The sun., 1901-07-06
MYRTLE'S ANSWER.
NY Phoebe HART.

of poor people who had named her theft
''angel friend"
Dr.. Fairfax used to say that his littld
Myrtle was genius at doing good, and
would work after her own fashon--so he
never interfered. +
She felt that to. take care of and to help
evildoers was duty sent to her from Heav. |
en-; and the worse the case-as she called
1.-THE more eager was she to fight and con
quer it, !
The clockmaker and his wife, Mr.. and (
Mrs. Welkens, were two bad cases rolled
into one. They were utterly disreputable, !
though in long past years they had been
respectable. They gloried in their inquities
till one day Myrtle found Mrs. Welkens
in the road, shade more inebriated than
usual, and took her home to Mr.. Welkens,
who happened to be more sober than usual.
From that time onward they were changed
people; they would do nothing to forfeit
her friendship.
Myrtle was to stay at her aunt's house
at Perliton for some months; she was not
allowed to spend this winter in her native
town in the valley.
Some of her cases came to say goodby to
her, as they had not seen her since her i'll
ness. Mr.. and Mrs Welkens were the last
| Of the visitors.
| Mr.. Welllens much admired the pictures
| and china in her pretty sitting room, and
Myrtle showed him beautiful old ebony
| chest with chased goldtopped bottles and
| pots.
"It belonged TO my great grandmother
| she said my mother gave it to me. val
ne it more than any of my possessions. 1t
is SO useful too. Look, | keep medicines
and bandages on one side, work materials
on the other, and things for writing and
drawing in the middle. | shall be lost with
| out it, But I'm not to take it with me.
We're SO far from a railway station, and 50
Is perliton, that I'm to drive in the little
pony-cart Mother is afraid the chest
might get hurt; besides, there won't be
room with all my luggage"
st wouldn't do to shake it against any
thing" said Welkens Then he added IN
tones Of a connoisseur: "lt's worth lot
OF money; the tops of the bottles and pots
'ud melt down to a little fortune"
His eyes glttered as he took up one OF
the bottles.
put it down." said Mrs. Welkens, sharp.
ly.
"Hold your tongue" said her husband,
sullenly But he replaced the bottle Then
he lifted the chest. Its bit heavy"
"I'm SO sorry | shan't have it with me,
said Myrtle, quite plaintively.
Soon afterwards Mr.. and Mrs. Welkens
took their departure.
"You can go out through this window,
said Myrtle, "and through that gate at the
end Of the walk; it will be a short cut tt
the town.
The next morning before leaving she
went to have look at her sitting-roon
and to her dismay discovered that her eb
ony chest was not there. She had left TIN
} long windows open when she said good-b!
+ to Mr.. and Mrs. Welkens. Not half al
hour later the maid closed the shutters TO
I the night, and noticed that the chest wa
. not in it's ordinary place.
The gardener remembered seeing the Wis
itors turn back and go through the opel
windows again; they reappeared in teN
minutes, and in the dusk he could see tina
q Mrs. Welkeps had something wrapped i
$ her shawl He thought Myrtle had calle
y them back to give them present
e Nobody had been in the room after then
r DR.. Fairfax Immediately went down t
the town.
s The clockmaker's shop was shut, an
! there was a pacard up-and 1t was thef
the night before from all accounts
notify that Mr.. and Mrs Welkens had gon
away and could not say when they woul
return.
n Il don't suppose they can" said the do
Z tor. For, by this time, the general verde
T. was that they had returned to the room {
f. soon as Myrtle had slipped out OF It, an
# had zone off with the ebony chest The
IL had often spoken of emigrating when the
u. could get enough money together--ahd the
past record was very dark.
Evidence was too strong against them f
= even Myrtle to doubt their guilt, thong
she refused to put her thoughts into word
a And she was heartbroken.
I'd 81 shall have to take care of you, Ii
lr dear" said her aunt "Now come and 81
<. your room; I have a surprise for you.
a. She opened the door OF the bright sum
nj bedroom.
MYRTLE scarcely crossed the thresho
= when she shrieked with cry of delight
y for on a table in the middle OF the room W
her ebony chest!
ry Then she heard that Mr.. and Mrs. W.
II kens had turned back to ask her to let the
M carry it for her to Periton. When tn
nd found she was not III her room they to
nd the chest and meant to walk at once
al. Perliton, and if possible be back III I
&c morning before she left to tell her VIII
they had DONE But they were caught in t
storm.
"Fancy poor old things!" said Myrtl
aunt. 'lS miles across the hills in til
De- terrible rain; and they carried the chs
nd and protected it all the way. They We
en- nearly dead this morning when they
an rived; and | wouldn't let them go till
an had seen them to thank them.
~ where are they!" asked Myrtle, exc
:. edly
Downstairs in the hall.
"' Myrtle looked radiant She flew dow
er stairs. How wrong she had been! 5
U.s. would ask their pardon over and over aga
eS- But she never asked their pardon.
PIX Now, don't You thank us, please, NJ
ne Myrtle" said Mr.. Welkens. What's t
id we've done for you, after all you've done
ns. us? Pulled us out of the mud, you ha'
~ and you let us call you friend and
YOU believe in us. All! You don't kn
what that means to us, missy. can
you"
dc "I was half afraid" said Mrs Welke
you might have thought we had stolen
chest just the first go-off like, miss.
'eh You stupid woman!" muttered Welke
the blood rushing to his forehead. N
he Myrtle'-his voice became suddenly hui
and hard-"Mss Myrtle, you didn't til
en-. that of us, not for moment, did you,
the for one momenty'
Myrtle only had to look at the coaI
Id, rough face with the dark shades creel
,st over it, to know how much depended on
answer. Evidently, her trust in the Y
kenses was their chief mainstay. And W
lIer tbay had done was so different from w