The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-06-02
EDA AND ELLA.

A sharp evening it was, the street
lampswere struggling family through
a haze of yellow fog-the dead al
lanthus blossoms ratified overhead as
if the tree in front of Mrs. Medlaw' S
red brick had blossomed full of little
rattle-boxes.
And Mrs. Med1aw had just sat
down to her evening rejection of
toast and tea, when Polly, the maid
who always wore green checked
gingham and carpet slippers came
shufaing in.
Please, ma am, there two young
ladies down in the parlor as says
you're their aunt"
ooh, bother p said Mrs. Medlaw
in sort ofsoliloquy. Its Eda and
Ella knew they'd come on me
when the old man died As if I
hadn't anything else to do but to sup
port swarm of lazy relations. Why
didn't you say that wasn't at home,
Polly?"
81 would, ma Fam, if I'd supposed
they were any relation of your n,
aa aioTe iS Z LET sm Il sad VI
course, they was real ladies. T"
"And just as the tea was boiling,
too p said Mrs. Medlaw. "Oh, dear
me, what world this is p
Eda and Ella Carr were sitting
pale, black-robed, in the moldy-smell-
ing little parlor, when their aunt
came in. They were pretty girls,
with delicate wax-white complexions,
hair SO dark that it gave you the i'm
preston of being black, and great,
blue-gray eyes. They were so ex-
actly alike that strangers could
scarcely tell them apart in fact, as
is often the case with twins, their
voices were pitched in the same key,
and you could scarcely decide at first
which was speaking.
"Well, girls, said Mrs. Medlaw,
rather ungraciously, so you've come
here?"
eve had nowhere else to goaunt, +"
said Eda, meekly."
"Humph % greeted the old lady.
Take off your things. 1 guess you
calculate to stay all night?"
Ella and Eda looked forlornly at
each other. Was this the welcome
they had anticipated from their only
surviving relation?
Mrs. Medlaw lost no time after the
scanty meal in opening the subject of
ways and means.
"Well," said Mrs. Medlaw, and
what are you going to do now?"
eve don't know, aunt, said Ella,
trying hard not to cry.
I'VE haven't quite made up our
minds, aunt" said Eda, hopelessly.
well, amt it high time you had :"
said Mrs. Med1aw. Folks can't live
on air ! And two great, grown-up
girls like you ought to be doing some
thing to earn their salt P'
Ella WINGED, but her most courage
Gus sister responded, promptly:
"That's just exactly what we want
to do, Aunt Medlaw."
eff we only knew what" said
Ella.
There's always plenty of work for
willing hands, +" said Mrs. Medlaw.
Perhaps you could suggest some
thing" Ella said, timidly.
"Polly's going away and 1 want
girl to do my housework at $8 a
month";" said Mrs. Medlaw.
Ella hesitated, but Eda shook her
head.
"We are scarcely strong enough
for that, Aunt Medlaw," she said.
"Humph 1 don't see as you look
any way delicate, " said Mrs. Medlaw,
incredulously. "And Mrs. Hall, that
keeps the boarding house next door,
needs waitress at So
"Quite out of the question:" said
resolute Ella.
you're hard to please" sneered
the old lady. "P'rhaps you suppose
I'm going to pay you salary for sit
ting here and working worsted."
Ella rose to her feet.
"Aunt Medlaw," said she, eve
came here for aid and advice-not to
be insulted."
'Humph r. snarled the matron.
"What do you expect to do about it.
Sit down again, Ella Carr. Don't
get mad for nothing. There is an
other chance I got for you %
"What is that 7"
"I've had to foreclose mortgage
on a little fancy store. want to put
some one in it to sell out the stock.
I'll give you a fair commission on
what you sell. Come, what do you
say to that :"