Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-11-19

that? / never saw the like. Take your
hands out of the Goals this minute, and go
wash them-you dirty, dirty BOY"
Now" said Johnnie, with a grimace of
triumph at his younger sister, and quite
unmoved at the maternal objurgation-
'now, Miss-sister Winnie did! Now! Ma
says it too"
Don't care returned Louie, stoutly,
darning away; but Johnnie's triumph, or
the longing desire for something" in a
letter for herself, or the fact of having run
the needle into'her finger, broke down her
resolution. MA" she began afresh in the
whimpering tone she had never quite got
rid of from b~abyhood, ina. won't sister
Winnie send me something, too? / wish
sister Winnie would come back"
She'll never come back any more" said
Johnnie, with a nod of assurance. "Ma-
she won't, will she, ma? Sister Winnie
won't come back ever again, ma, will sheg"
II don know-I am sure l wish she
would" replied Mrs. Caerlyon, tartly, for
Sarah Matilda's benefit again; II should
have a person with a head on their shout
ders, and n pair of willing hands to help
me, if she did. Bless me! what on earth
are e all trooping in for like that?" This
was addressed TO a pell-mell crowd rush
ing down the tiled passage from the hall
door. Jus see where e. are all going
and the tiles just ruddled-and the"
Ma" burst from the foremost of the
throng, who nearly tumbled into the
dough-pan in his headlong career-"ma,
there's a lady coming in!"
"a lady in black, ma" painted another
sister-"coming in here. She's-she's
there!' The words were uttered in a whis-
per of alarm, for right behind them, in
the little tiled entry, stood the figure of q
lady yelled and dressed in fresh mourning.
Mrs. Caerlyon rubbed the flour off her
hands, dropped her white apron, and,
nerving herself for the emergency by the
recollection that, whoever she was, she
had no business to walk in like that, when
a person was busy" came forward.
"'Tisn't Miss Trcwhella-Td like to see
the saucy old thing put her foot in my
house!' Mrs. Caerlyon thought in dire
surprise and alarm almost, as, after n mo.
ment's hesitation, the lady in black rushed
forward, meeting her before she reached
the kitchen door, and, fiinging back her
veil. stretched forth both her arms.
Mamma, I've come backr' she cried
''1've come back. dear mamma, to you
and poor lear father, and the children,
and"
"Winniel WINNER Mrs. Caerlyon
screamed, after a stare of blank surprise.
winnie, darling, I'm glad to see Eel Glad
glad, Winnie!" and forthwith Mrs.
Caerlyon clutched her step-daughter in
her arms, kissing her loudly, and crying
vociferously, as is the manner of high
tempered, sharp-featured women when
excited.
'Sister Winnie''--the myth-who lived
In the little pink colored country in North
America-"sister Winnie" this lady in
black! Was the world coming to an end2
The children almost thought so, and,
after budding together for a moment, the
younger ones joined in their mothers hys-
terical crying, until Winnie-fair, grace
full sister Winnie, with the lovely golden
brown hair all in a mass of little glitter
ing curls over the forehead, beneath her
black Grape bonnet-turned to them also
with open arms, kissing them and crying
over them in turn.
One of the Coastguard happened to pass
at the moment, and with grave alarm he
told his officer, five minutes afterwards,
that there was a strange lady all in black
gone into his-the officer's-house, and
hoped as she had brought no bad news |
to the missus, for he thought as he had
heard the children all a~'crying."
Poor Lieutenant Caerlyon ran in pant
ing, %uncovering his gray head respectfully
as he entered the strange lady's presence,
and remembered nothing more, when she
turned round, than a confused scene and
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