Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-12-24
CHAPTER ky.

| paused for a moment. Dared l tell
her my address? Yet my money was
paid, and if l did not, l should lose both
it and the refuge l had bought with it.
Besides | should awaken suspicion ana
inquiry by silence. 1t was a fearful FISK
to run; yet it seemed safer than pre-
cipitous retreat. l gave her my address,
and saw her write it down on slip OF
paper.
In the afternoon the little girl arrived
quite alone, except that man had been
hired to carry a small box for her, and to
deliver her into my charge. This was 4
great relief to me, and l gladly paid the
shilling he demanded. The child was
thinly and shabbily dressed for our long
journey, and there was forlorn loneli-
ness about her position, left thus with a
stranger, which touched me to the heart.
We were alike poor, helpless, friendless.
I'm so gladF' she said with deep
drawn sigh of relief; Il was afraid
should never go, and school is such
heavenly placer
The words amused yet troubled me;
they were so ,ifferent from child's or
binary opinion.
Its such hateful place at Mrs. Will
kinson' s." she went Oh, everybody call
ing me at once. and scolding me; and
there are such a many people to run
errands for"
"What is your name, my dear! L ask
ed, sitting down on my box and taking
her on my lap. Such thin, stunted lit
tie woman, precociously learned in trou-
BILE! Yet she nestled in my arms like
a true child, and tear or two rolled
down her cheeks, as If from very con-
tentment.
Nobody has nursed me like this since
mother died." she said. "I'm Mary; but
father always called me Minima, because
l was the least in the house. He kept
a boys school out of London, in Epping
Forest, you know; and it was so heaven
ly! All the boys were good to me, and
we used to call father Dominic. Then
he died, and mother died just before him;
and he said, Courage, Minima! God
will take care of my little girl So the
boys fathers and mothers made sub
scription for me, and they got great
deal of money, a hundred pounds; and
somebody told them about this school,
where l can stay four years for hun
dred pounds, and they all said that was
the best thing they could do with me.
But I've had to stay with Mrs. Wilkin-
son nearly two months, because she
could not find a governess to go with me-.
1 hate her; l detest her; should like to
spit at her!'
Hush! hush!' l said, drawing her head
down upon my shoulder again.
'&Then there is Mr.. Foster" she con-
tinued, 'he torments me so. He likes
to make fun Of me, and tease me, till
can't bear to go into his room. You d
hate Mr.. Foster, and Mrs. Foster, if you
only knew them"
"Why" 1 asked in a whisper. My
voice sounded husky to me, and my throat
felt parched. The child's impotent rage
and hatred struck slumbering chord
within me.
"Oh! they are horrid in every way"
she said; ''they frighten me. He is fond
of tormenting anything, because he's
cruel But they are very poor-poor as
Job, Mrs. Wilkinson says, and I'm glad.
Aren't you glad?'
The question Jared in my memory
against a passionate craving after re-
venge, which had died away in the quiet
and tranquility Of Sark. Ought to do
anything for him? Was there anything I
cOulu 90 TO nelp nlmE
''He is ill, too," pursued the child; 81
heard him say once to Mrs. Foster, he
knew he should die like a dog"
Ill! dead! My heart beat faster and
faster as l pondered over these words.
Then 1 should be free indeed; his death
would release me from bondage, from ter
ror, from poverty-those three evils which
dogged my steps. I had never ventured
to let my thoughts run that way, but
this child's prattling had now forced
them into it. Richard Foster ill-dying
what ought I to do?
There was one thing only that l could
do, only one little sacrifice I could make
for him whom had vowed, in childish
ignorance, to love, honor and cherish in
sickness and in health, until death parted
us. A home was secured to me for twelve
months. L had enough money still to
last me until then. My diamond ring,
which had been his own gift to me on
our wedding day, would be valuable to
him. Sixty pounds would be help to
him. set the child gently away from
me, and wrote my last letter to my hus-
band Both the letter and the ring | en-
closed in little box.
A great thump against the door brought
a host Of fears upon me. But before
could stir, the insecure handle gave way
and no one more formidable appeared
than the landlady of the house, carrying
before her a tray on which was set out
a sumptuous tea, consisting Of buttered
crumpets and shrimps. She put it down
on my dressing table and stood survey.
ing it and us with an expression of be-
nign exultation.
"Those as are going into foring parts, u
she said, "ought to get a good English
meal afore they start. And this, my mas
ter says, is a testimonial to you."
l could hardly control my laughter
and ceud not keep back the tears. II
was a long time now since any one had
shown me SO much kindness and sympa.
thy as this. The dull face of the good
woman was frightened by her kind-heart
ed feeling, and instead Of thanking he,
put my lips to her cheek.
The next morning found US in France
From Honfeur to Falaise warm, genia
sunshine filled the air. The slowly NOV
ing train carried us through woods wher,
the autumn seemed but a few days old
. We passed through miles upon miles O.
orchards, beneath which lay huge pyra
nids of apples. Truck-loads of then
stood at every station. The air wa.
scented by them. Children were peltint
one another with them. It was almos
like going into pew world, and | beeath