Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1897-11-11
p vi.

July, with its roses and lilies, blossom
ing lines, and long sultry days, and I'm
gering sunsets late into the dewy night.
was over. 1t was August, and though
summer, was still lovely in the land, the
summer evenings were shortening, the
roses were waning a little, as to the limit
less p~rofusion OF bloom; while here and
there those flowers that are harbingers Of
autumn began to show in the castle gar
dens; gaudy dahlias, Old-world holly
hooks: flaming ~sunaowers, staring at the
blue sky with great round, brown faces
in ragged yellow night caps against a
background of gray stone wall.
Stelia's new life had begun. 1t vas
verify u new life; so entirely different
from the old one that it seemed to the
child an il she had died and been born
again; in the same place, but with an
other personality. Stella lived in the SER
wants quarters now, and looked out of
the windows which MI opened upon the
stable yard, a great stony desert, whose
only picturesque feature was the pump,
with its stone basin, round which q coach
man, with a love OF the beautiful, had
planted some nasturtiums.
Oh, how dull the life was! How dreary
and monotonous, despite it's ~clatter. The
great dinner in the servants hall, the
stcaming joints, the monster pudding. the
a~li-pervhding smell of beer: the male un-
behring's all clustered at the end of the
table, having their Own conversation and
their own whispered jokelets, digging
each other in the ribs, exploding, with full
mouths into foolish, srluttering laughter.
Then the long afternoon; sitting at work,
hemming q kitchen cloth, perhaps, by the
window that looked into the stony yard,
where all the summer air was scented
with stables.
The hourly suffering OF her days, sleep
less nights and loss of appetite soon had
their effect. Stella began to look very i'll
-worse than she had looked even when
she first got up from her bed Of fever.
Betsy was anxious about her; took her
aside and questioned her. Why did she
look 10 miserable?
Stella burst into tears and unburdened
her s0ui. She was altogether unhappy.
She hated the still-room. she hated Mid
dleham: hut most Of all she hated the
room where she slept and the chatter Of
the minds.
There was q little room on the door owe
the servants' dormitories, which was
mostly gwen over 10 nNe0 CIOSet8 ana DOx-
rooms, u room that had been occupied
Eonce by q valet. 1t was very small and
had q sloping ceiling, but the dormer win
dow commanded a sidelong peep of the
park-just about as much as that fine
| view Of the sen put forward BY q harden
ed lodging house keeper-and Betsy, who
knew her charge better than any one else,
fancied that this little room would be as
a haven of rest to Stella. James, the
footman, who was q handy youth, might
put mp a shelf or two for her, and by-and-
by perhaps Betsy would be able to get a
few Of those books-lesson books. poetry
books, story boOks-for which the sicken.
ed child's heart longed 20 sorely: the only
possible consolation where all human com
fort was lost.
There was = neat little iron bedstead
and the. necessary furniture, all Of the
plainest, barest, most uninteresting order
A. duly made and provided for . subject
race; but when BetsS- teok the child uI
~ The little room. under the tiles and told
Tier that she could have + tor her own