The sea coast echo., 1900-03-10
DISCONTINUED.

II shall go crazy. Five Ichildren all
clamoring at once, the preserve kettle
boiling over, the pickles fermenting,
moths III my Sunday shawl and the
dog running away with the soup-bone
| for dinner.
And Lefty stood in the middle of
the room, holding her head with both
hands, as if she momentarily expected
1t to sail up into the air like balloon.
Lefty was very pretty, after an odd
gypsy type, with great dark eyes, a
brown, healthy skin, and hair as black
as crows wing-and, as yet, not
even the five children, and the endless
round of daily cares and duties to
which, as the wife OF a poor, young
carpenter, she was condemned, had
planted a wrinkle on her velvet
smooth forehead.
John Wyngard burst out laughing,
and that, in Mrs. Vineyards case,
proved the one hair that broke the
camel's back. She egan to cry.
"Now, Lefty, don't be goose, ="
said he, soothingly. "Why, what
do YOU know about real trouble?"
81 don't care, ;" sobbed Lefty. 'T'm
sick of it all. I'm tired of patching
old clothes, and hashing old meats,
and boarding ennies / m. tired Of"
'Yonr husband and your children, >"
grayely interrupted Mr.. Wyngard, us
that it, Lefty"
Mrs. Wyngard pouted and was
silent. She didn't like to own to it,
| but for the moment she almost felt
that she was tired Of them.
Il might have married rich, she
said slowly, twisting the baby's bib
strings around and about her finger.
81 might have been Howard Linds-
ley's wife, and he is a very wealthy
man they tell me.
'It's pity you didn't" said John,
provokingiy.
eyes, it is pity, said Lefty, stung
| beyond endurance, as she founced
out of the room.
And then as she sat down to sew
button on Johnny's jacket and braid
little Helen's hair and show Rosie
about the arithmetic sums, and, finally,
when the four eldest ones were
packed OF to school, to bathe the
baby and rock it to sleep, Lefty Wyn-
gard could not help thinking how
much brighter and smoother her path
way would be if,instead of saying no"
to handsome Howard Lindsey, she
had uttered, the other monosy yllable.
! Not but what she loved John better,
far, than Howard-but this wearing,
grinding succession of petty cares and
toll was sapping all the life and elias
ticity ont of her.
| She looked disdainfully down at the
faded calico dress she wore, patched
and darned in more than one place.
'Tf [ had married Howard Linds-
ley," she said to herself. 81 could
have worn silks and jewels every day,
with hired servants to wait on me and
an elegant carriage to drive out in
whenever ] pleased. oh, dear, what
= world Of trouble this is!
And rs Mrs. Wyngard laid her little
rosy-cheeked infant down to sleep, she
felt as if her lot had fallen in very
thorny places.
Just as she had taken her place once
again over the brass kettle in which
she was trying to ''do up" same rocky
pound pears which a nei8hbor had
given her, there came a knock at the
door.
"Come in" said Lefty, and the
housekeeper from Hadfeld Hall, the
big mansion on the hill, came mincing
across the threshold
Lefty dusted off chair in consider
able OF a furry, for Mrs. Ellison was
q grand lady i'll her way, who wore
black silks and laees and had her bon
nets directly from New York mil
liner every spring and fall.
"Won't you sit down, Mrs. Eli
SOM" said she, coloring to the roots
of her pretty hair, and secretely hop
ing that Mrs Ellison did not observe
the patch on her calico dress.
"Ihank you, my dear-I am in a
great hurry" said Mrs. Ellison, II
have some fine laces and ,nuslins and
Valencinues haudkerchiefs here from
my lady at the hall. The laundress
hasn't come down yet, and she amt
willing to trust the lady's maid with
'em, and they must be ready by dark
and so told her l knew a person
in the village that was master hand
at !aces and futing and such like, and
/ depend on you, my dear, to do 'em
up for me.
Lefty hesitated an instant,
".5he'Il pay you Il dollar at least, -
said Mrs. Ellison. "5he amt none OF
the stingy sort, my lady amt"
A dollar, in Lefty Wyugard's eyes,
was no inconsiderable sum. A dollar
would buy the new shoes that Rosie
needed so sadly-or flannel for the
baby's winter sacks-or half n hun
dred other necessaries which Lefty
could think of.
Yes" said she, ''L'lI do it. Ny
preserves will soon be finished. Lay
the bundle on the table please Sc
the new family have arrived at the
hall at last?''
Mrs. Ellison nodded assent. She
had lived housekeeper with the Had
fields of Hadfald Hall for 20 years, anc
was sorry enough when the old place
went into other hands. But a situa
ton was situation, so she had stayed
on.
"Yes," says she. '1Ir. and Mrs
Howard Lindsley."
Lefty gave such a start that tn,
preserve kettle had nearly tipped owe
into the fire.
''Lindsley" cried she with little
hysterical laugh. What a funn,
namer
Handsome, stylish people, will
more money, TO all appearances, thar
they know what to do WITH" went OF
Mrs. Ellison. II just wish You could
see her dresses and jewels! Stephanie
the French maid, showed me. wher
she was nnracking 'em, and it's a,
good as a play.''
Lefty said nothing, hut stirred
busily away at her preserves, while
the old housekeeper maundered OF
| about the wealth and grandeur of the