The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-05-23
NELL.S CAREER

i was beating batter puddings--the
cooking always zen 20 my share. Nell
and Dob were dnlgMug the weeks gror,-
Ing. The Big lilgc bush was IN fuil
bloom outside the kitchen window and
come OF It's purple petals drlfted N upon
the old dimity skirt Neil was ironing.
She hRd 10 brush II on, remember,
with her pretty slender fingers. Deb
and 7 always tried to save Neli's hands
and do the rOuEher work ourselves.
Why not? She was the youngest and
oup pel always.
Suddenly Nell sat down her iron with
q clutter and electrified Us.
Girls" she said. "the editor OF the
Orb has accepted another OF tny stories,
and IIn goiats TO New York"
what, to stay?" cried Deb, and
dropped In q chair speechless.
Yes" said Neii, firmly. II have II
all arranged. ! asked fathers leave
and made him promise not 10 tell you
till everything was settled, because
knew you girls wouldn't Ike II. But
the editor OF The Orb has been very
encouraging, and you know I've had
some work accepted by other papers,
and feel sure lean keep myself. at
least, and ! hope Of courge"-hcr eyes
shining" II win lead 10 bettcr things!
j wrote TO Cousin Libby and She las
explained 20 me how she l.ves--ste IL
lustTates. You know. for weekly papers,
] thinls-and she has rented q room for
mo IN the apartment building whore
she lives herself Fancy! ShcN docs
all hcr own cooking on r little gas
stove in her 'pigglng,. as she
CALI it--aad an 10 do che same for
myself. You can live for very little that
way" lcarnedly, even In New York"
oil III 7 4
Somehow my da2ed mind fastened on
the least of the difficulties In my dar-
ling's path.
We'll, I can learn" she cried gaily,
''or YOU can teach me, En-, In the next
fortnight I'm not going till the 18Th"
l saw her glance az me anxiousiy as
she mentioned the date, and then-I
broke down and so did Deb. and pres
emily we We're all three ciinEing to-
gether and crying--into my bowl of bat
teri
What had father been thinking of. I
wondered. But then he never could
bear 60 cross Nell any more than Deb
or / could. And SO from the first
felt that 1t was settled and that nothing
! could say or do would alter 1t. But,
oh, my heart was heavy
By and by Deb said: Nell, what will
Norris say?" The same thought had
been in my mind but could not put 1t
into words, and was rather vexed at
Deb But we all knew that Norris
loved Nell, though she would have moth
ing to say TO him. II hurt me strangely
even then that Morris should be slight
ed-Morris, so good and bravo and
strong and tender and steady--ycs. and
clever, too that any girl might have
been proud Of his love! Nell only tossed
her pretty head and said cmphatical.y.
"Oh, MoTis!" And after a while she
and Deb began ironing again, and I
went to The cellar for moro eggs and
made fresh batter. And that was how
Nell told us.
The next fortnight was busy one.
though Il passed, aaipeople say, like a
dream Miss Partridge came up from
the village 10 help US put Nell's ward
robe in order, ather Grated the seei OF
mahogany furniture which had been
mothers when she married and which
Nell was to take with her, and ! got
| together the best and smallest of my
kitchen tins and sauccpans and packed
them In a wooden box. which was to
serve aftcrward. with shelves fitted in
side il, Nell declared rs her "litchen."
How anxious felt about the plugging"
arrangements and what careful iustruc-
and omelet making! Morris came ard
went, looking. oh! so grave, and Nell's
resentment Of his attitude was hot and
showed itself IN the brusquerie with
which she treated him. What passed
between them the last evening / never
knew. They We're together for a long
time in the garden, and after they had
parted Nell brushed past me crying,and
Morris, coming TO say good night"
looked white aud stern. Ny heart ached
for him. But he came with us to the
talk cheerfuily TO Deb and me after we
had said Good-by to our dear girl and
watched the train steam off.
That was G dreary summer.
It was very dry and hot, and
nothing did well IN the garden.
Father was ailing. tand Deb and
| dropped into dull round of daily du
ties. Norris came seldom. He was
very busy, he told us. with his incrcas-
ing law practice, which was extending
itself through all OF the neighbOring
| villages. Nell's letters were our only eX
element. and though they we're cheer
| full and amusing, with many bright de-
scriptions of New York life. from the
| plugging SIDE" as she called II, It SEEM
ed to me that an UNDERGONE Of discOur-
| agement ran through them. However.
| with the autumn things began to look
better. Fathers health improved and
Nell wrote that she had been offered n
| position on the stan OF one Of the pa
pers she had been writing for. Morris
began TO be about the house again as
he used to be, and with him came Jack
| Herrick. 4 young fellow whom he had
| taken into partnership and who evil
I al nnh NJ Rn1gs
asked after Nell, but / noticed that
when her name was mentioned, he
never missed a word that was said, and
| at Christmas, In the box that we eX
| pressed to her, he sent a small parcel.
| Nell wrote back: THANK Morris for
his pretty gift" After Christmas Nor
| rls and Jack came still oftener. We
| went sleigh-riding togcther-we four
and bobbIng on the hill. Sometimes I
used to wonder how Deb and and
Morris could be so gay and lishthearted
with Nell away.
BY Easter Deb and Jack were en-
gagged.
After that-well, the five months Glfat
| followed were-whHt were they? All,
how happy was! And yet how wretch
| ed. How / refused 10 look into the fu-
| ture and lived in feverish excitement
| from day to day, hoping, fearing. dread
ing, longing for what ] would not. could
| not, plainly facet Morris was growing
to love me--a little, not as he could
love. but still little-8i0rrls, whom
| IdoltZed. And Nell?
The end came one day In September,
when we went to the woods for golden
| rod. Deb and Jack had wandered OF aud
| had torn my hand-my stuboy,work-
| worn hand, so unlike Nelson O BtruG-
| Cling blackberry vine, Morria had band
| aged IL for me and rs I looked up our
49, 80 Ia nlLnrnh hla ming nrniinl