The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1896-12-03

descriptive OF lively and varied life.
She made new friends and met pleas
ant people; she seemed to enjoy every
thing and find amusement everywhere.
There was an even, Il sustained con-
tent to be detected in her mode OF
writing which was foreign TO her years
and particularly new TO her former
habits of mind. In each letter she in
quired for her Aunt Elizabeth. She
never writes to me- was her COM
plant, repeated Owe and over again.
She had been away from home about
two months when the following letter
from her mother awakened, with
somewhat insufficient cause, an uncOn-
Querable anxiety about the dear VIII
ter's health and drove Helen to return
to Merton upon the very day after II
received the disquieting a%lluSion.
Mrs. Milford had written thus
MY Darling Helen-HOw cold it is!
/ hope that if you are tempted to wan
der about thise draughty galleries ut
your uncle's after dinner you do not
forget to wear a shawl. lam remind
ed Of such dangers to your health by
Il tircsome cold in my head which
caught last eveing %pottering about the
garden with your dear father, who is
more careful to protect his fruit trees
than his wife from the frost. | wrap
ped my head in flannel and drank sew
eral jugs of treacle posset before
going TO bed. l slept very h@aV-
lily. but awoke with a severe
headache and felt quite stupid.
so this letter will be very short
and fiat, dear. l read your letters
again and again, and you are never aD-
---. g.-~, ., tl,,,rItc tnr nr.DSt
Your loving mother,
,,-Honora Milford.
"p. S.--By the bye, your Aunt EliZ-
abeth has written ut last; your father
received the letter some days ago. Bet
sey has been ill-seriously ill-and her
tine has been fully occupied with the
consequent sick nursing: she Is bet
ter now and down stairs again. Eliza
beth seems very full Of those dreadful
Jones people, who have gone Il fright
ful smash. The old man has been
spcculating III the most reckless way;
the shock Of ruin upon all those COCO
dinners Of which we have hea!d
brought on apopleXy; he is dead. II
can find El,Zabeth's letter l will in
close it,"
But the letter had not been inclcsed.
and very oon after HelenS ARRIVAL NJ
Merton she led the conversation 10
NuClcCmbe.
What was the matter with poor old
B~etsGy:' the girl asked. She Stood De
fore the fire with her arm round mel
mothers waist. Mrs. Milford coul'
not take her eyes away from the on
temptation of her beautiful child. She
had imprOvcd-yeS, if it was possible
-- ..,lla nY1 1nNvinv thar
beforehand she had torn herself IRON
a household of friends and cousins
had rclinGuished the prospect or .
party. and hurried home TO see viii
her own eyes and hear with her oWr
ears that the "tiresome cold of which
she had been told was OF no deadl!
character.
"A very serious touch of influenza
Oh, Nellie. l can't bear to think that
YOU have left so much pleasure on my
account. 1t was foolish Of me to men.
ton my cold. but l thought you knew
l only sneeze for a day or two and put
on an extra shawl. and then n OF
my colds goes. Why, l am quite well
again to-day. The delight OF seeing
you. my darling, is spoiled when re-
member what you have given up loI
me-"
Il have given sp nothing, mother. ]
wanted to come home every single
day | was away OF course, l was
having great fun-lots going on-bu'
l was a little mammy-sick; l always
! am. How long was Betsey i'll"
Il don't remember exactly. Helen,
did you meet with any very charming
people,"
"Oh, yes; most of them were very
nice. Mother, you did not lnclose
auntie's letter"
NO, dearest, your father had gone
out and must have taken 1T with nm.
| could not find it; / asked him where
it was just before you came, Il he
had torn it up and thrown 1t into the
waste basket. Never mind; h had
nothing to say; II does write such
dull letters, poor dear
Late that night when the Merton
household had long been asleep Il
stealthy figure, wrapped in a red nan
mel dressing gown. with brown nan
hanging straight and Mick 10 1h&
knees, and a beautiful, eager race. OF
which the candle that she shaded with
her hand silonc, crcpt slowly II eau
tiously down the stairs ana maze hei
nOiSeleSS way TO the fecooT ; Stud!'
Helen. for she ii was, set patiently
TO work over the accomplishment OF
her intention. Sitting on the floor by
the side of the waste paper basket, she
| pieced. contrived, patched the severed
and scattered fragments of Miss EN-
| 1betl's letter into a leSihle whole. III
was a difficult and labOriouS achleve'
ment. She was blue with cold; her
teeth chartered and her fingers were
| stiff and half frozen. Bodily discom-
! forts were UNDECIDED, for her heart was
hot within her. Again and again she