The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-04-14

that. Back in my own country
I had gone to her door one evening at
dusk and knocked. She let me in, and,
taking me to the window, she pointed
out to me a house in the middle of the
second block away.
at is there that | have engaged you
a ROOM she told me. Il engaged it
particularly for tonight"
l had not taken off my things. l
started out
"You will be back for dinner, won't
you?" she asked, with Il wistful you
won't be back for dinner, will you?"
air. And | had replied: NO. l may
as we'll stay to dinner there. They
will charge me for it all the same
The room was not so bad as it might
have been, and the house WAS a hand
some one, but the general atmosphere
of it rather struck me with Amusement.
The little woman who kept it had just
moved in from fiat. The carpets
consequently fitted like postage stamps,
the furniture appeared TO have shrunk
and the curtains when they hung at
all hung three feet from the floor.
l said to myself at first, II cannot
stay here
Then began to grow interested.
In spite Of the fact that several large
trunks whose contents should have had
to a certain degree the effect of estab
fishing my responsibility followed in
my wake. was politely but firmly re-
quested to pay in advance.
did SO.
The money went to buy necessary
furniture for my room
Having struggled some myself-and,
alas, the struggling isn't quite over yet
Il looked upon the convulsive efforts
of that little woman to furnish her
house and her table at the same time
with such increased interest that ulti-
mately l paid her two weeks in adj
vance instead Of one.
Thus the stairs were carpeted and a
rug was eventually placed at the en-
trance in the hall.
In the intervals of cooking, washing,
ironing and scrubbing the little woman
came to me and told me her tale Of
woe
1t was in vain that l sat before an
expcctant typewriter, CHANGING signiti-
cantly down now and again at waiting
keys.
She talked to me.
ut is all for Muriel," she said Il
want to make that girls life worth liv-
ing. Mine never was. l want her ia
have things she should havc-things
girls love-pretty clothes, hats, shoes,
gloves, ribbons. | want to make her Il
happy girl. Why, after all my work
yesterday what do you think | did?'
couldn't imagine, but l knew well
enough what must do if | wanted
any butter on my daily bread, ana
what l couldn't do if she kept on talk
ing.
IL sat up till 3 o'clock making a
party dress to send her at Hartford,
she informed me. shes going to q
ball there tonight l had to have II
ready for the express this morning.
sat up nearly all night long finishing
it,
1t was in this way that she repeated
herself, taking up the time.
l leaned my elbows on the table ana
looking hard at her. tried to mesmeriz'
her into going away.
"She is coming home in three days o
four" she went on, and talked II blu
streak for half an hour before sh
finally took herself off.
IN due time she came, that wonderful
Muriel.
Going down to dinner one evening
found her at table
was filed with establishment ut til
sight Of her. Her mother, with all he
talk. had not prepared me for her e!
quisite beauty.
She was not only beautiful, but 81
possessed Il certain style incomprehe
sible in girl of her position. disco
cred later that her mother made III
clothes. This served to increase n
surprise, for her mother had next to l
style at all. The reason for this, hoy
ever, was forgivable. She spent not
ing on herself and every cent that 81
could spare from the furniture on Il
girl.
confess that it gave me sort
SHOCK 10 see lltlS tASluiSitV >i''''
take up the bell and ring for her mot
er to bring in her dinner. rs II tn
mother were a servant. but the moth
allayed the shock 10y explaining. :
wouldn't allow Muriel in the kitch'
There were various and sundry II
sons, it seemed, for this. First,
girl didn't know enough to pound sa
when it came to cooking; second, $
wouldn't be bothered with teachi
her, and the thirdlies. fourthlies Il
hfthlies | have forgotten.
The shock was entirely dispel
when | found her on the follows
morning prone upon her knees ON
hall floor washing up its marble
changed to respect rs she swept DO
the stairs, cleaned the parlor. aus
AINuip q