks |
and goods of the most substantial |
spinning to Miss Woodhall to make
up in identically the same way she
had made them ten years before, it |
was Betty's pleasure and pride to re-
model the severe, straight breadths |
into gracefully draped skirts and |
iaunty waists, and at last, as special |
triumph, she got Mrs. hennedy's per
mission to rearrange the girls hair,
which made SO wonderful an improve
ment in their contours that when |
last heard of them Amanda was re-
ceiving the special and impressive at
and Jane had been called stunning
grip by an eligible visitor.
But Betty lives for her Johns moth
err and Johns child, and one night
not long ago, as she adjusted q cushion
under the white head Of the one and
reached out to take up again little
dress on which she was sewing for the
other. IL thin, old hand caught her own
in its feeble clasp.
My Bettie,n said Johns mother,
tenderly, best and sweetest of daugh-
tiers. L love your
4 NATTER OF COURTEST.
An irascible man entered the sub
station exactly at o'clock, and APP
preaching the money order desk,
politely requested the presiding gen
ius to issue him an order for $50. Too
late" said the damsel CURLY, Z ointing
with an ink stained finger to the
clock. The indignant man stormed,
raved and finally challenged the cor
rectness of the timepiece. The inn
perturbable lady smiled. The follow
ing afternoon, two minutes before the
closing hour, he again presented him
self and calmly asked, Am | too
late?'' 'Only just in time" replied
the damsel GROSSLY. Thank you.
Now, miss, l must trouble you to is
sue me so orders for 81 each"
'F-i-f-t-y.' gasped the horror stricken
woman. Her tea had just arrived
and was standing on table behind
the screen. surely you are jolling?"
Madam said the man, raising his
hat politely, courtesy begets court
ery.m
Yes. sir, 1 say that the sultan
ought to be brought to time
,.Wnuldn,t atarnitN do hatter1n