The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1897-02-20
knew it,

eating her strength away gay py Gay,
and undermining her constitution.
She had his undivided attention, and
he was ford OF her, but the fact that
she was woman, and not much over
thirty, had never really forced itself
on his mind, and certainly not on his
feelings. A. man, ii he could have
made himself as useful and as COM
paIionable, could have taken her
place. n
One day the peace of Hannah's life
was broken by the coming of cousin,
an orphan like herself, who had
written and asked Hannah to give her
a home while she looked for work.
Hannah wrote and welcomed her with
bitter misgiving at heart. She had to
toll night and day to make money to
pay for food enough for herself and
her ledger.
Madeline came, and, like hot wind
passing over a sensitive plant, she
withered up Hannah's courage. She
was young, and the beauty of her ami
NAL health was startling. She stood
in Hannah's humble parlor ID the
MONDAY sunlight, straight as a young
palm tree and beautiful in symmetry,
a pulsing, tingling piece Of flesh and
blood, colored like pale pink reony.
Hannah felt herself grow colder as she
looked at her. Madelino's eyes were
so blue that if You came into the gar.
den and she YVES there it was her two
commanders fringed with black that
caught your notice, and her childishly
perfect teeth closed tight when she
laughed, and her passionate lips quiv-
cred into smiles. Blue eyes such as
Madeline's, and white young teeth
alone can make face provoking to
the dullest sensibilities; when she in
troduced herself (blushing for her own
prettiness) to tho elderly party he
cursed the white teeth in his heart and
blamed tho beauty of her eyes for he
knew not what. And poor Hannah,
whose eyes had had color in them
once, with growing nnmbness OF her
heart for her own plainness in con-
trast, followed the pink flower that
moved so glibly about tho house, CIV
ing her the best thct lay in her power,
marvelling ct her cousins beauty,
which was after all principally the
result of perfect health and and aself.
ISL disposition.
Weeks passed into months, and
Madeline had planted herself firmly in
the house; Hannah could not turn her
out, and she never suggested going,
and never made any serious attemptto
get work. Her orphan and penniless
condition served her as useful means
OF appealing to the sympathy Of the
elderly party" As time went on,
Hannah saw less and less Of her ledger,
her cousin appropriated as her charge
his study and laboratory, and it was
bitterness and gall to Hannah to- see
her administer to him all the little nt-
tentions which she had been wont to
perform, and the last straw vas that
Madeline talked as il she gave enough
help to fully repay Hannah for her
room and keep.
Hannah, with her heart snarting at
the bitter injustice OF things, could
not tell her that she was day by day
robblng her of all that made life bear
able. Madeline had taken to using
the ''elderly party's" study as her sit
ting room; it was more attractive
than the prim parlor downstairs; and
when Hannah was hard at work dur.
ing the hot August days-dsys that
made her look paler and palmer than
ever, her cousin would sit reading
novel in her favorite basket chair,
with her feet up on the rungs Of on
other-a pretty pictura Of ease and
comfort. She never forgot to look up
at intervals, with cnt.l,ke something
in her blue eyes and in her soft, pur-
ring voice, and say to her companion,
"Dau't you wish that Hannah would
stop fussing and como and sit down"
And as, when woman is particu.
larly busy, q man generally does think
she is "fussing" and choosing to do
something totally unnecessary, the
*'eldcrly party" came TO look upon it
as quite natural that Madeline should
BIZ his hourly companion, and that
she should sit in an easy chair while
Haruah, hot and weary in mind and
body, should toll and strive for them
bota:.
After Madeline had been with them
three months Hanuah's ledger came
int4 a fortune. 1t was not large
one; but it would enable him to live
in case and comfort for the rest of his
life: When Hannah heard the good
news, what she dreaded most did not
happen. He did not suggest moving
into more luxurious lodgings; he
seemed to consider himself a fixture in
the cid wainscoted room with its cot
tage window and old oak floor; but he
bought more pretty plants and fresh
hot house flowers, which Madeline now
accepted with blush and prettiness