Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1903-01-03
A Fortunate
Misfortur1e%
MISS LONEJ0Y had been at her
fl brothers house but little more

MISS LONEJOY had been at her
N brothers house but little more
than a week, yet already she had
to confess to vagne feeling of dis
appointment.
She had not seen her brother and
his wife for more than seven years,
during all of which she had longed
for them with the homesick intenSi-
ty of the exile. The anticipation of
this Homecoming had cheered her
through many dreary term of
teaching; yet now that reality had
taken the place of anticipation, she
found something lacking.
The old home was still the same,
and her brother and his wife were
as kind as ever; but during this time
% separation their only child had
grown from girlhood almost to
;womanhood, and with the growth
had come a change in father and
mother which made poor Aunt Ruth
feel like an alien and a stranger.
The merry, open-hearteo brother
had become quiet and careworn. The
bright, pretty, cultivated sister-in-
law, as dear to Ruth as il united to
her by ties of blood instead of mar
riage. had faded into an almost
shabbily dressed drudge whose only
purpose in life seemed to be to keep
HazePs bed of roses free from
thorpS.
! Both had been as glad as possible
70 see their self-reliant, independent
western sister; bat it seemed to
Ruth as if their principal interest
was in noting the effect upon her
of Hazel's grace and Hazel'S beauty
and Hazers accomplishments. That
had been the constant theme of con-
versation when Mr.. Lovejoy was not
too preoccupied to talk at all or his
wife had an infrequent moment of
leisure
Now Aunt Ruth was quite ready to
admit that the grace and beauty and
accomplishments were there, but
the greater grace of helpfulness and
hlial gratitude seemed to her both
lacking and unlocked Tor. Nor was
the girl wholly or even principally
TO blame. No return had ever been
demanded of her Tor ali that had
been given, and the idea of giving
unasked was yet unborn.
Ruth's own few gentle attempts
Mt remonstrance had been met with
such an air of mild surprise, such
earnest disclaimers on the part of
the parents, that she had seen the
futility Of words and resolved to saw
no more. She did not wish to be
regarded as meddlesome and disa,
greeab Bile.
Just now she was feeling particu-
larry oGt of sympathy with the con-
ditions. AS she went steadily on
with the dishes she was washing.
she could hear her niece chatting
IN animated fashion with a caller in
the parlor. She knew that it was
Mr.. Bennett, the young man who
had called in the afternoon to see
If Hazel would sing ar parIor CON
cert to be given at the Young Mems
Christian association rooms the next
week.
Mrs. Lovejoy had answered the
bell and informed him that Hazel
was out; but Hazel herself, when
she came home from her drive with
a girl friend, had spoken of meet
ing him. and told as great joke
about his remark that "he would
call again in the evening, as the serv-
ant had assured him she would be
IN then"
eff the child had only seen what
II meant!" sighed Aunt Ruth to her
self
But even HazePs mother had
laughed the matter off, although
rather consciously and with a flush;
and when Hazel had smiled and said:
Never mind mamma dear. When
get TO be prima donna you shall
have all the servants you want" the
smile and the foolish promise had
salved the wound effectually.
AS the young people talked and
laughed together in the parlor, Ruth
could hear Hazel's mother moving
softly about upstairs, putting to
rights In her prompt. methodical
way the things which Hazel had left
scattered about when she made her
toilet and hurried down to NEE. her
caller.
Then by and by a door opened,
and suddenly there was the sound
of fall and a suppressed cry of
pain; and Miss Lovejoy, rushing out.
found her sister-in-law lying near
the foot of the back stairs. white