The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-04-04

What a cunning little girl" she
said to the man. resolving TO scold
Bumey for falling to tell her the chill
dren In the hospital were so dear.
Sure miss an it's thot she Is. She's
me only wan. and she's the amlJge OF
her mother. She's homely. but she's
real cute
why. she's prottyl" said Mary ar
gumentatiyely
"An' do you think So miss? Wen
an I've seen wussloohn' vans" Ho
carefully smoihed the coverlet with
his coarse red hand.
"she isn't very IN. Is sho?" Mary
asked.
where is her mother?" she added
suddenly remembering that the man
had mentioned her
"Ah, miss, she's dead; an me little
gur-rl would ha been dead. too, but
for Docthor Harrlston. An do you
know Docthor Harriston. miss?"
"Oh, yes, he Is my cousin. / know
him very Well said Mary.
Sure it's a fone man We be
KNOWN; and it's proud We must be
to be havin' him for q cousin" Mary
had never happened to take this view
Of Burney. and she made no reply.
After awhile she said, lis your little
girl very ill?" Her theories with re-
gard to the value Of such a child's life
began to tremble somewhat.
No, an she's settin' well now; but
miss, it was sick she was. All. but
Docthor Harriston worked. miss, for
ne gur-rl! It was near to dyin she
was, miss, when he took her in here,
an now she's gettin' we'll"
"The idea Of Burney's never telling
me anything like this she thought
fiercely The man cared for this little
girl exactly as other men cared for
their little girls; and BWney-perhaps
she hadn't encouraged Burney to tell
her
and if she hadn't got Wen" She
said to the man, would tit would
have been jreadfully hard,
wouldn't"
Hard? All, miss, l can see as yo
don't know how a mon feels wild his
gur-rl. She's all the loife of me is
for, miss If she'd died it's nothin I'd
had left to me. It's the most them
that's pore has, their children"
It's next wake she's to lave hero,
miss, and it's hard itn be for her be
fore she's strong, wild me gone all
day, ne said musingly.
Mary no longer hesitated. Let her
come and spend a week with me after
she leaves here. Please do! I'm go
ing to stay all summer on my aunt'a
farm, and I'm going next week. It is
only ten miles out to it, and you can
easily come out when Aunt Rachel
sends in for groceries; and l am DR.
Harriston's cousin" said Mary with a
suspicious break in her voice.
"Oh, it's glad I'd be, miss, and It's
yourself I'll be asEin' the saints &c
bless, together with Docthor Harris
ton"
He took Mistress Mary's Iatrician
little hand in his hard red one, and
pressed it with a fevor that made he1
vince.
Sure, We have DR.. Harristons own
way wild ye."
Mary's chin went up slightly; Their
she laughed softly at herself, am
asked the little girls name and al
dress.
81 must say good-by now and fine
DR.. Harriston," she said. He viii
arrange everything with you"
She went swiftly to the hall, where
her cousin stood talking earnestly t.
one Of the nurses.
"Burney, come here this moment
she commanded. What do you near
by not telling me the truth about the
people in this hospital?"
why, Mary"
"You never told me the children
were sweet, and that their fathers anC
mothers were fond of them"
why, l should think you would
have known that, he began, but Maj
interrupted.
you needn't begin to make ex
cuses, Burney Harriston! I'm goin.
home now. 1t doesn't matter whethe
you can go now or not; can go alont
but you'll hear from me about this
Burney Harriston!"
Poor Burney was kept in suspens
for three days. Mary had suddent
gone to spend two days with Aun
Rachel, and Burney could get no hin
Of the revenge that she was conten
plating.
Mary always has been contrary,
her mother said, and Burney did no