The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-22

out father. trying to pretend he meant
the roast mutton, may the
"GWendolen!' Iebuked her mother; and
Gwendolen controlled her saucy tongue,
while giving her impudent dimples full
play.
You really permit yourself too much
license. And If in those days he was an
annoying boy, Sir Reginald is now"
Sir Reginald?"
''Sir Reginald"
''Sir Reginald?
Three voices exclaimed in varying keys;
| three pairs of eyes fixed the parent with
the circular gaze of astonishment.
Yes, did you not know? Though how
were you likely to? His uncle IS dead;
the baronetcy and a good deal of property
in the Midlands devolves upon Capt.
Standish. He got the step in South At
RIGA, and he is to have the distinguished
| service order for doing something dash
ing under fire without sufficient men.
HE may be considered by other moth
erS a catch. Their motives are not mine,
thank heaven!' said Mrs. Broadley, rlS-
| ing with rustic of silk foundations,
| gathering up her key basket and mechan-
| cally looking round for the Nude vol
! ume appropriated by Janet. All can
saw is that as a. motherless young man,
and one VINO has served his country gal
| lantly, and gained his company d1stlnc-
ton at twentyfour, the boy Is welcome
| here, and l shall do my best to convey
to him this impression. 1t is your ia
| Tiers wish. There! He has just come
in"
Mrs. Broadley, rustled to the library
threshold. The door opened before she
touched the handle, and her youngest
darling, in a torn alpaca freck, her chest
nut name, devoid of a contning ribbon
caScading wildly over her shoulders and
hanging over her eyes, stood before her.
Under one arm she carried ragged
brimmed straw hat, in which squifmyd
two blind kittens. Her right hand held
driving whip. A dissipated looking cat,
the maternal proprietor of the kittens,
brought up the rear.
what is it, mother?" she asked, not
ing signs of perturbation in her parent.
Has anything happened?'
Your sisters, dearieS,'' said the moth
er, bestowing an indulgent kiss upon her
untidy youngest, have something to tell
The door closed upon Mrs. Broadley's
rustling silks. The Worm putting the
hat with its contents carefully down
upon an ottoman, where the cat inst mt
ly Joined her family, sat down upon the
arm W Of "a CHAIR sba surveyed her elders with
look lazy enough, the thwee of you.
What have you got to tell me?" She
swung her legs indifferently, and waited
for information.
that be have decreed that you are to be-
come butterfly
"Gwubs gwow into butterflies said
The Worm, land worm is an inverte-
bwate animal and not an insect In spite
of my having been educated by a gov
erness, who had never learned anything
herself, L know as much as that What
is up?"
What is up" said Lucy, sis that you
are coming out. Mother does not con-
slider that the range of selection we offer
to the eligible bachelor is sufficiently
comprehensive. She is about to increase
her window stock q believe that is the
trade term, in the vain hope Of stimu-
la ting custom
''Tp other words ua ora 70 ha in fOro
ed by an ingenue," said Janet. You
will have to turn up your hair, wear
frocks down to the ground, shun the
paddock, desert the stables, cease to god
mother blind kittens, dofmice and white
rats, purge your conversation of inele-
ganeles, take better care of your nails
and practice bluShing-Alexandra.''
The three elders laughed unrestrainedly.
The young creature addressed did not
move a muscle.
Could we rot get the rector to rechris-
ten her?' asked Gwendolen, in an inter-
val of merriment, drying her eyes. Some
thing really descriptive and appropriate,
since she is to be The Worm no more!''
Susan, or Mary. or even Jane. would
with the child" said Lucy. critically
practical joke" ~ SO
Il shall not dream for an instant of
calling her by it. Pick up my book,
Worm, will your ordered Janet. who
had dropped her novel; The younger Sis
Ter swung her legs.
When you addwess me in pwper
way, she remarked, & will do your ew-
wands, and rot Sefore.'
You would like me to stoop and get it
such queer sensation in my chest
Knowing all about my constitution as
you do, [ call it unsisterly''
Your constitution is getting to be a
nuisance, said The Worm 'fand it is
time you outgwew it. 1 will pick up your
novel when you call me Alexandra, and
not before
Janet gave In with a martyred look.
ana now, said the triumphant Worm,
let the new Wules of tweatment be aw-
wanged and kept to. From henceforth
there is to be no more snubbing.
Dear met said Gwendolen.
Quite refreshing tone!'' said Lucy,
Satirically
Have you ever" asked Janet. ''seen
a mushroom that has been trying to grow
with a stone on its head? Take off the
stone and you will be surprised at the
way in which the mushroom Develops
Pop! there it is, full grown, before yea
have time to turn around
"One of the wules is that you're not to
turn wound on me and say I'm a child
before people" continued The Worm,
calmly, because if you do 1 shall we
taliate''
How can you retaliate without an
r.? said Janet, with cool disdain.
Not o +, to ,ri be "a able to pronounce your
I
do 1t happens to be pwetty"
And do you consider yourself-pret-
tyr asked Gwendolen, with cold incred-
uIity.
II don't say I'm pwetty at this min
ute, but with pwoper dresses and things"
replied The Worm, 81 might be-say in
a week fWom now" She rose and went
to the glass above the mantelpiece and
surveyed herself dispassionately my
hair is fashionable color, and I've
plenty of it," she said, itadcizing the
last words, so that Gwendolen WINGED.
My eyes are vewy nice, indeed-and
some people pwefer wetwoussee noses -
She leaned two darned elbows on the
nantel: and studied the nose in question
with dispaSsionate interest.
And do people also like freckles?"
loZenges?"
81 believe if they happen to be men,
they'd wather have them show than GOV.
cred up with sCweme Mawiette''' re-
sponded The Worm, calmly, because