The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1900-07-27

anu AeeA u SENSE Oh responsibility Tor
her. ought to be fairy godmother
to her, but can at least take care Of
her when she is my guest" And she
went on getting out her shawl and set
ting her bonnet with the CHEEKY deci-
sion Of dear, damaged old canary
bird.
Miss Boggs looked at me with curios-
ity. She had Not recognized me as
fragile young southern blossom before.
Let me give myself the pleasure of
saying that sent my protectress home
in cab, a form of luxury which in the
course of our acquaintance found she
particularly appreciated. She never
became accustomed to the city streets.
She went about always in q flutter of
fear and nervousness, yet she must
have done deal of 'going" to get to-
gether her little articles and sell them.
l saw her down town sometimes, pick
ing her way about among the rushing
crowds and cars and trucks, going
through the great buildings, with their
incoming and outgoing streams of hui
manity eddying around the rows of ele-
vator doors, and in the grimy newspa-
per offices, where the air was tense
with silent activities, and as l looked
at the quaint figure, the gentle, half
frightened, high bred old face, Won
dered why she was there. She must
have lived some way since the war.
Why did she not go on now as she had
before and satisfy her ambitions,if she
had them. by such ladylike efforts with
genteel journals as she had made in
the past, which had brought her much
neighborhood consideration and little
money and which did not tear her
away from the dingy, dignified, green
old home where she was born and the
simple, fixed. old time life in which she
was surrounded by friendliness, albeit
most of the friends were gone?
1t was gallant-yes, surely there was
something to stir the blood in seeing SO
frail SO unarmed a creature take up
the gage of battle against such odds
but 1t was painful too. l all but re-
sented the pangs she gave me. One
day said to myself, This is worse
than living ones own struggle over
again." and that was bitter saying.
l was standing in one room of news
paper Office when / saw her enter an
adjoining one. She went up to the
managing editors desk with her little,
soft, unbusinesslike manner and SEEM
ed to be asking something. The man
did not look up. If he had, he surely
would have spoken differently. But he
was desperately busy, and he simply
put his hand in a plgeonhole and drew
out package of manuscript. saying
irritably as he gave it shove along
the desk. mot thing there that's
worth cent to u.s."
Oh. just the most ordinary business
incident in the world, but poor little
Fanny Marchbanks Overman! She
took up her papers-I noticed again
how old her hands looked-and moved
away as If she did not quite see where
she was going. / drew back out of
sight. There are some pains that SYM
pathy can only double.
often had Miss Fanny at the little
fat kept with a friend, a girl who
painted and taught. She never came
to regard our establishment as nor
NAL one, and she always lowered about
me with futile overflow of maternal
care that was not in the least checked
because 1t reversed the facts of our
relationship.
"My baby child" she exclaimed be-
meath her breath as she first sat down
in our microscopic reception room and
looked about her, ito think of your
trying to live in all these Yankee ways.
hope you take good care of her." she
said to Amy, patting me softly. Amy
looked blank for an instant.
She had an air of relief as well as
pleasure when she found me one night
dressing for reception. All her in
nate love of the decorative and roman
tic came bubbllng forth. "Ah, how be-
coming that is to your she exclaimed.
"My father used to say that 1t was
test of blood and raising for people to
dress up-that II there was anything
common In them 1t would come out
when they were in their best clothes,
And shall you see any of the gentle
men of your Officer she asked in an
elaborately Incidental way, and disap-
polntment was in her face when | said
hardly thought should.
"And they don't any of them come to
see your she went on. 81 suppose
you don't let them"
Dear Miss Fanny, It has never come,
up. don't think any of them ever
thought of coming to see me-"
"Dear me! Well. these northern men
are beyond me. never knew of any
gentlemen before who did not think Of
paying some attention to a charming
girl whom they had the privilege of
knowing"
Amy, who was standing behind Miss
Fanny's chair, turned her eyes and
hands to heaven and then for one in
stant plnced her palms In an attitude
of benediction above Miss Fanny's in
fantine old head.
IL suppose you have to have your
meals according to these New York
ways, with your dinner in the evening.
on Miss Amy's account" she said.
'Yes." replied. Amy prefers 1t so."
1t was a safe assertion, though ! had
never heard her express herself on the
subject. Like the true southerner she
was, Miss Fanny never ceased to re-
gard New York as the outside phenom-
email thing and the standards of Wex-
vile as the normal and accepted ones.
although in her writing she flexibly
enough assumed the other tone. That
was mental; the maintenance Of an
cient standards personally was inartic-
ulately felt to be matter of loyalty