Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1907-12-06
p T.

anu us pictures aSkew the table
was usually covered with q miscellane-
Gus assortment of books, tools, and gar
ments of all sorts and conditions; the
carpet, in spite of Moyra's efforts, CON
tanned pitfalls for the unwary door
handles had a pleasing habit of coming
oft-yet, in spite of all these disadvan-
tages, in spite of the fact that there was
a pretty and comfortable drawing room,
all the Beresfords-eyen the Rector him
self-when the spirit of companionship
seized them, grayitatcd as a matter OF
course to the school room, where some
one was certain to be found. g. "a.
In the morning it was given up to
Moyra, and in it she made up her ac-
counts, taught Lulu, and strove to lessen
the ever-increasing pile of dilapidated
garments. Moyra was the pretty eldest
Miss Beresford, who had been her faith
er's housekeeper since Lulu had come into
the world and her mother had gone from
1t. During vacations Terry would often
join her. Aileen, who was at Newman,
looked with great scorn on Terry's meth
cd of working. She herself read dill
gently, but not in the chool room. The
very look of the room made her feel lazy,
she used to declare.
I'll SuIuLleT alleTuOOIS lue SCHOOl EOOlu
wal deserted for the open air, but in the
winter "the school room crew." as Terry
called them, were always there-the
twins, Gerald and Geraldine; pretty
Bridget, who lowered on the confines of
the ''crew" and the g%rown-ups, who was
sometimes woman, but oftener child, and
the pride and anxiety of Moyra's heart
and small fairy-like Lulu, who, according
IN I@v Fo1la.& l,@yl., sIonlo1 1,l,n Nv
angel and behaved like the other thing
an assertion Indignantly repudiated by
Moyra, whose love for her baby vas
as ~unbounded and as blind as mother
love.
There were eight Beresfords in all, but
Patrick, who came between Aileen and
Bride, was usually away. being a naval
sub-lieutenant: The Rev. Terrence Beres-
ford was Rector at Caterham West, and
was possessed of private means as well
as an extraordinary pride of birth but
that did not prevent times when Moyra's
ponderings over her account books We're
very harassing. A long pedigree did not
prevent plebeian appetites, and the family
propensity was not towards economy. 1t
was not always easy for Moyra to man
age the bills so that Terry, Aileen and
Patrick could go undisturbed through
their various courses. Yet it never oc-
CURED to her to demur when one morn
ing in November, as she sat darning Ger
rvs football stockings, her father entered
the school room with an open letter in
his hand and proposed the addition of
another member to their family.
What do you mean?' Moyra asked,
booking up into his handsome face as if
Ahe thought he had become demented.
swell, my dear, I've had q letter from
Alec Robertson-you've often heard me
speak of him. We were at college to-
gether, but he went abroad, and We lost
sight of each other. Now he writes to
me from South America. where he has
married apparently, for he tells me his
wife is dead and he has a son who is
coming to England, and he asks me to
give him a welcome. He does not men
ton his age tho Rector continued, turn
ing the. fimsy sheets over. ALEC is sure
to have married late in life, so probably
the boy is quite young. But you'd better
read the letter"
Moyra did so in silence. Her first
question when she had finished was hard
ly relevant to tho subject.
"What does he mean about a loan?"
Mr.. Beresford flushed like a girl.
"Oh, it was years ago, my dear-long
before / was married! He was i'm low
water, and I had just come of age. 1t
was not much-only about seven hun
dred, my dear. And, you see, he remem-
bers it."
Eyes, but he doesn't offer to pay It.
I suppose he has never done so? We
could do with it just now"
HAb we'll 1,o.or, ,ot ~ L,JI /.
1t might not be worse with all an
whom he Misunderstanding up the letter
again. "He used to- be deeply attached
to a cousin whose people forbade him the
house. They were very strict Scots, and
he was considered too much of a rolling
a wrong-doerS.he had only the faults of
overlooking spirits and an impulsive reck-
l~essness that used to make us say he
You see, he says he could not send the
boy home before, SO I'm afraid he is not
overburdened with wealth"
There was a pause. The Rector watch
ed Moyra's needle, but it is to be cues
toned if he really saw it.
.If he left Buenos Ayres ON the first,
lit OuSlIa " DS Il SOOu. LIZ CoullQueu.
II am going to town this afternoon. so
I'll call at the office and make Inquiries
about the lara. I suppose you'll be able
to put him up, dear!"
II must, I suppose Moyra answered,
smiling. "One boy more or less does not
make much difference"
The Rector was not in for luncheon,
and Moyra made no allusion to the COM
ing visitor. When the meal was over
and the twins had gone off to school again
Moyra proposed that Bride should ac-
company her in some duty calls. But
Bride shrank from the idea. The color
rose in her cheeks, and the black-lashed
gray eyes-true Irish eyes, c~hangeable
and beautiful as an Irish sky-gazed at
her sister imploringly.
IAN, no, Moyra! I hate paying calls.
1 never know what to say !" she exclaim-
ed.
you never will know unless you go
sometimes" Moyra answered.
A close observer might have noticed a
deeper shadow in her eyes as they rested
on the lovely young sister who was in
deed what her father so fondly called her
the flower of the flock He was an
indulgent and loving father to them all,
but every one knew that it was Bride
who had the warnes corner in his heart.
He would often talk of giving her a sea-
son in town under the chaperonage OF an
old aunt known as Lady Sarah-he was
intensely ambitious for his boys and girls.
Moyra had at first thrown cold water on
K:. -. h,+ +haro bod haan times lately