The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-03-14
THE UGI1NEss OF ANNA MARIA.

Anna Maria sat on the back steps
feeling blue, dreadfully blue. She
felt that way most of the time.
For one thing, Jane had told her she
was ugly, and that she always would
be. Now, no girl wants to be ugly,
and if she is, she does not like to be
told so.
Another thing, Anna Maria was
slow. If she tried to hurry she near
ly always broke things and if she took
her time they generally burned.
Then, too, she was awkward. She
was just thirteen, the. very worst age
for awkwardness, but she did not
know that. She supposed all her
life would be spent in knocking things
off the tables, stepping on babies toes
and falling over chairs.
But even that was not all. Jane
was cross, not only today, but every
day. Jane was Anna Maria's half
sister, with whom she lived.
Of course there was some excuse
for lane. She had four children of
her own, all small, cross and noisy.
The family was poor and Jane had to
work hard.
Still Anna Maria could not see
that she had to be cross and snappish
all the time. It seemed to her that
things would go on about as well if
she would once in while quit nag
ging and speak civilly to body. At
least it could not be any worse, for
things were in pretty bad shape in the
little three-roomed house, everything
scattered where it ought not to be.
There was very seldom much chance
for one to cross room without stumb-
ling over something out of place and
then one got yelled at.
She heard Luke come home e.
"Where is Anna Maria 7" he asked.
ooh, out sulking somewhere, like
she always is" answered Jane. Il
don't see what will become of that
girl. She just doesn't know how to
do anything and can't learn. She let
the teakettle go dry this morning and
burned the bottom out, and she broke
that glass dish that Sarah gave me.
ten times rather do the work myself
than have her around"
Anna Maria did not wait to hear
any more. but slipped across the yard
and crouched down by the big cherry
tree.
She sat very still, looking up at
the moon.
Most people would have agreed
with Jane that the girl was ugly.
She was tall for her age, raw boned,
thin faced, and had large, brown
eyes. She was silent, too-sullen,
Jane called it-and seldom said a
word or hummed tune as she went
painfully about her work, trying to
do it we'll enough not to get scolded.
Tonight as she watched the moon,
and listened to the lonesome things
out in the night, singing, two big
tears slipped out and went racing
down her face. Then two more, and
others followed fast. She flung her
self face down on the grass and cried.
She was no use in the world, she
told herself, and never would be.
Her folks were all dead but Jane and
Aunt Lily. Jane did not want her
and Aunt Lily had never so much as
spoken to her since her mother died.
There was nothing she could do to
help herself or anybody else. "And
and / do not want to be ugly and
awkward always" she sobbed.
The next morning when Anna
Maria came back from the spring
house, where she had gone to get the
milk for dinner, someone was in the
front room talking to Jane.
"We1I," said the visitor, and the
voice sounded like Aunt Lily, "you
let her come stay with me three
weeks"
Jane very willingly gave her con-
sent.
Anna Maria went in and shook
hands very gravely. Aunt Lily was
a wonderful person. She wore soft
dresses, had pretty white hands and
beautiful blue eyes.
She was very rich and "stuck up"
so Jane had said, and never had Ito
turn her hand over to do thing"
1t was fine June day and Anna
Maria listened silently to the smooth,
gentle voice of Aunt Lily as she talk
ed about the beautiful things they
saw growing along the road.
"Isn't that splendid tree !" she
would say. "Look at those wild
grape vines. Isn't it fine to be out
where things grow?" for Aunt Lily
| lived in town.
Sometimes Anna Maria answered,
but usually she did not. She just
sat and rested and listened as the car
riage went whirrirg along the smooth
white road.
She was happy, yet dreaded to have
her Aunt Lily see how awkward she
was and how unfit to do anything.
It was about q o'clock when they
arrived. Aunt Lily's house was
large and stood in wide grassy lot.
1t looked nice inside, but it was not
filled with glass things, gold-thread
cobweb or any of the scores of break
able things which she had imagined.
"Now this is your own room, "
said Aunt Lily, taking her upstairs.
"You just take care of it to suit your
SELF"
Was not that wonderful whole
room to herself, to do just as she
pleased with. Nobody to tell her
not to put this there and that here,
or scold her for not doing it all.
She began to move things around
just for the pure Joy of doing some
thing without being bossed and nag
ged.
At dinner she was embarrassed at
at first, but Uncle John was SO friend
L41A