The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-04-21
BY IRMA KRAFT.

III. o..
..tno The bright. cheery roaring
- I,lpIng up the comfortable. brick
I ..,.r.v made the only source OF light
rr..h,sn up the spacious room. 1t
for,h little flashes Of ruddy light
-.r.s laaped out short distance and
lined the faces of the happy, CHEEKY
,,, around 1t and perhaps showed
s.-b rlcss beautiful fairies and the
--4.-s Of fairyland. and then Just az
y. ,5s.r eyes had caught them would
~sI- away up the chimney sweeping
nine little elves to death and destruc-
"- Around the great fireplace was
-.s.-I perhaps the happlest little
- that could have been found in all
y. -ra, city of Washington. on that
-. winter eve. In the centre OF the
r-ggp was great big, awkward Annie.
=. nor niece OF Mr.. and Mrs. Foster.
~s, were among the wealthIest people
~, washington. Half dependent. half
..4srepdent she was neglected by all
.,y, her ardent and devoted admirers.
~. children. There was sturdy, hand
,,-. ned. OF fourteen summers. who
s.sa,8cA his poor cousin Annie against
,ts ,alnts and insults OF the great
.ogs.. There was dear little Margaret,
=, eleven years, whose curly head lay
rs.,,InE on Annie's shoulder and WHOSE
urrs arms stole softly around her neck,
and thers was wise Miss Nancy. Of
Twelve who knew a great deal for her
wars and thought she knew a great
frrl more. nevertheless she loved Annie
f-5rl the bottom OF her little heart.
Mr. Foster could not see what the
children found to love in Annie. for she
~. a plain girl win heavy. unruly haIr
and half figure, but then Mrs. Foster
s57., know the real Annie. she did not
know the wonderful imagination that
Law gaGer that unruly hair, she didn't
know the tender and loving heart that
lay behind those lustrous eyes. AL
though Ms. Foster. as RUE, had the
children put to bed at 9 o'clock, to-nigh;
q she was going to great ball, she
allowed them to stay up with Annie un-
MO And so. although It was long at
rr 10 and Annie had told story after
story until she was out OF breath and
thought little Margaret was now sweet
IL sleeping on her lap. Natfcy and Ned
still begged for one more, just one moro
al, abou, when Annla was little girl
ami had her own sweet parents to love
her. which though they had heard 1t a
hundred times. never grew stale TO
them. And so Annie started for the
. i0lst ume on the story OF her life.
You see. when I was littIe girl,
said Annie, II lived in a beautiful big,
light room. away up at the top Of a high
building down town. I don't know eX-
ac.ly wher. It was, but 1 heard a lady
who once came to sit for father. call 1t
a studio. I didn't know then what a
studio meant, but know now 1t means
Z Place where artists paint and draw
beautiful pictures. You know. children,
father was an artist, Gay Ned Carroll
ton h.z friends called him. tthat is who
you aga named for. Ned. dear and he
used TO paint and draw all the time. He
hal many pictures OF n beautiful lady
.1 a white dress, who looked Ike an
aHra, 20 me. father once told me that
this lady was my dear mother, whom 1
had never seen. but whom he said had
s1sa away 10 live with the angels long
az. An bu; that was happy life in
the great, big sunny room, with my lit
De portion curtained of at the lower
cad, where father came every evening
to take me in his arms and to tell me
" pay Tor mother. l think It must te
LEea !n heaven, There were so many
tzs gentlemen who came to see father,
and perhaps give him orders for pic
!1-ss % their wives, and there were the
sUse, ladies who came to sit for father
or ss' the pictures their husbands had
ordered. But my chief delight and the
one mex: in my heart to father. was
t1s.a Archie who called me his little
sweetheart ard swore he would marry
me some day, Il he had to get u special
permit 90 10 10. Uncle Archie came 10
The studio every day and sometimes h
would Iry 10 draw or paint, but more
often B. would watch father. or would
Le 90 ,bs lounge. talking OF what ne
vas g9.Hg to DO some day and OF the
rrsa, fortune he was going TO make IN
tie future. Father generally listened
Fa7i-alm5redly. but sometimes he gave
Dissatisfied grunt and said: When
ae you F0.ag TO begin? but he imme-
szt..y repented, for he loved Archie
from ihr bottom Of his true and tender
ha-.
zone day father got an order from
The oore9ran art gallery that he was
wanted ~ once TO see about some very
Important work. He put on his hat
and coat leaving Archie and me In the
studio to attend to his business for a
lev hours He went at 3 o'clock, in
H'a.ng TO be home at 5. Five o'clock.
rr seven, eight and nine passed. but
p didn't come and finally Uncle
a'5.a Insisted on my going TO bed. I
'.at but could not go to sleep. and
tla'.v about Il o'clock, father came. in
E.4.g excited. with hat and coat on
AMY but wreathed in happy smiles
alHaa Arehn he cried: I've got
ne order for Lincoln and the Eman-
emuaa Proclamation. which is TO go
70 ha Worlds Fair and which IL the
t'sHHer- contract Of the year. No one
h71Ee .f and / must work In secret. but