The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1898-09-09
eumstantial evidence that he had been

CumSGaQtIhl GYIucnCc tAaG AC N"'~ "
mimicking somebody.
son, Miss Hamlin," said Nellie Stir
ling. "there's the funniest old body up In
the parlor. You should see her! I'm
morally certain her bonnet came out OF
the ark; and she had huge carpet bag
beside her and was eating peppermints'
I was really scared and ran, but Ned here
struck up a conversation with her he
says it was very amusing"
"She wasn't too bad an old SOUL" put
in Mitchell, good and motherly and all
that, you know. But.her grammar-and
her accent! She was close, too-would-
MT give away her name or business.
Shrewd old body, l fancy, but rather
think the maid was mistaken in showing
her into the parlor. Probably she came
to call on the cook"
Miss Hamlin had listened fndlferentiy.
"Some country relation of Mrs DE Ha-
vents, possibly" she suggested.
''If so, should say the poor old soul
didn't get very gushing reception.
She's been sitting there for two hours,
and looks tired to death"
Miss Hamlin passed on into the library
Mrs De Haven met her, looking rather
Hurried.
miss Hamlin," she said hesitatingly,
'your mother is here. She came after
you were out and said she would wait.
She ia up in my parlor-I asked her to
| take off her things, but she said she had
rather not until you came"
Miss Hamlin had turned crimson and
then pale, but she simply said: "ThanR
you, Mrs De Haven" and went swiftly
upstairs.
But not to the parlor. Instead, she fed
up second flight to her own room, shut
the door aud sat down on her bed. Ir
the mirror before her she saw herself re-
fected-handsome, graceful and well
gowned. And she saw plainly enough
also, the figure in the parlor below
short and dumpy and bent, in the ole
scant, ill-fitting alpaca dress, the faded
shawl and ancient bonnet-with bony
hands and wrinkled face-her mother
How Mrs Austin and Miss Stirling
would sneer! How Fred Owen would
stare with unconcealed and superciliouI
disgust And Howard Sherman, the fas
tidious and critical-what would ht
think of her mother? Well, he would
L Ot forget that he was gentleman-h'
ould not act as the others would; bu
he would quietly cease his attentions tx
her and look else where for a mother-in
law.
"Oh, If only mother had not taken i
into her head to come here! ~ said Mis-
Hamlin impatientlV. "She never did be
fore. How can face them down there
after all they said about her, too'
She got up with determined face. 81
won't do it," she said, aloud. It would
be absurd to spoil everything like that
I'll just have to 60 down and put tbs
WI ole case frankly before mother. Shell
see how things are and she'll consent IL
60 quietly ava, to some nice boarding
place for the night. can 60 to see hel
there and nobody need know anything
about it except Mrs De Haven"
She took step to the door and thel
paused. What was it she was going to do
!; Was she actually ashamed of the dea
old mother to whom she owed so much
She turned again and went over to tn
window. Pushing aside the lace ORA
) peries she looked out on the maple bough
, and over them down the vista of misty
, blue streets.
She had not always been Miss Hamlin
r. A, sub, editor of the Ladies' Banner
, It was o, SO very long, as years go
> since she had been little girl In prin
dresses and sunbonnets, living with he
} widowed Il her out among the countr,
r hill o In the little brown house hidden b,
| apple trees. They had been poor and Lift
, was hard struggle for her mother, VIII
managed the little farm and strove Il
/ shield her daughter from the hardship
she herself bad known. But they ba,
. been very happy there. Then when sh
| had grown into big girl, clever an,
i ambitious, she had gone away to schoo
and after that TO college. The littl
, brown mother had worked and pinche,
and planned at home, denying herself al
the luxuries and even comforts that he
daughter might 90 danrily gownet
among her comrades and have all th
advantages possible.
| Madge Hamlin had not been migrate
full; nor was she idle. In vacation sh'
taught school and while at college earned
some money by her pen, In addition Ii
the scholarships she had taken. Blu