The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-03-02
A SUBSTITUTE
FOR DELLA.
@Y MARGARET E. sANGsTER.
,515l515 S25l5151515l51

u II
i551S75751575 5z5751575157515157515i
1t was all done in such a whirl
that Leslie Sherman mad no time to
think of herself or her plans for the
winter until her father and STEP
mother AID sister Nancy were fairly
out at sea. The pilot brought back
note from Mrs Sherman, advis-
ing Leslie to send for her Aunt Clara
would not be too lonely while taey
were all away.
As for Leslie, she fitted from
room to room with an exuberant de-
light that would almost have para
lyzed her stepmother had she seen
by nature antipathetic, and they kept
the peace only by the exercise of
continual self-restraint on both sides.
Leslie was fond of adventure and
hated monotony. Mrs. Sherman was
born conservative. Leslie had
spent much of her childhood at
boarding-school, and later. college
had occupied four years. The last
twelve months she had been at home,
restless, eager, dissatisfied, and very
uncertain what to do.
Then Nancy had been suddenly
taken ILL., Nancy, the little fair-aaired
sister, who was the especial darling
of ner parents, and the doctor had
ordered an Immediate flight 60 the
south of France. Something had been
said about Leslie's going, too, but
she had opposed it, and Mrs. Sher.
man had been rather relieved that
she preferred to stay behind.
In the time that had slipped by
since Leslie's return from college
she had tried several ways of anus
ing and occupying herself. She had
studied bookkeeping and had begged
her father to employ her, but he had
banteringly put her off, She had
taken course in shorthand, and per-
fected what she had already picked
up in college as a help in taking
notes from her favorite professors,
and the click of her typewriter was
often heard, and the ringing of it's
little bell came sounding from the
room where she studied
II hope Nancy will learn the harp"
Mrs. Sherman would say. Il grow
tired of hearing Leslie's typewriter"
A good deal of Leslie's time was
spent at an East side settlement, and
she learned to love the girls she
met there. She was adored by the
maids in her home, and admired
when she entered anybody's drawing
room. Leslie Sherman was a good
specimen of the modern society girl,
gracious to her finger-tips, and every
where at her ease.
She sat down to dinner alone the
first night after the family left. The
old butler felt sorry for her and fan
cied she must be desolate, but her
pulses were dancing and she was ex-
ulting in her freedom to do as she
pleased in trifies or in larger things
without an ever-recurring argument.
When she was undressing, some
hours later, she noticed in the mirror
opposite her chair that Norah, who
was preparing the room and bed for
the night had been crying. 1t had
been Norah's afternoon out, and Win
ME, who ought to have acted as
cnambermaid in her absence, had
herself gone to bed with a tooth.
ache.
What is it, Norah?" asked Leslie.
Have you had bad news from
homer"
"Oh, no, Miss Leslie, dear, no bad
news from home, but Della, poor
thing. has to go to the hospital to-
morrow for bad operation. She
never knew it, nor did l, till | went
with her to-day. But it's now or
never, the doctors say, and she il lose
her job. an it's good one. She'll
be three months before she can get
back to the Office"
Leslie knew Norah's pride in the
sister, who was stenographer in
an editorial office downtown. She
was clever little thing, whom Norah
had brought from Ireland, and who
had been graduated from the nlsn
school year before, and had since
been supporting herself.
"Norah," Leslie said, you are more
worried about Delia's job, than about
her life You surprise me-"