The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1909-03-20
''Victorine may want it when she

lessly, and ran to let her in.
She was paying the man, and her
low laugh came to them.
"Oh oh - she said. "Did you
sit up, you bad little ladies'? told
you to go to bed"
Something in her voice made the
sisters laugh in response. They had
never been called "bad little ladies"
in that afectionate way, and they
liked it.
"Tell him where to put it, said
the voice again, and then they saw
that the cabman was staggering under
fiat trunk, and they made way for
him.
And after the cabman came Victo-
rine, radiant, glowing, exquisite. She
kissed them, and hugged Josephus,
and cried, "Oh, it's lovely to be here !
It was perfectly ducky of you to let
me come -
Miss Aspasia held the girls hand
in loving clasp, while Miss Emme-
line beamed on her, and said, "And
now, my dear, are you hungry 2"
Hungry - said Victorine. II
could eat house ~
Miss Aspasia dropped her hand.
we've saved you little supper,
she said. Perhaps we should get
you something more"
Victorine's quick eyes caught the
trouble in the old faces, and she re-
membered what her mother had told
her of the careful management that
had kept the two little ladies from ex-
treme poverty.
''No, indeed % she said, quickly.
eff you'll just make cup of tea
while l get into something comforta
ble." Then her arms went round
Miss Aspasia again. GIVE just been
pining to see you, she said. "Mother
has told me of the time when you
were girls together, and how Miss
Emmeline like tarts and you liked to
write poetry. And now that she
isn't-here-I felt that I just had to
come to you and Miss Emmeline-"
Precious child !'' murmured Miss
Aspasia, and wished that the pink
cushion was in place on the mahog-
any dresser.
"Please don't plan anything but
the tea," Victorine directed, as she
went upstairs. "I have some things
in the little trunk my other trunks
will come up in the morning"
Miss Aspasia followed, taking in,
with fashion-starved eyes, the cut of
the tailored gray suit, the bunch of
violets and lilies of the valley that
frightened the front of it, the trim
hat with the gray veil.
Vicsorine, on her knees, lifted out
the tray of the fiat trunk. II bought
such things in New York-the shops
were perfectly irresistible. I found
this kimono for myself" and she dis
played one of faint mauve Grape, with
wistaria blossoms trailing over it,
land these I bought for you and Miss
Emme1ine.''
"Oh!" Miss Aspasia quivered, as
she gathered up the exquisite pale
blue garment, llsprinkled with cherry
blossoms.
Miss Emmeline's was a cheerful
affair of gray, with flight of swal-
lows across it, and cherry colored
border of satin.
"Put it or" Victorine urged, "aud
be comfortable. We will make a
night of it, dear Miss Aspasia."
And Miss Aspasia, with her eyes
shining like a girls, ran down to
Emmeline.
"Oh, the lovely, lovely child, EN-
incline !" she said, with a break in
her voice. "She has brought us
these %
They put on the kimonos, survey
ing themselves almost stealthily in
the mirror in the sitting-room.
"What would Mrs. Warner say?"
Miss Aspasia remarked, almost guilt
lily, as she blushed at her charming
reflection.
"I don't care what she'd say"
said Miss Emmeline, ,recklessly. "I've
never been so comfortable in my life, I"
and she swept into the dining room
to make the tea.
There she found Victorine in the
ruidst of picturesque array of par
GELS with brilliant wrappings and gay
labels. There were boxes of wonder
ful biscuits, and tins of sardines and
potted things, and bottles of olives,
and jars of ginger, and little cream
cheeses wrapped in tin-foil, and some
delectable little glasses whose con-
tents caught the light and glowed
crimson.
"What is it?" Miss Emmeline
asked curiously.
"Bar-le- Due" said Victorine. ut
is a French preserve of currants in
honey, and it. fine with cream cheese
and crackers. Try it."
And Miss Emmeline did try it, and
she ate cavair and Camembert, and
goose. .livers and anchovies, and lot
of other things which she had read
of in cook k-books, but had never seen.
81 never felt SO Bohemian in my
life," she confded, at last. "I've
heard of such things, but I never had
chance to try them. Well, won
der what Mrs. Warner would say,
Aspasia ?"
Miss Aspasia did not answer. She
was watching Victorine, who was
feeding sardines to the ingratiating
Josephus. AS the girl moved her
arms, her kimono fell back little,
showing about her neck a slender
chain, from which hung ring with
a flashing jewel.
Victorine looked up and caught
the glance of the tender old eyes.
"Oh," she said, and her hand went
to her neck, IL want to show it to
you-it's my engagement ring. Bot
gave it to me and I wouldn't wear II
at SCHOOL, wanted you to be the
first to wish me happiness-you see
l haven't mother"
Her voice broke, and she reached