The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1896-08-27
NEh1IES CAREER.

I shall never forget that June morn
ing when Nell told us.
l was beating batter p~uddings-the
cooking always fell to my share-and
Nell and Deb were finishing the weeks
ironing. The big lilac bush was in full
bloom outside the kitchen window, and
some of the purple petals drifted in
upon the old dimity skirt Nell was
Ironing. She had to brush them off, l
remember, with her pretty, slender
fingers. Deb and l always tried to
save NelIs hands and do the rougher
work ourselves. Why not? She was
the youngest and III pet always.
Suddenly Nell set down her iron with
a clatter and electrified us.
Girls" she said, the editor of the
Orb has accepted another of my stories
and I'm going to New York"
"What, to stay?' cried Deb, and l
dropped on a chair, s~peechless.
Yes" said Nell firmly. Il have it
all arranged. | asked fathers leave
and made him promise not to tell you
till everything was settled, because |
knew you girls wouldn't like it and
would try to persuade me to give it
up. But the editor of the Orb has
been very encouraging and you know
l have had some work accepted by
other papers, and l feel sure l can
keep myself, at least, and l hope, of
course" her eyes shining, lit will lead
to better things. | wrote to Cousin
Libby, and she has explained to me
how she lives-she illustrates, you
know, for weekly papers, l think-and
she has rented a room for me in the
apartment building where she lives
herself. Fancy. She does all her own
cooking on a little gas stove in her
rOom-'pigging' she calls it-and l am
to do the same for myself. You cal
live for very little that way" learned
ly, ''even in New York"
But. Nell, you can't cook" 1 said.
Somehow my daZed mind fastened on
the least Of the difficulties in my dar-
ling's path.
"Well, | can learn" she cried gayly,
cor you "a teach me, Elm, in the mex
fortnight. I am not going till the
10th
l saw her glance at me ~anXiously as
she mentioned the date and then-I
broke down and SO did Deb. and pres
emily we We're all three %clinging to-
gether and c~rying-into my bowl of
batter.
What had father been thinking of, l
wondered. But then he never could
bear to cross Nell, any more than Deb
OF | could. And so from the first l
felt that it was settled and that moth
ing | could say or do would alter it.
But, oh, my heart was heavy.
By and by Deb said: Nell, what
will Morris say" The same thought
had been in my mind, but | could not
put it into words and l was rather
veXed with Deb. But we all knew
that Morris loved Nell, though she
would have nothing to say to him. 1t
hurt me strangely eve then that Nor
ris should be slighted-Morris, so good
and brave and strong and tender and
steady-yes, and clever, too-that any
girl might have been proud of his love.
Nell only tossed her pretty head and
said emphatically: "Oh, Morris!' And
after awhile she and Deb began iron
ing again and l went to the cellar for
more eggs and made fresh batter. And
that was how Nell told us.
The ext fortnight was a busy one,
though it passed, as people say, like a
dream. Miss Partridge came up from
the village to help us put Nell's ward
robe in order. father Grated the set of
mahogany furniture which had been
mothers when she married and which
Nell WAS 10 Jake WITH HeT, anu L SOl
together the best and smallest of my
kitchen tins and saucepanS and packed
them in a wooden box. which was to
serve afterward, with shelves fitted in
side it. Nell declared, as her Kitchen"
How anxious l felt about the %'pigging''
arrangements and what careful in
structions l gave, OIL tried to give, in
coffee and Omelet making! Morris
came and went, looking, oh, so grave,
and Nells 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 were
together for a long time in the garden
and after they had parted Nell brushed
past me crying and Morris, coming to
say goodnight" looked white and
stern. My heart ached for him. But
he came with us to the station the
next morning and tried to talk cheer
fully to Deb and me after we had said
good-by to cur dear girl and watched
the train steam off.
That was a weary summer. 1t was
very dry and hot and nothing did well
in the garden. Father was ailing, and
Deb and | dropped into a dull round
of daily duties. Morris came seldom.
He was very busy, he told is, with
his increasing law practice. which was
extending itself through all the neigh
boring villages. Nell's letters We're our
only excitement, and though they were
cheerful and amusing, with many
bright descriptions of New York life
''from the pigging side" as she called
it, it seemed to me that an unQert)le
of encouragement ran through them.
However. with the autumn, things be-
gan to look brighter. Fathers health
improved and Nell wrote she mad been
offered a position on the staff Of one
of the papers she had been writing for.
Morris began to be about the n1llSe
again as he used to be, and with him
came Jack Herrick, a young "cllow
whom he had taken into partnership
and who evidently admired Deb. Nor
ris rarely asked after Nell, out | 70
ticed that when her name was men
toned he never missed a word that
was said, and at Christmas, i'll the box
we expressed to her. he sent n small
parcel. Nell wrote back, Thank Nor
ris for his pretty gift" After Christ
mas Morris and Jack came still often
er. We went sleighriding together
we four-and bObbing on the hill.
Sometimes | used to wonder how Deb
and | and Morris could be so gay II
light-hearted with Nell away.
BY Easter Deb and Jack were en-
gagged.
After that-well. the five months that
followed were-What were they! All,