The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1899-09-08

known distresses, yet not so far away as
to be wholly unguessed.
Miss Virginia had engaged nay services
as companion for whole year at gem
erous price, my work being chiefly read
ing aloud and writing or answering ht +
formal notes. AS Invariably acquiesced
in all her decisions, I told her now that l
should stay at home. But my apparent
yielding was hardly honest, for / meant
to spend the evening 10 looking over my
last seasons fisnnels, and cutting down
and making over ian art that [ had thor
oughly lea aed) fUraMaggie and the third
child, Lena the second, fourth, fifth and
sixth were boys. Then another day |
could carry these things and SEE what
they needed most, and surely l could
give the little help within my power with
no apparent risk of social destructiveness.
Miss Virginia Quincy was at least
twice my age-I suppose so-and with
all her inherited wealth in houses, lands,
bank stock and the innumerable costly
intel ectual inheritance still richer, no
one could dispute her various grounds OF
superiority. But had at least one ad-
vantage over her. l can take life easily.
Those who have so much to lose dare
not take the common chances. Her
riches, her culture, her highly refined
tastes, all put her on the defensive. She
is even more alone than I, for her only
brother died, last year, in Japan, and she
has absolute ly no near relatives. Her ir-
reproachable conformity to all the out
ward requirements Of social existence
has not brought her real friends. 10
the game of life she makes many deco
rous exchanges, but how little she knows
and her suspicious, taken together, have
kept away manv suitors. She has a
large circle of sufficiently az reeable peo-
pie whom she observes and analyses,
but she has no one to love.
Now with us, who own nothing In the
world but our own persons and an undi
vided share in the vast regions of hope,
there Is no startling danger obvious II.
following out natural impulses. Even q
rash enterprise, however unsuccessful
leaves as not much poorer than when we
went into 1t. In spite Of all her finish,
her dignity, her calmnese, l had 'caught
a glimpse OF an ardent, imprisoned spIr.
it that CLEANED through the various d g.
guises of Miss Virginia's cool exterior
Many layers of inherited pride and for
ma llsm could not wholly conceal 1t. A
secret instinct told me that behind her
finished elegance, her exacting, yetsmod
crate, demand upon others, her quiet in
flexible decision, the real woman SAT
alone, hungry for life, stately ard unfed !!
I. Why should tr5mble at her warnings
had she solved the problems? thought
OF the little Moriartys-all eyes and vii
lingness, as they seemed to me, and /
stoutly resolved to NEEDLE with their des-
TIMES to the full extent OF my power.
But looking back at this distance, L am
half terrified at the magnitude Of that re-
suit which hung upon the little thread Of
opportunity that grasped with so little
fear.
An hour later the parlor maid came to
my room to announce in her least smic-
able voice, "There's a little bit of an Irish
boy wants We, Miss; it's wan o. them Mo.
riarty's." / found Dugald sitting, awe
struck, on the edge Of hall chair. Du.
gald Is the biggest of the three littiest of
the Moriartys. He held q dirty scrap of
paper in his smudged fist, and his indie a..
mite features were twisted in msnful ef-
fort not to cry. Maggie can read and
write. 1t would be hard to tell how she
has learned 80 much, for her mother
seldom could spare her to 60 to school.
(Do not suppose that her accomplish.
ments and mine are on par-Maggie can
do many other thiDgs.) .-%
Cling lines. 1.-The little bye is awful alex,
and dunno what co do. Maggie"
The little boy-was that Timothy |?
Timothy Moriarty was the next TO the
Youngest. His eyes were the biggest and
his hair was the yellowest OF the whole
troop. IL he had been the scion OF q
millionaire, beautifully cared * + and con,
family attended by Swiss nurse, WI b
broad ribbons flowing down to her feet,
after the fashion of Mrs Maunering's ba.
by boy, every one would have stopped to
stare In astonishment. Striking personal
beauty may be superfiuous gift In the
common room of thirj-story tenement,
but such as 1t is Timothy Moriarty had 1t
for bis own. What a contrast his firm,
rosy, elastic flesh would make with the
puny overcoddled little beings that wa
accustomed to see opposite, sEnothered In
costly lace and VelvetI
Calling Joanns to leave q message for
Miss Virginia, hurried away with Du-l
z Ii as conductor. It was not Timothy,
10 Sever, for whom was called, but
little Mike, the baby,just four weeks old,
ito minute as Maggie quantity In
formed me. Maggie's eyes were apt to
be fixed on the queer old.fashioned clock
which had been rescued from the pawn
shop, ut intervals, to be he r intimate com.
paniOn In the great anxieties OF her ca
reer. A clock that would ssreaily tell
time" was great a0lace TO household
or like Maggie.
He lay just like this an hour and
half an 10 minutes ago, she told me, aud
to my inexperienced eyes the paIlid little
mortal with waxen eyelids half closed
seemed alarmingly Ill. Beside this, the
father had not been home, and with no
one to share the responsibility Maggie's
courage had given way. Did I think
here was much the matter And she tried
10 smile through her tears. A doctor was
brought, and after lsome anxious hours