The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-11

said Major Bruce. q think I can ar
 range for you to paint him under cover.
 You could not possibly sit outside this
 weather. There is a feeling of snow Tn
 the air today, 1t is nippingly cold with sting in the wind which always beto-
 kens the same thing" Well" said Geraldine. If you cannot arrange for me to work under cover,
 we could wait till the weather was
 bit more congenial." "Oh, yes there Is no particular hurry. We'll Miss Effie-oh! haven't you got the cat?"
 "Oh. can't find her anywhere have searched the house from top to bottom. She is hiding somewhere" said Ger aldine: you know what a mischieVous little thing she is. Last night we look | ed for her everywhere literally from roof to cellar We made up our minds | that she had gone-gone forever, and
 where do you think we found her?' Nay, how can I tell.' Well, she was curled up in the big | china bowl on the top of that press-in | that bowl She might have stayed there | for a week we should never have | thought of looking there for her, but my brother came in to put out the | lights, and saw the lady emerge from | her hiding place" "Perhaps she is there now" suggest ed Fife
 But the Altogether Adorable was not hidden in the china bowl Presently Major Bruce took his leave, | with a promise to come back the next afternoon to tell Geraldine what ar | engagements he had been able to mako | for the commission which he had just | given her
 "Gerrie." said Fife. when the door | had closed behind him, that's nice | man"
 'He is nice man and he has just | given me a commission. "A commissiou?"
 "Yes. to paint favorite charger that
 was all through the war with him. Did you settle a price?" | : "Na- we never mentioned 1t. I have
 never painted horse as a commission
 and shall leave the price to him. T think you can very safely do that!
 said Fife, with a light laugh. Their | condolences were disturbed by the en- trance of Winifred, the third of the | sisters.
 "Oh. my dears, how cold it is," said she. q have never been out on such | bitter day in the whole course of my | life By the way. hope you two won't
 mind. I ahve invited Dicky Middleton
 to spend Christmas Day with us. "Dickie Middleton! Why?' "Oh, because he was so lonely and so | wretched He thought he was going | down into the country. but the people | he was going to have got scarlet fever, and Dickie was SO ineffably miserable | at the idea of spending Christmas at l his club"
 "AIl right. the more the merrier. We might have asked Major Bruce" That was what he was spelling for. | Why didn't you?"
 "Why didn't I? Well, knew he was l spelling for it
 You might just as well. All alone, | poor chap. with not a soul to speak to; | on leaye-not even his regiment to
 cheer him up. poor fellow: "Oh. we'll" said Winifred, easily, 1t | is a very simple matter to rectify that. will drop him a note tonight, and tell | him if he has nothing better to do. he | can put in Christmas Day here. l l shouldn't be bit surprised if we have
 a white Christmas. It was beginning | to snow when I came in, and the cold Is l something horrible. In due course of time the three girls sat down to dinner. Roy Harkaway, brother who lived with them, and was, as Ffie put 1t. their greatest pal, was dining out that night so the three sis ters sat at the round table together. It was at the end of the meal. when the smart parIourmaid brought in the cof- fee, that the subject of Maudie Margue- rite came uppermost. If you please, miss," said the maid,