The age-herald., 1900-04-22
SiSt6r HAnI6'S StOPU
BY EDITH MAY.

l Catholic. nor Protestant, nor denomina- tional, she told us, but sisterhood apart devoted to good deeds and embracing all religions.
 And as we grew to know Sister Annie | better We respected her oreeds and loved her Hither and thither she went, doing good always.
 1t did not take long for us to see that | old Silas Banker the moneyed man of the | village, the president or the bank, and | owner of the street railroad, had fallen | head over heels in love with Sister Annie Often her mission of charity took her to the bank, and when she came away il was l With wide-open eyes of gratitude and full purse With her eyes Sister Annie thanked 1 Siias Banker, and with the money she went rom house to house, doing good. That was Sister Annie. Yet we all felt that she had a history . One evening l, the spinster of the town, sought Sister Annie, to call upon her Iouhd her upon her knees in front of the window, looking out Her eyes were cast heaYenward and there were tears in them. Tell me, Sister Annie" said l. why do you weep? Are you lonely?"
 For answer she brushed away the tears and turned away
 That evening, after we had talked about the latest case of distress in the village, | and after Sister Annie had outlined a. plan for the relief of the poor I turned again to the subject which I had touched upon before, her lonely life. To my surprise Sister Annie burst into tears; and then she told me this story: ''I was ot always a sister," said she. My life was in the gay world I danced until morning, and daytimes I flirted and lived the life of the gayest. That was until he came along. "1 tried not to love Guy Warwick be- cause l knew that he was engaged to my sister. During all the time when I was growing up he was courting her. and when l came back from school they were gagged.
 "The first time I met Guy after my return from school, saw in him my ideal. Our eyes met, and I think he read there the story which was afterwards to be so plainly told to him.
 Guy tried to put me aside. to notice me little, to never speak to mo if he could help it. But Sister Alice was blind She 1 threw us together constantly and many an evening 1 was sent into the parlor to entertain Guy while Alice finished her | toilette for the evening. Finally, the story came to be a well known one to us. During our minutes learned to read Guys soul, and he grew to understand me.
 ''One evening he said: How prettily your hair ripples over your forehead. wish Alice had such bright hair Then he Stoppcu SutueIiy, LOT not TOT WOrlOS WOulu he then have been disloyal to Alice Yet I could not have blamed him if he had, for Alice, like many engaged girls, firted privately-though Guy suspected it and in public snubbed and neglected him. All the tyranny of an engaged girl was hers. and many time I have seen Guys face cloud at some careless speech made by Alice.
 Yet I thought that Alice loved him. Or did she love his money and his position? That was all to be decided soon. "One evening Guy came late to call upon Alice, and he had a worried look upon his face. After an hour Alice sent him home telling him that he was stupid. Alice was a great belle, and had many a proposal. I heard mamma tell Guy, the evening of his acceptance that nothing eX- cept his high character and-ahem-his worldly advantages. could have influenced so great a belle as Alice to decide in his favor when so many were courting her. Yes Alice was a beauty; not the small type like myself, but commanding; very Juno.
 'The next evening Guy did not appear, and when no roses came from him, nor as much as a line, Alice suked. That night she was brilliant in white satin, and enter tained several callers with so much grace that mamma was more pleased with her than ever.
 "I am half sorry that Alice ever accept
 
 Guy is so quiet, almost dull you might say, while Alice is so brilliant that she would do justice to the home of an ann bassador.
 And then I saw that mamma had newly awakened ambitions for Alice. And I re- called the deep bow which Count Zerlcl<y of the Russian legation always paid to Alice, and I remembered that Alice had chatted with him alone for several minutes that evening in the corner of the sofa.
 What is the use of living in Washing ton if one cannot take advantage of the social positions it offers you? said mamma, in answer to my uplifted brows.
 "The next day the count sent Alice a basket of flowers and that afternoon he called upon mamma, and Alice saw him.
 And still no word from Guy, for three whole days.
 'I was terribly worried about him and late that afternoon I coaxed mamma to send note to him inviting him to supper that evening.
 Tn answer to the note came a long let ter from Guy telling mamma that he had bad tidings for her. By some unfortunate speculation his entire fortune had been swept away, and now the only home he could offer Alice was that of poor man.
 The letter went on to Say that he could not expect Alice to keep her engagement, and if she so desired he would give her her freedom again.
 well, Ailce broke her engagement, and when Guy came to say goodbye to mamma and me l held out my hand to him. but could not say a word, for felt that 1t was our last meet and, from liking him as brother 1 had grown to love him dearer than aught else in the world.
 Two days later l met Guy in the street. but hastily turned the corner lest he should see the tears in my eyes. But Guy had seen them.
 How shall l tell the story of meeting him by accident again and again, until our meetings had grown to be an established thing? How can I describe the duplicity by which I stole from the house every af- ternoon, ,sand, walking along quiet street. met Guy, and talked with him? Sometimes we took long walks together, and during these walks l saw, as Alice had never seen, the true man..
 Finally the day came when he spoke the words-and l accepted him.
 What a dream of bliss lived in the following weeks. until the inevitable came Guy insisted that I must tell mamma and Alice of our engagement, and did so.
 Alice treated me with quiet scorn, but mamma stormed and declared that I had dfcpraced her As the wife of a poor mar