The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-12-19

my easel ready in the school room and
paint little, if Miss Leigh will allow
me-
"Of course you must paint in the school
room," returned her sister, tartly II sup
pose you do not intend to litter up this
room with that great ugly easel, and Eva
and I will be in the drawing room"
Il dare say when l have finished you
will let me join you there" replied Ali
son, in conciliatory tone. As she was
bent on making Miss Hardwick's &C
quaintance for her own purposes she took
no notice of sundry remarks in an under
tone, that were fully meant to reach her
ears, about people never knowing when
they were not wanted.
Alison was soon too busy to remember
Missiles existence. Miss Leigh, who was
DESTROYS of resigning her household duties
into Alison's hands, keeping herself in the
background and only acting as aide-de-
camp, was soon explaining to the bewil-
dered girl all her little pet theories with
regard to kitchen and store room.
When Miss Leigh and Poppie went
back to the school room, Alison settled
herself and her painting apparatus in the
furthest window, and tried to forget all
her perplexities in hard work, but while
Poppie droned over her lessons, Alison's
thoughts would stray to far different
scene-to a shady room full of sweet
flower scents, with tall figure standing
before an easel. "Oh, Aunt Di, if were
only painting beside you now!" she
thought, with a sharp, involuntary pain.
"Oh, how beautiful if I could only
paint like that" The words were spoken,
with a sigh, just behind her. Alison
started she had been dreaming indeed !;
the midday sun was streaming into the
room. Poppie had put away her lesson
books, and had run off, and Miss Leighs
place was empty, and standing just behind
Alison's chair was a young lady dressed
very simply in a gray linen dress and q
broad-brimmed hat. At Alison's obvious
start the young lady blushed and seemed
confused.
"Oh," she stammered, II am afraid /
startled you. You were so busy that you
did not see me come in. l have been
watching you ever so long"
II must have been painting IN my
Sleep" returned Alison, with a frank
laugh, but as she put aside her palette
and rose, she cast a scrutinizing glance
on the young girl beside her.
She was slight, pale girl, evidently a
little younger than herself; somewhat
plain in feature but with pleasing,
gentle expression, though painful hest
tation in her speech, almost amounting
to a stammer, marred the effect OF sin
gularly sweet voice. Even in that first
moment Alison, who had true artistic
taste in all matters pertaining to dress,
wondered at the bad judgment that could
select dull, neutral tints for complexion
so colorless the large hat overshadowed
her features, and hid the soft hair that
was her only beauty.
"You are Miss Hardwick, l suppose?''
observed Alison, with shrewd guess
that this was the young sister of whom
Miss Leigh spoke.
mot Miss Hardwick," corrected the
girl; Il am only Anna. Eva and Mabel
sent me here because they wanted to talk
to each other, and they always find me
in the way. Will it trouble you if I stop
here little and watch you painting?"
"Oh, no; not at all. We shall be nice
company for each other" returned Ali
son, in a friendly voice. Il have only
this little bit Of background to finish, and
then I shall be free to talk to you"
Alison painted for a few minutes 81
lently; she was thinking. Then she laid
aside her brush.
IF you will excuse me moment l
want to speak to your sister and Mabel, y
she said, rather quickly, land then, if you
like, we will go and sit in the garden I'M
til luncheon is ready"