Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1901-02-22
a PRETTY 80 -
- - CONTAIN MON
BY Louise bedford.


I'm dull. apparently. and getting old
I'm not enough for her. and l am TO be
Supplanted by you?
Janetta stretched out her hands
eagerly. appealingly, great sorrow
filling her heart for the woman before
her, with whom the world had evil
IDENTIFY dealt so hardly.
Not suppianted.' she said. only
supplemented. | don't know what
Miss Seymours wants may be, but let
me help you any way | can. | don't
care what l do You can put me into
the way of things. tell me my duties
and give me hint when l make a
mistake"
You will have no duties" replied
the elder woman cOldly. looking at
the outstretched hands. but not taking
them into her own. You are young
and goOd-lOOking: they are the only
qualifications which Miss Seymour
seems TO require. She will see you,
she says, after dinner Shall | show
you TO your ROOM
Janetta followed her up the thick
ly-carpeted stairs into room so lux
uriOusly furnished that she could
hardly believe that il was the one
intended for her. except that her fur
coat had been already carried up
there. with such other possessions as
she had with her IN the carriage.
She found Mrs Mortimer still alone
when she went downstairs.
Captain MerivaIe dimes tonight
with Miss Seymour in her boudoir, -
she explained as she led the way into
the dining room. Sometimes Miss
Seymour is Well enough TO dine with
us, bat today she has been -eXcit-
ing herself. and WAS so tired that I
advised her remaining upstairs"
Janetta would have liked TO have
asked hundred questions about Miss
Seymour, but the presence of the par
lOrmaid ana the forbidding manner of
her companion made her curb her curl
osity
They had scarcely returned to the
drawing room before message was
delivered 70 Janetta 10 demand her
presence in Miss Seymour's room.
You can show Miss Howard the
way TO your mistress room. Mason. -
said Mrs Mortimer And Janetta fol-
lowed the maid
She was ushered into a sitting room
more perfect in detail than any she
had ever entered. 1t was d general
sense of beauty and luxury that struck
her at first for her attention conferred
itself al once upon its only occupant
fragile fair little lady. quite young
drawn near the fire.
She raised herself to a sitting pos
ture, and held out her hand with q
smile of welcome
I'm afraid you must come TO me,
Miss Howard, I'm too tired to get I'D to
greet you. Sit down near me. will
you? | sent Harry off TO the smoking
room, as L told him | wanted 10 talk
to you alone for a bit"
Janetta shook hands, seated herself
in the easy chair to which Miss Sey-
mour pointed, and wondered if she
dreamed. This, then, was the Miss
Seymour she had pictured as an &C.
centric old maid, devoted to poodles
and parrots,
Even her views about Captain Meri-
vale needed readjusting Clearly he
was not nephew with expectations.
More probably a cousin, possibly a
lover
The thoughts passed rapidly through
her mind until, raising her eyes, she
was conscious that she was being
There was something intensely at
tractive in the face that looked into
her own. 1t must have been very
pretty until ill-health and delicacy had
written their lines on it. Even now
the shape Of it was charming. The
fiaxen hair that waved on the forehead
was abundant and beautifully dressed,
the folds of white silk and soft-fall-
ing lace were becomingly arranged
round the tiny throat; but oh! how
delicate she looked. Something of the
pity that Janetta felt must have found
expression in her face, for Miss Sey
mOur broke the silence with petuant
laugh.
you are sorry for me, like every
one else-I read it in your eyes; but
I'm not going 10 die. I'm going to get
well, or all the doctors lie"
Il devOutly hope you will, and
quickly" replied Janetta gently; and
you must tell me what I can do to
help you. I'm sure | could carry you,
you are so light and small"
Miss Seymour broke into merry
laughter. Il don't want you for hard
labor. | wonder if you thought it was
a lunatic who put that advertisement
into the paper? Harry declared that
nobody in her senses would answer 1t,
but many did.
Il had over two hundred answers, so
many that | would not even open them
all / liked your photo. l thought
you were pretty and looked true, so
told Mrs Mortimer to take your letter
and answer it, as if from me, and to
return all the others
1T was Doctor brakes suggestion
the mat you saw at the train tonight.
Harry tells me that he scented the ac-
cident from afar, and was on the
scene almost directly it happened. He