The Caucasian., 1909-08-22


low came home" He paused, blush>
ing vividIy. But Lottie understood.
I'VE will have the decorated cake
and-the rest" she answered gently.
Then Lottie went over to where Jack
stood and laid her hand upon his arm.
''She shall have a royal welcome
dear" she said, smiling, though her
eyes were fearful.
Through the rest of the day every
thing connected with the Wilton house,
was tending toward the royal wei
come"
1t surprised the girls to find how
cherries Tildy's room appeared when
they entered it. They had never
seemed to see before that it was bare
of ornament They carried in pretty
things from their own rooms and
laughed among themselves as they
made the plain apartment bright and
comforta BILE 1t was Rose who thought
of the patchwork quilt that was made
Of a thousand bits of gay silk and
cherished in the Wilton household as.
| a treasure of peculiar value. Only on,
state occasions as a mark of peculiar
| honor was it brought forth. and when
Lottie and Rose together spread it
| upon Tildy's bed each felt it's pres
| ence to be a delicate attention that
could not fail to meet its true inter-
pretation.
| Amanda's Offering was a cluster OF
/ spring flowers which wore so assured
ly the stamp of her clumsy little fin
gers that Lottie gave it post of HON
or. where it told its own story.
Iildy's train stopped at the station
late in the evening light rain beat
against the windows. The scene was
dreary enough as she peered out un-
smifingly, but she gave a start of sur
| prise at the glimpse afforded her OF,
/ Dobbin's white figure standing out
| clearly through The mist. She had not
! expected Dobbin. She had hoped to
reach the house in some manner. but
to be assisted by horse so old and
highly respected as he was. at such
an inconveDient hour, was an unwont-
ed honor And Jack too-he must.
have come to meet her. She hinted
her amazement to the young man as
they were jogging along and expressed
reluctance at making him SO much
trouble. But a greater surprise await
ed Tidy at the old stone wall. Lot
tie and Rose and Amanda were there
to help her alight from the carriage.
She could hardly believe her senses
4 when the girls surrounded her and
flung their arms about her neck.
''Oh, Tildyp' one or the other kept
repeating. "Oh. Tildyr'
The tired woman chung to them si-
lently. her heart beating wildly with
bewilderment and strange joy. Why
her young brother had drifted into
her life only to be swept away again
was a mystery that Tidy could not
understand, but there was one sweet
certainty that her mind laid hold of
and kept always. 1t WAS suggested
first at the station by DoDbin's famil-
! lar visage, with Jack beside him wait
ing in the damp. 1t seemed to shine
! out from the lantern that swung be-
2 fore them like a huge freely as Rose,
: dancing merrily along, lighted the lit
2 tie group up the driveway to- the
: house Lottie and Amanda, nesting
: SO close on either side of her. made
the same thought an undisputed truth.
: This was not the return that she had
I. fancied: this meant more than going
= back to servitude. It was a home
coming!
Nothing could matter now, she told
herself. trembling nervously. These
young orphans loved her after ALL She
had loved them for years and years
They belonged to one another. That
night when she fell asleep under the
SILK patchwork Tidy was actually
happy