Waterbury Democrat., 1901-02-25

I will do the honprs of.. the music room. where we hoped we might have your voice to assist. Una plays beautifully"
 AUna? asked Rhena.
 "Yes, Miss vasplaine. It comes nat ural for me to call her Una of course. We were girls together, and besides" added Louise, with . short langh, '.since her recent engagement to my brother Stuart 1t seems more natural than eyer. Well. I'm sorry you cannot come. We would have enjoyed hearing you sing"
 "You are kind to think of me, and I am grateful for it." replied Rhena. The closest observer could not have detect ed any special emotion in her voice and manner She impressed even Louise, with tha. lie about Stuart warm on her lips, as possessed, even in those ding! surroundings and in the army garb. of q grace and refinement that very few persons could equal. Louise felt like making some commonplace remark about the hardship of Rhena's life work, but something in Rhena's man. ner forbade it, and she went out of the room with q conventional Good even
 
 you cannot favor us."
 Out ep the street Louise murmured to herself, T was pretty sure she would refuse ts come, and don't think she is the person to lead Stuart on aft CT that little bit of previous inforna- ton about Una" She smiled and set Ter face fer home, walking briskly through the new fast falling snow.
 To any one familiar with the charac- ter of Louise Duncan her call sn Rhe- ma Dwight and her falsehood as te StuartS engagement were perfectly easy to understand. It measured the extent of Louise's petty, narrow ideas of life and all it's meaning. She had observed enough of Stuart's manner of late to feel sure that his feeling for Rhena had become more than senti- ment, and it was the last thing in the world that she wanted. If she could prevent any attachment with a Salva- tion Army leader she would do it 1n any way short of being found out in deceit; hence her lie to Rhena. How would she ever know? To be ssre Rhena was an experienced woman ill the ways of society, and she might have been ou her guard if she had known Louise. But the sister of Stuart had left an impression of kind heartedness with the former society leader, and Rhena felt, as she said, grateful for the apparent sincerity which would recognize her present position in Cham pion as emitting her tc 2 place still in polite society.
 Rhena did not light her lamp after Louise went out. She sat by the win dow, looking out on the falling snow. When the time came to go out for the meeting, which was held regularly in the hall instead of the street now that the nights had become stormy, she shivered with the cold. Her lips nov ed in an audible prayer that some ono going by the paEsag ge heard, 70 Lamb 1 of God that takest away the sins of 1 the world, pardon me and help me"' l There were very few out that evening. | A great storm grew with the night, and in the morning all Champion, with it's setting of pine covered hills, was deep in the snow that swept past Rhe- mas windows in drifted pillows high up against the old storage room door. That afternoon Stuart came down l through the drifts to meet with An | drew and Eric, as the three had agreed to talk over the matter of relief for the
 miners and also to arrange for some
 thing more permanent than plan of | local relief for the immediate distress
 of Champion. Eric managed to get l through the snow and insisted that the l struppIe did him good Andrew wei.