The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1898-09-09

When [ get lonesome 60 and sit there
and fancy | kin see you asserting there
reading or writing, as you used to do
long ago. That's the tea-pe1l, amt it,
Marg'ret Ann? I'm real glad, for I'm half
| starved. II it hadn't a-bin for them pep
PERMITS, dunno hardly what I'd q
DONE"
''It's dinner, mother-you know din
ner at night is the custom here. Now
your hair Ia nice and we'll go down."
All feeling save love and tenderness
had vanished from the girls heart. But
she also felt a certain defiance and ag-
gressiveness. This was her mother; she
would compel her fellow boarders to
treat her with respect, whatever they
thought or said among themselves. She
drew the bony, knobted hand through
her arm and led Mrs Hamlin down to the
drawing room. There was a decided
! glitter in her eyes and an unmistakable
ring in her voice as she said: MRS De
| Haven, this is my mother
Mrs DeHaven i ose to the situation like
the true lady she was. Mrs Austin smil-
ed and said sweetly $50 glad to meet
our dear Miss Hamlin's mother"
Nellie Stirling giggled audibly and
Fred Owen stared superciliously. Ned
Mitchell shook hands with boyish hear
tiness, and sMr Sherman in the back.
ground bowed in grave silence. Miss
Hamlin felt that the limit OF her endur.
ance had been reached when dinner was
announced.
Mrs Hamlin was at first too much over.
come by the splendor of the table ap.
pointments and the variety Of the courses
, TO talk; but this soon wore Off. She had
a good deal of the assertiveness that be-
longed in a refined way to her daughter
J and possessed the same faculty OF max
/ ing herself at home In all circumstances
In spite of her simplicity she soon saw
= that some Of the boarders were making
} fun Of her, but this did not disturb her
She rather pitied them for their ill-breed
| ing, aid she did not mean to be put dowr
, by anybody. She talked wholly TO hel
daughter about the folks at hum anG
the various interests Of her farm anG
: dairy. She was voluble talker and hel
| grammar and accent were decidedly shor
OF perfection.
, Mrs Austin listened with q covert
smile and occasionally shrugged he1
t shoulder expressively at Ned Mitchell
, Nellie Stirling giggied INCREASINGLY, thin
, ~ protected by 0 wen's feeble witticisms
|. How ward Sherman maintained an unbrok
en- silence. Mrs Hamlin talked sereuely
on about Dea Hubbard's church row anG
, Mary Jane Campbelrs beau and the price
Jake Crosby was giving for eggs, the
} quantity Of hay yielded by the marst
meadow, the trouble she had had witt
Brindle's calf, her last dispute with the
hired man over wager, until Miss Ham
Inns cheeks were on fire and she felt as il
she must scream aloud il that dinner die
not come to an end.
When 1t was finally over and she hac
+ got her mother safely away in her owr
room again, she felt years older. Now
mother DEAR" she said, slipping down or
/ a cushion at her mothers feet, "let me
lay my head in your lap and play Tn
your little girl again. I really wish
was.'
| The older woman passed her toilworr
r hand caressingly up and down the brighI
| waves OF auburn hair.
{ "I'm so sorry, mother, but I'll have te
leave you alone for awhile. I must ge
up TO the office for an hour or so. Yog
9 see, was away all day and the issue
I goes to press Tomorrow. You uon't
= mind, will you? You can stay here In
my room, and there are books and pic
( tures.n
/ "Bless you, dearie, OF course won'
mind. I wouldn't want you to neglec
anything. I amt much for books, SO III
go down to the parlor and chat witt
. some OF the folks That yeIlow-haireG
I young chap seemed real nice and socia
BILE to-day
Miss .Hamlin suppressed sigh. II
t fancy she saw her mother In the draw
!. ing-room holding forth undauntelly or
I crops and dairying, or else sitting il
: miserable, cowed silence. What q Iarh
], it would all be for Nellie Stirling anG
: Fred Owen. And Ned Mitchell was mo-
above taking rises out Of her mother
| II he could-although Miss Hamlin re
! Elected with sort OF grim satisfaction
that this latter performance was moi
very easy after all.
n Silence tell between them FOR fen
minutes. A sense DC rest and tender
protection illled her heart 81 she sat with