The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-30
THE HOUSE OF ARABELLA
BY MAURICE SMILEY.

Bella. You Arabella. Drat the Girl Where is she, any way?, The tones were hard and bitter, and the sharp voice rose to a fury.
 Here I am, auntie," said childish voice. T was peeling potatoes for dinner out on the porch where it is warmer" A thin shabbily clad little figure came around the house and stood before Mrs. Martin. The child might have been IA; she certainly did not look the r she really was. She might have stepped out of a page of Nicholas NickIeby" for girls.
 "Oh, here you are, auntie," mimicked her aunt disagreeably. "You didn't hurt yourself hurryin'." Her anger, however, was somewhat moilified when she saw the girl had been doing something useful. Its a wonder" she added. spitefully, you wasn't moonin', over some book or other or thinkin about Joe Vincent. Joe Vincent, indeed!" she sniffed. scornfully. Much good it'll do you to make eyes at him, when you know he Is sweet on Evaline."
 A hot blush rose to the girls brow at the words. and she cienched her hands as she set the dish down on the porch and seated herself to complete her task, Her heart was bitter with the hard, unloving of her lot, and she wondered why some of the love and cheer that was all about her could not come into her own dark little life. sA
 Mrs. Martin was hard by nature and years of struggling with poverty and hard luck on New England farm had soured what little of the milk of human kindness there ever was in her makeup. She loved her own daughters after her own fashion, and all her hardness seemed stored up against her dead sisters child. Who knows what may slumber at the bot tom of woman's heart? From the day her sister had married handsome Jim Randall. who disappeared eight years la- ter. leaving her with a boy of seven, the sisters never spoke to each other. A daughter was born six months after the fathers disappearance. and then came ten years of bitter struggle, with want, before the mother gave up, worn out. The boy had gone West, and the girl not II years old, was just saved from the poor house by the family pride of Mrs. Mar tin. .
 But often and often had Bella thought that 1t would have been better for her if she had gone to the poorhouse where she would at least have been treated more kindly. She was thinking something of this now. and then a more pleasing thought came into her mind for a blush crept slowly over her face. It must have been Joe Vincent that brought 1t there, for Joe Vincent was about all the happi. ness there was in her life. He was only 19-but he was studying law Some day. perhaps-but that was far ahead. You won't be staying here always Bella" he had said to her just the other day. I'm studying law. you know, and some day I'll have an office-and-and-'' But Bella had run laughing and blush ing into the house, and Joe had gone home with a bird In his heart. She was I thinking of this now, when her aunt s harsh voice made her start:
 | Lands alive! Hain't you got them pos tatoes peeled yit?'
 "Yes, they are all done, auntie,' was the reply. as the girl entered the house followed by her aunt
 Its about time" snapped the woman. You ain't worth your salt. I wish you had gone to the poorhouse, instid of bein | here for my children to wait on."
 The girl smiled bitterly at the thought of her cousins waiting on her, the house. hold drudge. She made no reIolnders however. and her meekness seemed to in. turiate her aunt.
 | T wish that harum-scarum brother of yours would come back and take you of my hands, or that good-for-nothn' fa- ther-"
 "Stop, auntie." cried the girl and there was something new in her voice that made her aunt pause. You shall not say one word against my father, and as for Jack, he will come back some day, as soon as he has struck 1t rich out there in 1.-the Klondike."
 ''Yes. he's comin," retorted Mrs Mar tin. Sos Christmas comin', an purity lone It'll be, won't it?'
 She cast a look fully of bitter sarcasm labout the scantiiy furnished room. Her husband. helpless invalid from rheuma- Itism sat in a chair by the stove, looking ldisconsolately out of the window.
 Do you know what I'm goin to do Iwith you?" suddenly exclaimed Mrs. Mar ttin, in the midst of her dinner prepara- ltions, casting vindictive look at the girl. I'm goin to bundle you off to the poor house. where you belong. There's too many mouths to feed here. You can stay here till after Sunday, but you go bright land early Monday mornin'.'
 Bella grew pale for an instant, then she said, calmly:
 You may turn me out, If you wish, auntie, but IN not go to the poorhouse. I can go to the city and make my own living. I will not wait until tomorrow I will go today
 Be careful. 'Tildy," warned MT. Mar tin. Don't be too hard on the girl. She Is q help to you. Besides suppose she should find out something about the mortgage and the deed. This farm isn't ours. you must remember"
 That's just why she S. got to go," in- Interrupted his wife. ''She don't know nothin' yit, but there ain't no tellin' when she will. an we'd better be clear of her before she does find out. The deed ain't never been recorded. We've got to sell this place to the railroad while we've got & chance. The girls kin do the work themselves. It won't hurt 'em.''
 Well" assented her husband. weakly maybe you are right But I hate to seG the girl turned out of her owr-"
 You put your sympathy where it'll dc some good" snapped Mrs. Martin. Think of me an the girls What will become of us if she ever finds out?''
 l Upstairs. in her own shabby little room
 Bella was making preparations for heI departure. She had never had any great cause to love the old farm, but somehow sho felt a pang at parting. after all. ShC had no conception of life in a great city But she felt new sense of dignity. She was woman now, no longer child. She would talk it over with Joe; perhaps h' could help her. He had relatives in th' city.
 T believe I'll wear the breastpin," sh' said to herself. as she searched througl
 her llttle belongings for the only relic O
 her mother she possessed, excepting thu
 ricIety old writing desk that stood in thu
 corner among the rubbish
 But hunt as she would, she could no find the precious reminder, which she ha' not worn for d long time.
 Maybe it's in the desk" she murmurcd
 her heart sinking at the thought that pos
 sihly it was lost. She hunted wi.dl IhrOnUh bn 1t,Nr v,No. nd aNH,