The Atlanta constitution., 1900-07-09

| while voice calleu Clearly III iihSiH6
musical tone. "Quiet. Gellert. quiet. good
/ dog, to kennel. 1 cannot sleep. naughty
| dog: to kennel!'
The dog yelped n recognition and was
silent for a few minutes. then whined as
| II asking for company. Yes! dear old
| Gellert. SHOULD like to go down to you.
but 1 must not" and she withdrew from
the window closing 1t and walking to-
ward large old-fashioned sofa. where
some wraps lay she took up shawl ana
| moved noiselessly back.
| What are you doing Madeline?" asked
| a childish querulous voice from little
bed in a corner of the large. low room.
II cannot sleep when you walk about!
Do put out the light.
Yes! 1 am going to cover up the WIN
dow. Dolly" and the speaker paused In
the full. silvery stream of moonlight, a
slight girl looking taller than she really
was in her long straight white night
| gown. her loose sleeves falling back as
| she held up the shawl showing snowy.
rounded arms-a rare but exquisite beauty.
Her face. which was rather short but del
| icately oval was lit UP by a pair of eyes
| dark but not black. and smiling In har-
| mony with her red. parted lips. as she
looked lovingly toward the speaker. Hav-
| ing pinned the shawl to a couple of hooks
at either side of the easement she went
over to the little bed. for there was sufi-
cient light still to show the larger OBJ
jects in the room. ''are you warm enough.
dear?" she asked.
"Oh. yesl 1t is not cold tonight. are
you reading still?"
"Oh. no. Dolly! It Is quite the middle OF
night. Gellert reused me with his baying.
Now so to sleep. dear. 1 am going back
| to bed"
A small pair Of arms emerged from the
bed clothes and were thrown round Made
leines neck.
kiss me good night
God bless you, my sweet!' and hav-
ing tucked up her little roommate. Mad
eleine kissed her tenderly and returned
| to her own bed, but not to sleep.
| First she lay listening to the profound
and solemn silence which seemed an en-
bodiment of the vast solitude which sur
| rounded their abode 1t was little more
than year and a half since she had
left the thickly peopled neighborhood of
London and the terror of her present
| isolation had not yet worn off. Madeleine
was physically q coward. and quite un-
| aware that deep down in her scarcely
| developed nature lay a vein of undlscov-
cred gold. rich with wondrous possibli-
| ties, among them the courage which
comes from high-toned will and spiritual
conviction. At this period of her young
existence she depressed by sense
of her own insignficance, ner valueless-
ness in the eyes of all with whom she
was In any way connected.
Her only protector was her half broth
err Jon Erie, a man quite old enough to
be her father-indeed she had never
known any other-and he was a stern, ST.
| lent representative. She thought little
of such things till she was suddenly
| uprooted from her childnood's home and
plunged into that miniature world.
school Then vague hints dropped here
and there respecting the extreme good
ness and generosity of MIR. Erie. her
schoolmistress' exhortations to diligence
and attention In order to prove her graf
| itude to her excellent brother suggested
that she was entirely dependent upon
relative who was in no way bound to
] support her. Unfortunately John Erie
was naturally taciturn and undemonstra-
| tive; moreover, he had never forgiven his
! fathers marriage or ceased TO dislike
his late stepmother. Though too just to
deny his half-sister a shelter in her ia
| ther's house, he was not generous enough
| to forgive her existence.
| When, after two or three years OF
| happy married life and the birth of twins
son and daughter-troubles came thick
! ly upon him; John Erie grew almost mo-
rose and Madeleine grew quite ashamed
| ing offered or the widowed. ruined man
in the rich lands of south Africa and the
! clouds lifted somewhat; finally he was
! able to call his children nome to his
/ new countI from the school, where.
! through the help of friends and relatives
| he was able to keep them. To Madeleine.
who had for some time earned board and
lodging as junior teacher In large
| school, he sent his commands to return
huf ha nj 10
would be welcome, he adued that he
| hoped she would be able to make herself
/ useful hope Madeleine thought, which
| implied doubt
Fortunately. Dolly and Jim. who became
| her pupils, became her dearest friends,
| and with them she knew some happy
hours.
So she lay and mused feeling moro and
| more wide-awaSe as her brain worked
more intensely. Why did her brother ex-
| c.ude her from his heart, from his knowl-
edge? He knew nothing about her. and
he did not wish to know. Why. he had
kinder words for Gellert and the sporting
dogs that ran at his heel than for her.
She had often tried to talk to him. 10
draw him to her by touching little wiles.
but he was simply unapproachable. For
the hundredth time Madeleine told her
self It wAs all in vain--that she would
/
Il can be of use to Jim and Dolly.
though" she thought, land l will stay
/ here till they are sent to school Then !
! will go. too. / will earn my own bread,
even If l have TO go into shop. or as a
servant. Happiness will come to ME some
/ time. Life is wide and deep and love.
/ ly there must be good in 1t even for me!
| Oh. now far away / am from my dear
/ good. wise Miss Price. When shall / see
/ her againY' This was the head governc3s
under whom Madeleine had worked for
nearly three years. and to whom she was
| deeply grateful
| Then her thoughts few away TO shs
| question of dress. a very troublesome
one. AT present Madeline was the
! proud possessor of two sovereigns and a
| half-the gift of a well-off sister far away,
and she needed n new dress.
II heard brother John say that some
/ trading trave.er would be coming past
here soon. Perhaps he will have SOME
| stuff that would do. 1t must be thin. for
summer is coming on. Oh, Gellert, you
are too tresome 1 shall never get to
sleep"
But she did not know how tired she Was
/ and even as she said this, unconsciousness;
| began to steal over her.
| Daylgh: filled the chamber when she
/ aWoke again.
(To Be Continued)
N
The Modern Mother