The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1904-01-20

had come by it in an odd way. "A sort
of half-witted nurse, whose one SUI
preme merit was her faithfulness, had
tended Squire Osgood's baby daughter
all through her early years; and she II
was who had first called the girl "pret-
ty Miss Kate "
II was small neighborhood, where
everybody knew everybody else; and,
by dint Of much hearing this title, all
the neighbors grew to use II. And, in
deed, at fifteen Kate Osgood deserved
It. She was a tall, slight girl. with
very graceful figure, and what a rather
horsy young man called stylish ac-
tion.
She had blue eyes-not the meaning
less blue of French doll, but deep and
lustrous, like the tender hue of the
summer sky. She had hair like some
Northland princess. 1t had not a tint
of yellow in it, but 1t was fine and fair,
and so light as to be noticeable any
where. Her skin was exquisite, too,
as skin must be to match such hair.
When any color came to the cheeks it
was never crimson, but just the faint
est tint of the blush rose; her lips
alone were of rich, vivid bloom. A
prettier creature, truly, seldom crosses
this planet; and the few such girls who
have lived among us, and grown to
womanhood, have made wild work gen.
orally, using hearts for playthings;
and, like other children breaking their
toys now and then. But pretty Miss
Kate was not at the age yet for that
sort of pastime, and her most ardent
worshipper was little Sally Green.
There was curious friendship be-
tween these two, il one may call that
friendship which is made up of blind
worship on one side, and gentle pity
and kindlness on the other.
Squire Osgood owned the poor little
house where Widow Green lived, ard
whenever there was an unusual press
of work at the great house above, the
family washing used to be sent down
to Mrs. Green, at the foot Of the hill.
Many an hour the widow worked bus
lily, fluting the delicate ruffles and
smoothing the soft muslins, out of
which pretty Miss Kate used to bloom
as a flower does out of its calyx. And
on these occasions Sally used to carry
the dainty washing home, and she
nearly always contrived to be permit
ted to take it up to Miss Kate's room
herself.
Nobody thought much about little
Sally Green anyway-least of all did
nf Mt
heroic, or poetical qualities. And yet
she had them all; and If you came to
a question of soul and mind, there was
something in Sally which entitled her
to rank with the best. She was a
plain, dark little thing, with short,
solid. squarely built figure; with great
black eyes, which nobody thought any
thing about in her, but which would
have been enough for the whole stock
In trade of fashionable belle; with
masses of black hair that she did not
know what to do with; and with a
skin somewhat sallow, but smooth.
No one ever thought how she looked,
except, perhaps, pretty Miss Kate.
One day, when the child brought
home the washing. Kate had been
reading aloud to a friend, and Sally
had shown an evident inclination to
finger. At that time Kate was not
more that fourteen, and the interest or
the admiration in Sally's face struck
her, and moved by girls quick i'm
pulse, she had said:
do you want to hear all of 1t, Sal
ly? Wait, then, and will read it to
you"
The poem was Mrs. Browning's "Ro-
nance of the the Swans Nest" and it
was the first glimpse for Sally Green
into the enchanted land of poetry and
fiction. Before that she had admired
pretty Miss Kate, but now the feeling
grew to worship.
Kate was not slow to perceive IT,,
with that feminine instinct which
somehow scents out and delights in the
honest admiration of high or low, rich
or poor. She grew very kind to little
Sally. Many book and magazine she
lent the child; and now and then she
gave her a flower, bit OF bright rib
bon, or some little picture. To poor
Sally Green these trifles were as the
gifts Of a goddess, and no monk ever
treasured relics from the shrine of his
patron saint more tenderly than she
cherished any, even the slightest, tok-
en- which was associated with the beau
tiful young lady, whom she adored
with all her faithful, reverent, imagin-
ative heart.
One June evening Sally had been
working hard all day. She had wash
ed dishes, run her mothers errands
got supper, and now her reward was
TO come.
'You may make yourself tidy" her
mother said, ''and carry home that
basket of Miss Kate's things TO Squire
Osgoods"
Sally few upstairs, and brushed bach
her black locks, and tied them with 6
red ribbon Miss Kate had given to her
She put on q clean dress, and little
straw hat that, last year, had beer
Miss Kate's own; and really, for sucf