The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1903-08-01

have let her live along too much. I
wish you would try to love her lit.
tlc."
Il have tried and given up. | tell
you, Howard, she worries me- If you
love her send her away, at least for 4
little while
So papa broke the news to Tottie in
a way that made the separation from
him seem less Unbcarable, but Marie,
who was not very wise, but who loved
Tottie. told her the truth bluntly.
Il wouldn't cry. dparic." she said
with brave show of Indifference, cit
will be much nicer at your grand
mothers where everybody loves you.
Mistress don't like you and never
WILL
But my papa does" argued poor
little Tottie hcartbrokenly.
Now be a little woman and do
what's sensible Marie eXhortcd
cheerfully. You don't want to stay
where you're not wanted, Go you?
Mistress told your papa to send you
away because she don't like you and
don't want you around. If you stay
it will make your papa unhappy and
everything will go wrong. You would
not want to make trouble, would you,
Tottie?'
No, Tottie did not want to make
any trouble for her father. She loved
him far too deeply for that; so she
promised to be good and not let her
father suspect that she cared so much.
That's right" Marie approved,
you'll have lots of fun on the farm
with all the goats and ducks and
ponies and things, and your grand
mother is real nice okl lady, lots
kinder than your mamma. | think
you ought to be very glad to have
such nice place to go to. Maybe your
father will let me run out to see you
once in a while when mistress is away
visiting her stylish friends. Won't that
be fine?"
Geraldine bade Tottie goodbye with
promise to run out some time with
papa" but she forgot all about her
good resolution in her gay social
flight, so time went by on golden
wings to the young, beautiful wife
whose every wish seemed fulfilled al
most before she expressed it. When
Tottie had been away whole year
she received a letter from Geraldine,
the first her stepmother had ever
wy fn11nu-c.
My Dear Little Girl:
Papa tells me that your birthday is
close at hand and l write this to let
you know that l want you to spend the
day with us. Be sure not to disap-
point me. for really want you very
much. l have a surprise for you.
Papa has written grandmother about
it. so 1t will be all right. l will send
Marie for you tomorrow.
Your Loving MAMMA.
The surprise was a month-old baby
sister, little pink-and-white dimplcd
cherub who smiled at everybody and
everything that came within range Of
her blue, wondering eyes, eyes that
seemed to look way down into Tottie's
heart and understand all that she
could say. Geraldine was supremely
adoringly happy in the possession of
her treasure, SO happy that ner new
mother-love reached out to the little
waif whom she had hitherto slighted
and ignored.
Tottie stayed week, the happiest,
week Of her life. Then came the last
day with Dimples who, young as she
was, seemed to have grown used to the
little presence that lowered near her
so constantly. She stayed with her
every hour between Dimples' long
maps, when she watched quietly be-
side her crib, until Geraldine undress-
ed her baby and let Tottie hold her a
for the last time.
Late that night when Geraldine
looked in at her treasure before re-
firing she saw little white figure
kneeling beside the crib and heard a
very low, childish voice say, I'm aw-
full glad you're so happy, Dimples, my
own little sister. l wish you could
talk to me an tell me just how il
feels to have real, true, own mamma.
I am grandma's little comfort, she
says, an she's just as good and kind
to me! But it isn't like having a real
Dimples.'
y A strange tightnass got hold of the
listeners heart, a pain that she could
not at first understand, because in all
her bright, happy, sheltered life ehe
had never known one pang of loneli.
ness. All at once she understood the
little girls heartache and the knowl-
edge smote her own soul like sword
thrust. How could she have been so
blind, so selfish? How unworthy she
was of her own great happiness. of
which she had not offered the smallest
,rumb to the starved little heart whom
The had promised to love as mother.
She went forward suddenly with
arm and kneeling down
beside Tottie drew the bowled little
igure close to her heart. Darling,
Won't you stay with us after this?'
he whispered with her cheek pressed
lose to the tear-wet face Of Tottie. ut
will be much nicer to have two little