Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-03-26
THIRTEEN AT TABLE.
By Mrs. Burton Harrison.

of the new houses that are the glory
OF that favored resort, she would have
laughed in the face of the recounter OF
such fairy tale-that merry, heart
some laugh of hers-for Felicia well
deserved her name.
But the event least expected had oc~
Cured The gay, pretty, poverty
stricken southern girl, the daughter OF
an ancient line, who during her 10
years OIL lie had never known any but
the hard rubs OF fortune, who had
grown up to WomanhoOd under the
wing OF a widowed mother scarcely Is
years her senior, as lovely to look at
as was Felicia herself, but for the
traces left on her face and form by
care and by thought how to make a
subsistence Tor the two and 10 provide
an education Tor Felicia that should
enable her to be selt-supporting.
Latterly things had gone from Dad
to worse with the Charltons. They
had spent one year in the desolation
OF poor country neighborhood, with
relatives, glad OF the pittance their
board Afforded; and at the end OF it
MIS-. Charlton had 10 accept an offer
from a arena Oh carry days who was
about to open boarding school, to
act as her housekeeper. At the same
time, Feucie entered upon the eXhilir-
ating career or assistant TO decayed
gentieWOman IN Baltimore, who made
and sold the pickles and preserves so
renowned IN old-Cme Maryland cook
books And all this While the girl's
nigh Splits mad never nagged. She
had laughed and prattled, and won
smiles from the little mother in her
hours OF darkest dependency. She
hau even coaXed INTO moments OF
cheerlulness the broken-splrlLeu lazy
who manufactured pickles and pre-
serves; and, while carrying on her
uncongenlal WORK, lost no opportunity
OF looking Tor something better. IN
this stress, TO Felicias credit be 1t in
sCIibed, 1t ana not occur to her TO write
verses or a story, and offer them .or
acceptance TO nrSt-clasS magazine.
summer had come around again
and the prospect Of spending IL III d
piping hot t1ac, III the Jampec azure OF
Baltimore, between june ana UctoD4r,
and III the company OF Mrs. ballaHJyne
and her gas stove, was all tnat pre-
senteu lLotn 20 rencla mental gaze
but Ill ner heart ntCle DIrd kept
singing, over ana over, the UuLne It'd
lnSo tnaL ner mOunerS employer was
10 take ner old friend on a visit or
two months 10 the mountains OF VIZ
glnla, where MISS hennaru was wont
10 return in her vacations to the
household OF parents VINO Cuuld give
her Io0d and drink ana sheuer, az
least HOW much better Was LnlS IMAM
FeIIcla had dared 10 nope! FRESH am
fresh milk, shade trees an green
lawn, the Blue Ridge mountains en-
comprising Lnelr umIy noIIzOn-WnaL
matter II the hennarus poor olu plan
Cauon house was falling TO rack and
rum, so mat lntIe Was d 1901 70 cover
teIcla uear nLtlG mother, 10 WnOm
ali tnese iuXuries were promised?
1T nda not Deen without nerce ma
ternal struggle in the little widow
breast that this invitation had been
accepted. That she should be taken
and Felicia lett cost her genIIe heart
strange pangS. buL teucla, Who nat
a way with ner none could withstand,
had simply forced her point. one nau
packed ner mothers trunk, had gone
with her to the station, mad parteu
WIN her, 20 ali appearances, JoyIuliy,
and then, TO save car fare, had set out
over the burning bricks OF the pave
ment on her return to Mrs. BalIan-
tyne's.
just then little victoria had driven
close 10 the sidewalk near her and
pulled up. A young woman, cnaIm-
ingly dressed, had leaned FORWARD anu
hailed her by name. FencIa, with q
start of pleasant surprise, recognized
an old schoolmate, a western heiresS,
who had recently married and taken
up her abode here in her husbands
city.
Between the TWO girls had passed
the usual expressions OF teryent greet
ing, and Felicia, installed under the
LCod OF the victoria, was quickly on
the way with Mrs. Branham to her
pretty bridal home.
What a contrast to 1t was presented
by the dull and paltry sitting room of
Mrs. Ballantyne's flat, where, later,
whilst adjusting her modest tea table,
Felicia tried to entertain her employer
with ner new budget Of gossip. But
the dame, who had a touch OF tooth
ache, and was not much in sympathy
with the holiday side of life, of which
so little had fallen to her share, re-
sponded sparely, and Felicia, after
washing the tea things, had retired to
the back window to get a breath of
air while meditating upon the exciting
events of the day.
More than on anything Maud Bran
ham had shown her, Felicia dwelt
upon hint Maud had let fall of help
ing her to better her fortunes.
Il have cousin, Mrs. Dwight Cald-
well, who goes to Newport every sum-
mer from New York" the bride OBJ
served, and l think, though | am not
sure, l heard her say she wishes to en-
gage a secretary to take there with
her this year. | can easily ask, Fe-
licia, and I'm sure if you got it you'd
be in luck. Such a splendid establish
ment hers is-this of mine would be
swallowed up in it-and they enter
tain everybody and go everywhere
She is one of the people one reads
about in the society columns of the
Sunday DpWSnaOprS Her husband ic