The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-07-11
ing and darning, and dear knows what

things much against my will. I final
ly resolved that since it was a duty
I would make it a privilege by doing
my work in the best way / could.
soon found drudgery was transformed
Into delightful, joyous service" f"
''I never looked at it in that way" "
Helen was saying. II thought il
didn't make much difference how my
work was done. Father and Dick
are about the only ones that ever see
the house, and l don't believe thay
notice things" !"
But Mrs. Palmer thought different
ly, and she urged Helen to try the
experiment.
Thus far she had said very little
about herself, and when Helen asked
her how long she would be in the
mountains, she replied, Until l want
to go somewhere else. l am quite a
globe-trotter. Perhaps you would
like to hear of my travels"
Helen was all attention and eagerly
drank in every word of her description
of foreign lands. She told of strange
peoples aud their customs, wonderful
art galleries, old castles and cathe-
drals.
80, it must be grand to travel and
see all these things" Helen exclaim-
ed, her eyes shining.
Eyes, I enjoy it; but" she added
with a note of sadness in her voice,
"I grow restless and wish / could set
tie down."
"Where is your homer"
''I have none. / am entirely alone
in the world. l have means to go
anywhere I like, but half the pleasure
is gone from travel when there is no
home to go back to, and no loved ones
waiting and watching for me. I
haven't living relative
90 wouldn't that be dreadfulr'
eyes; you do not know what the
good-by kiss and the hearty welcome
home mean to you until you are de-
prived of these things. People envy
me because I have money; but that
does not make person rich, neither
does the lack of it make one poor. "
Helen looked very sober. She was
beginning to see things as she had
never seen them before. She polish
ed the glasses and set them in the cup
board in silence. Presently Mrs. Pal
mer consulted her watch and remark
ed that it was time for her to go.
Helen followed her down the trail to
the carriage road, and as she took her
hand in parting, she said, ''You have
helped me so much. mean to be
brave and do better"
On her way back to the house,
Helen caught herself singing snatches
of college song, and she stopped to
coiuubines that decked the mountain
side.
Her work did not seem ha1fs so hard,
and when it was all done, it was with
some degree of pride that she survey
ed the tidy little house.
eyes," she said to herself, "a
kitchen floor looks better when it is
scrubbed, and even fag carpet is
right nice when it is we'll swept. I
must be thinking up something good
for supper. wonder what Dick
meant when he asked me what we
were going to have?" Here she
looked at calendar that hung on the
wall, and exclaimed, "Why bless me,
if it isn't the dear boys birthday? !?
Mother never failed to have little
spread for him, at least birthday
cake. Poor fellow guess he
thought nobody would remember it
since she is gone"
1t had been an unusually hard day
at the mines. When Dick and his
father came up the walk that evening
they were tired and worn. Somehow
of late their home-going had been
shorn of all its pleasure. Even Dick,
brave, light-hearted fellow that he
was, forgot to whistle. All day he
had been thinking of the silent, tear
full girl they left that morning, and
he dreaded to meet her again.
Once inside the kitchen, he had to
rub his eyes to make sure he saw
Alright. Helen's face was all life and
color, and she was actually smiling.
The table was spread witha clean
white cloth, and in the center was a
bowl of columbines. The best dishes
were out, and the glassware sparkled
with unwonted briliiancy. Helen
was bending over the stove frying the
mountain trout that Dick had caught
the day before. There we're buiscuit
in the oven, creamed potatoes, honey
wild raspberries, and wonderful
chocolate cake.
"Whew but things smell good,
Dick exclaimed, land I'm hungry as
bear"
"Say, Helen" he continued, ''havt
you got somebody hid around here
It looks like we had company. II
that's the case I'll have to slick up a
little"
Everything is so nice and clean, >
put in Mr.. Crosby. "You are getting
to be fine little housekeeper, Heller
your mothers own daughter in tina
respect"
Helen flushed at these words o
praise, and said, mo, we haven
any company. It's your birthday
Dick, and l thought you deserved
something extra"
Then to herself she added, "Hov
could l think they wouldn't care !"-
Bertha II. Corn, IN EP7OOyth Herald
WHITE-What's the trouble be
! tween you and Green
Brown-Oh, there's no trouble onl,
he refuses to speak to me. Claims
did him mean trick about year ago