The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1897-10-12

the other day twas drawing, painting,
music and such things that made peo-
pie ladies and gentlemen, and | thought
if | learned them at school l might be
lady, too"
well, l know nothing of what Mr..
James said; but you can't be a lady I'M
less you were born to it, and that's a
settled fact. But why don't you call
him master instead of Mr.. Ruthven
'Twould be much more suitable in my
ideas, for young gal like YOU"
Never mind that, Garrett" ex-
claimed Ruthven, who had overheard
this conversation; 81 would rather Mar
garet continued to call me Mr.. Ruth
ven 1t will make things less awk-
ward when she goes to school,
Just as you please, sir" responded
the houekeeper; but from the way in
which she grumbled over her work af-
terWard, it did not seem as though, in
this instance, his pleasure was her
own.
Meanwhile, Peg O'Reilly's feelings at
the contemplated change in her life
were very mixed. This poor child, who
had been reared in a work-house, made
the drudge of grocer's wife, and as a
wait of the streets, had yet preserved
amidst all her wanderings an instinct
i've knowledge that she was capable of
better things.
With the face and form of a child of
ten years old, she had the prematurely
forced mind of a woman twice that age,
which began to show itself as soon as
ever it was placed in congenial at
mosphere. Her first feelings, when
Ruthven carried her off so unceremoni-
ously to his house, had been those Of
fear and curiosity; but she had fallen
into the customs and manners of civil
lied life SO naturally, as almost to in
cline one to believe it could not be her
first Introduction to them.
Her conversations with the house
keeper had imbued her with a terrible
shame of her past life, whilst those
with Hamilton Shore had given her a
thirst to raise herself above even it's
recollections. But beyond all this, as
her mind awakened to a consciousness
of the utter want of claim she had up
on Ruthven's benevolence and gener-
osity, came the deep, heartfelt graft
tude which she never ceased to enter
tain for him. She WIS very shy still
with her patron, and totally powerless
to express her feelings toward him. But
if ever a girl believed man to be more
than mortal, Peg O'Reilly, in her silent
alteration, credited James Ruthven
with that attribute. She was sadly dis
appointed when Mrs. Garrett affirmed
she would never be lady; but she had
heard what Lake Addison said to his
friend on the subject, and she deter
mined she would try to be one, for
Ruthven's sake.
There was a great 1amentation on the
part of Hamilton Shore when he found
that he and Peg were so soon to be sep
arated, and he derived no consolation
whatever from Mrs. Garrett telling him
that so long as his bed was properly
made and his supper ready when he
required it, cit could make no possible
house and went out of it, Ruthven
parted with his protege in the same un-
demonstrative manner In which he had
adopted her. He nodded his head to
her in passing, put a sovereign into her
hand, and told her to be a good child
and learn all she could, and got into
his cab and drove away.
Mrs. Garrett, according to instruc-
tions,, conducted the girl to Black
heath, and delivered her over to the
charge of the Misses Prism. Once hap
PLY freed from the kisses which the
preceptresses lavished on her as long
as Mrs. Garrett was in sight, Peg felt
dreadfully shy on being introduced to
the bevy of young ladies in the school
room, until she discovered that the
Misses Waters, Candy, and Prime spoke
as ungramatically as she did herself,
and that, thanks to the liberality of her
guardian (as Ruthven had desired her
to call him), she was as well dressed
as any girl there.
Indeed, until the neat black leather
trunk with brass nails, which had ac-
companied her to Pomona Villa, was
unpacked Peg had no idea of the
wealth of which she was the possessor.
The young ladies of the highest fami-
lies were all witnesses to it's disem-
bowelment, and as the handkerchiefs,
scarfs, ribbons, collars and such like
easily transferable wares, came to The
c1Irf a hn off 81 I,
panions developed itself as though by