The Holly chieftain., 1907-01-04

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blown tragedy had visited the girls
home, and when the man sought her
she was not to be found. Out in her
little western village people told a
tale of her fathers long illness and
death-how she had nursed him night
and day with untiring tenderness; how,
their slight income being exhausted,
she had taken up water color work
and filled orders for dinner cards and
little pictures; how finally, upon his
DEATH she had gone to New York city
to earn her living in such fashion as
she could.
That was all Orchard had been able
to learn, and that had been two years
ago. To find II girl who does water
color work on dinner cards in New
York city is not an easy matter. By
the time his train had reached the
smoke of the tunnel the man with the
unread paper was thoroughly out of
conceit with one Emily; by the time
the ferryboat had bumped into the
slip ON the New York side he was
thoroughly out of conceit with him
self
bear upon the flowers Miss Gray had
Just brought in.
$50 they are what you call closed
gentians?" questioned she half incred
ulously Are you sure?'
Tin very sure. Miss Norton
The girls voice was exquisitely low
and musical.
But they're SO homely. SO unfinished
looking. and thought-well, never
mind. Arrange them there in that
vase, II you will. My lawyer. u young
; fellow In whom I've taken great in
terest, Is coming up to Wynchell to-
day, and they are his favorite flower"
Miss Gray lost the last of the SEN
tence. From the silver faucet In Miss
Morton's marble bathtub she was
drawing water for the cut glass she
held Besides, Miss Morton had spo-
ken more than half to herself.
1t had been only three days now that
| Miss Gray had been with her in the
capacity of companion, and already
Miss Morton found herself exchanging
that young persons status from com
panion to contidante. She had always
had liking for her, this girl with the
! tired, pale face and the sweet, sudden
smile, ever since the day when she
had come personally to explain that
there had been some little mistake In
the ordered dinner cards and to make
her apologies. 1t appears she had Civ
ell the dinner ladies powdered silver
hair instead of dazzling gold. That
had been at the beginning of last sea-
son. During the present summer the
little sketches that she had been able
TO sell hadn't proved sufficient for her
to eke out even a modest existence
with. Miss Norton was looking for n
companion, and she had offered her
services That Is the way it had all
come about.
There was the rhythmic thud-thud OF
horses hoofs on macadam. and Miss
Morton's brown cObs whred through
an iron gate into n modest drive and
came to an abrupt halt under her
porte -cochere. A gray driZzle had set
in. but what did that matter to How.
ard Orchard? The fine drops of rain
driven against his face by the pace of
the cobs had been an exhilarating de.
light to him, and as Miss Morton was
wheeled into the library to greet him
he was positively cordial.
Miss Morton had forgotten her lor-
gnon. Being very shortsighted, she was
at loss to know exactly where her
companion had placed the gentians
And above all things, should the sight
of the flowers bring an appreciable
fraction of pleasure into Orchards i'm
mobile face she didn't want to lose the
sight She rang for maid.
"Ask Miss Gray to fetch me my
lorgnon," said she.
$50 you remembered" The exclama
ton came from Orchard, and Miss Nor
ton lost the sight she had wished for
after ALL He had crossed to an ebony
cabinet on top Of which stood the cut
glass vase. awkward things to ar
range in vases, though" he commented
laconically, as If regretting his burst OF
emotion.
Eyes, that's what my companion said
She went out willingly enough in al
this drizzle to pluck them, but sh'
SHE'D at arranging them in vase
She assures me they belong to thu
fields, and
But Orchard veered quickly around
In the mirror back of the ebony cabl