Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-01-26

went to find his wife.
! Ten minutes later the girl had been
| made welcome, had been installed in Mr..
Osmond's big chair by the dining room
| fire, and her hostess had gone to the
kitchen to see what Barby had left ready
for her masters supper.
| Left alone Rose Lorrimer looked around
her in bewiIderment. She had hardly
| known that such kindness existed In the
world as these two had shown to her.
How had she deserved that they should
| take her homeless and friendless as she
| was aud n stranger, into their home,
treating her with such courtesy that one
could almost fancy it pleasure for them,
instead of charity to her. How homeIike
the room was, just such surroundings as
she could have fancied they would choose,
and, poor child, it had been so many
months since she had felt the atmosphere
of home. she noticed every detail with a
keen sense of appreciation.
And once more that night the little
hunting scene on the opposite wall was
destined to play part. As Rose Lori
| mer's eyes rested upon it, they grew wide
and hot with tears, SO well she remem
bered. She could recall how it looked
there in summer, with the blue waters of
the lake sparkling in the sunlight, but
purer and fairer still under winter sky,
when it seemed like fairy isle in jeweIed
robes, and broad ribbons OF shining silver
crossed the lake from shore to shore. And
the memory it brought of the old home
and girlhood's pleasures, made keen and
piercing by the cares and sorrows that had
crowded thick and fast upon her since she
left ii, hurt far more than all the terror
and dread OF a few hours before.
She struggled braveIy to maintain her
self control, but conflicting emotions
prevented her from making more than a
pretense at eating the supper that WAS
presently set before her, and Mrs. Os-
mond, seeing how tired and agitated she
was, took her away to a cosy little sleep
ing room.
Below stairs, over his cigar, Mr.. Os-
mond related his story, and when he had
finished his wife told him OF her wish
that evening. ~ little dreamed then,
Hubert, that you were bringing me some
one who needed a little sunshine If ever
anyone did. That poor girl had been
buffeted by the world until courage
and hope were gone. You could never
have forgiven yourself IL you had allowed
her to go on to ruin perhaps"
mo, for | felt impelled to speak to her
and have learned to be guided by such
impulses. Her face told plainly that her
wrong DOING
The week that followed WAS tae happi-
est that Rose Lorrimer had known for a
long time. The first day she was so ex-
hausted that she WAS not permitted to
leave her couch, and vas most cheerfuIly
waited upon hy Barby; but on the second
morning she found herself ready to get
up, and donning the pretty morning
gown Mrs. Osmond had provided, went
down to breakfast wit a heart throbbing
with good deal OF gratitude and some
thing OF curiosity as to What the future
held for her.
Mr.. Osmond looked up at her wit h
evident surprise at the change in her APP
pearance The pink gown with its soft,
the cheeks that had not yet quite lost
their palior, and heightened the brit
liancy of her dark eyes. Her hair was
dressed daintily, high upon her head,
and she looked very little like the for
lorn girl that he had brought homc. She
was older, too, than he had thought her,
fully twenty five he decided RS he filled
hcr nj Mt har his
breakfast in the usual hurried manner
of business men who know that trains
will not wait their convenience.
After breakfast Rose was taken away to
the sewing room, and presently the two
women were deep into the mysteries Of
Christmas planning and sewing, Mrs. Os
mond wisely judging that employment
for the hands would be the best medicine
for the mind. Not word was said about
getting situation for her, and one night
when Rose spoke to Mr.. Osmond ,bout it,
he had smilingly asked her if she was not
at work now, ana babe her wait until the
holidays were over.
So she waited patiently and meauW nile
made herself as useful as she could, while
house hold she lost much Of the shadow
that had chung to her, and frightened
and bloomed into a veritable rose. Hers
was buoyant spirit, and though at
time, she would sit by her window until
far into the night, a d think till her eyes
were dim with weep lg, she kept sunny
face before the others, and laughed and
sang until she found that the darkness OF
late years was fading away, and she
seemed to be emerging into the sunlight
once more.
She had told Mrs. Osmond her history,
all but one brief page, and that her bene-
factress never once guessed, though she
wondered sometimes why shadow
seemed to cross her face when she glanced
at the little painting in the dining room
n