The San Francisco call., 1896-08-23

and found that no one seemed to notice
her at all. Gladys Gleason was the center of
attraction to-day, telling, in quite audible
confidence, group after group Of girls the
mum Der of cakes ordered, the gallons of
:cecream making and the grand prepara-
tions in progress; but not word did she
say to poor Audrey about 1t.
"Gladys has forgotten the rainy nights
that it used to be convenient to stay with
Cousin Audrey before her father was
elected and they moved to town; and the
many favors that Audrey had done her,
never minding her sights and her over
bearing ways. l would not have believed
her capable of such an insult.
"And children are much like their
elders. Not half dozen Will be at Audrey's
party tonight, nor will half a dozen
mothers tell their girls to accept the first
invitation, because-well, because Gladys
is Gleason, and Audrey is poor orphan
girl living with Old Maid Boggs, the mil
liner.
Its a shame; It's burning shame, so
it isr' And the sympathetic old maids
face was buried in her hands while tears
trickIed through her fingers on to the work
below.
II do wonder if Gleason upholds any
such doiugs," said Miss Boggs' listener,
glad OF chance to talk at last,
more than likely he knows nothing
about it. They say he humors those chill
dren to death since their mother died.
He always was a good-natured man-used
to be able to see common folks, too, but
his eyesight seems to be failing since
election. Maybe that's what ails Gladys.
She can't see well on Audrey's level"
Lucy Sykes chuckled over her own wit,
and Miss Boggs dried he- eyes to continue
rival parties. But when she came to
Audrey, bravely trying to bear her bitter
disappointment, tears made way for sobs,
and Lucy Sykes cried softly in sympathy.
X +
In private room not many blocks away
sat George Gleason, surrounded by books,
papers, letters and packages, In dire con-
fusion. He was giving his personal effects
general overhauling before assuming bis
new duties in the responsible position for
which the people of his county had chosen
him.
Some documents would be needed,
OtuoTS were fdiudUic, duQ tucSS u6 udu
sorted and arranged to his satisfaction;
but there was so much other matter
trash, he called it-that must be disposed
of, and this he was finding no easy task
Absorbed in business though he was, Mr..
Gleason had a heart, and mementos of
the past, unearthed for many years, stared
him in the face and buried for the time
more practical objects.
From an old envelope he took box, and
from the box ring. twirling it in his fin
gers, while mental vision reprod uced a
winsome face, not of girlish sweeth cart,
but of his sister Anna, faithful and true.
How many times she had helped him out
of scrapes and shielded him from his
fathers wrath! How she had begged him
to give up his wild com panions, and he re-
fused-until that night.
And then he could see through the dark
ness little figure running across the
fields to the old cooper-shop, a favorite
rendezvous of the toughs that infested the
neighborhood. And another figure, his
stern father, in close pursuit. But Anna
had reached him first, had saved him from
his father-perhaps from worse. for that
very nights LARK ended in fray that
put two of the gang behind prison bars.
And here, in George Gleason's hand,
sixteen years later, lay the ring that he
had bought for Anna on his first trip to
the city with his father. But she never
wore it. having taken advantage OF their
absence to marry man whom both OPP
posed. And it was a terrible mistake, fol-
lowed by life of poverty and wretched-
ness. Ignored by home friends, even BY
the brother who should have been as