The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1903-04-24

when she stood tnef0 dex cASAU0o S'
rang through the silences, the glris
"Hnshr' ensuing. It was pitifui to
hear the appeal of her young voice ID
its imperative soothing.
One morning her mother knocked'
entered and stood before me with the
light in her eyes and on her face, not
old, but rapidly growing so.
I stopped my work to listen.
awe spent every cent on the furni-
ture this month";" she commenced, ana
today is my rent day"
"How much is dueT
She named the sum.
1t staggered me somewhat. studied
the situation from all sides. Already l
was four weeks In pawn. with no nope
that | could see Of getting out. IL she
were bodily elected / should lose tnat
four weeks board. If gave her what
amounted to another four weeks board
7 saved the first at the risk or losing
the second.
Being a writer, had no money to
lose But remembering how when l
first began often knew what II was 10
exnerience the vacillating feeling OF
not knowing where my board money
was to come from exactly; remember
ing also how, still being a writer, at
any moment the thing was liable 10
reoccur. / went to my desk, and. draw
ing out a check that had been passed
through the grating Of the dining
room window that morning, warm
from the signature of gracious editor,
I handed 1t to her.
you have saved my life" she said,
though 1 hardly think it was quite so
bad as that made 1t out to be.
She came back from her landlord
with a face that beamed.
IF you could have seen him look ut
that checkr she calculated. "Who is
this you have boarding with you? he
asked, and l answered, "A woman who
writes for many magazines.
"Who writes for many magazines l
corrected, "and gets her stuff accepted
by few
Its all the same" she declared,
with a toss of her head Out it isn't.
"I'm proud of you"
The days that followed went by for
me on wheels that were oiled. but for
Muriel they went less oilily.
"To think" complained her mother.
shat I am doing it all for her sake,
and she annoys me so! must scream
at her morning, noon and night to
make her mind"
IF you are not careful" I advised
on a day when / felt like advising.
which. happily, isn't often, you'll
have the contrary effect Of dashing
down this house of cards you are wear
ing yourself out erecting"
And then Muriers beau came down
from Hartford. 1t happened like this:
1 had been out shopping somewhere.
Returning. / was amazed to find the
card gone of the door and the old pa
per. more Jagged, more disreputable
than ever, pasted zigzag across.
Muriel admitted me. Somehow new
er felt the need of a servant In that
house, Muriel was so beautiful. open
ing the door.
'How's this, Muriel?' asked. "What
made you put the old card back
again?"
"Hushw she whispered. ''Wait and
I'll tell you"
peeped through the double doors of
the parlor. and there sat her beau from
Hartford.
rushed upstairs. and by and by she
followed me, stood In her old position
with her back against the shut door
and began explaining.
II wasn't going to try to fool him.
she said. IF he really cared for me,
thought he'd care for me in spite of 1t,
and If he didn't care then the game
wasn't worth the candle. So told him
all about it-how we kept boarders for