Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1902-11-21

cupid's Accounting Fer Lost Purse.
x hate everything in the wc Id"
asserted the girl, swecpingly and He-
family. everything and everybody ex=
cept of course, you, Aunt Hester
Kitty, dear don't talk SO wickedly,'
replied a voice SO feeble and tired,
though sweet, that there was no need
to be told Aunt Hester was i'll.
Its quite true" repeated Kitty, Il
do hate everything. | hate never hav-
| ing any money and living in these two
poky little rooms, and not being able
to take you abroad. which the doctor
says would very likely make you well
again. and having to slave day alter
day teaching those horrid children
who never seem to learn anything. |
'oathe it-aH. | can't help not being
patient like you. Auntie, and il it is
wicked to hate things, why then |
must be wicked"
The girl stopped, completely out OF
breath, and the elder woman sighed
but said nothing. She knew how hard
the poverty of their lives was to the
pretty girl of eighteen who had youths
natural desire for pleasure and pretty
things She understood how lrksomo
it was to Kitty to teach three dull
children for five hours daily for the
muniicent sum of G14 year, which
money, with the addition of a very
small annuity of hers, was all they
had to live on. She knew, too, better
than her niece, better even than the
doctor. that so far as she was concern
ed, it would soon be over, that not
even the visit to Switzerland, so easily
advised, so impossible to obtain, would
make very much difference or very
materially lengthen the days before
Kitty would be left to fight the battle
of life alone
only ESQ" she went on bitterly.
Il have worked it all out. For $50
we could both go to Lausanne for ten
weeks. You know that pension where
Lizzie stayed; they would take the two
of us for eS a week; that would leave
plenty for the journey. Fifty pounds.
less than heaps of women spend on
one dress. | call it hateful--horrible
unfair Why should we have moth
ing and others so much?"
She made for the Park, and as she
was walking along one of it's most
deserted paths her foot knocked
against a stone, which she kicked i'm
patiently away. The softness of the
stone struck her, and she looked down
to find she was kicking a purse. She
picked it up and examined it carefully.
1t was nearly new. of green leather,
curiously worked with black, and the
monogram, "A. H." stamped in gold
in one corner.
ct is so light there can be nothing
in it," she said to herself, and open
ed it, A shilling and four pennies fell
into her hand, and then some pieces
of folded paper, five Bank of England
notes for e10 each. There was no
one near. Kitty's head swan, her
eyes grew misty, she felt sick and
faint as the temptation unfolded itself
to her. Here was the exact sum need
ed to restore Aunt Hester to health:
there was no name IN the purse, no
clew to the owner; surely, since it had
so much needed ESQ, it must have
been sent by Providence. Surely it
would be only right for her to. keep
it. Thus she reasoned, knowing the
weakness of her arguments, realizing.
but refusing to consider, that she con-
49, lot AM
after the theft lies would be necessary
for if Aunt Hester had the faintest
idea how the money was obtained,
she would certainly refuse to even
touch it, and would insist on making
every effort to find it's owner.
If Miss Ormond had not been the
most simple-minded and unsuspecting
of women she would never have be-
lieved that Mrs. Harper, the by-no-
means rich mother of her niece's
pupils, would give her a present of
ESQ, for this was the very feeble lie
by which Kitty accounted for her pos
session of the money. Miss Ormond
was anxious to write and thank the
lady, but Kitty averred that Mrs. Har-
per had made a condition she should
receive no thanks for her gift, and
Miss Ormond, into whose guileless
mind so shadow of suspicion entered,
obeyed, though a little unwillingly
Such a magnificent such a princely
gift" she kept on murmuring gently,
'ait seems so rude and. ungrateful for
me not to thank her, but of course we
must do as she wishes | hope, Kitty,
you said how deeply grateful we both
are"
A week later and the dingy lodgings
were left and aunt and niece started
for Switzerland. Aunt Hester bore
the journey very well, and they were
soon installed in a comfortable per-
sion overlooking the azure waters of
Lake Leman, on the other side of
which in snow-clad majesty the peak
ed Alps keeps guard.
Then suddenly one day when they
had been in Lausanne for six weeks,
and Kitty congratulated herself that
her aunt was so much better she had
not sinned in vain. the end came.
Aunt Hester returned from walk, felt
tired, and went to lie down. In two
hours the suave little Swiss doctor was
assuring the almost frantic Kitty that
nothing could have saved Miss Or
mond. IF all your famous London
doctors had been here. Mademoiselle,
they could have done nothing. Her
heart failed suddenly. sympathize
much with YOU
Mrs. Allen, the lady with whom she
lived. was so sorry for the lonely girl
that she always asked her to join any
little entertainment that took place.
Kitty never accepted these kindly
meant invitations. She was so un-
happy that she had no heart for any
thing of the kind. One evening. how
ever, she relented. small musical
party was to be given and one of the
pupils, a girl of whom Kitty had be-