Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-10-02
The Argus Daily Story
Brother and Sister-By F. A. Mitchell.
copyrighted. 1912. by Associated Literary Bureau

10 move me. but she had the tact to
refrain from asking personal questions
about what they might reveal of their
own accord, and made no comment on
my agitation. I was much relieved at
this. for l required time to consider
whether OF no l would inform her that
she was being courted by the brother
of her maid.
After much thought upon the sub
ject. also whether ! should make my
self known TO Bert, could not deter
mine to do anything in the premises.
If / took any action 1t would be TO
make confidante of my mistress and
not on any account reveal to Bert that
1 was his sister.
From this time had a secret on my
mind that troubled me, or, rather, l
was distressed by the position l occu-
pied l longed TO throw my arms
! around Bert's neck and rejoice that
we had come together But from this
| 1 shrank. Yet how was l returning
/ my mistress kindness TO me in keep
! ing my discovery from her? The mat
/ ter weighed upon me dreadfully-in-
/ deed. so much so that grew thin and
/ pale. while l frequently noticed in
! looking at my reflection in a mirror
/ that my mental strain was stamping
| itself on my features.
Occasionally I was obliged to meet
Bert-sometimes TO serve him. l had
no reason to suspect him of knowing
that l was his sister. II he ever even
looked at me curiously he did not do
so while 1 was looking at him. l was
/ glad 10 he near him, but panied that
l might not make myself known TO
him. The young man who had ia
vored me with an admiring glance
came to the house occasionally and
never failed to repeat his manifesto
tons Of admiration. Bert called him
Howard. and l learned that his name
was Howard Underwood.
One day Miss Gwendolln said to me:
Lucia. / have been thinking nuch
about You lately and have come to
decision concerning you. Your birth,
!, supplemented by what I have been
able to do for you in education, will
not admit of your remaining longer q
! servant. I have some work laid out
for bookkeeping the accounts of
, charitable association of which I am
treasurer, the salary of which is 5000
year. I wish you to continue to live
here, and that you may feel independ
ent I will give you the care OF my
, wardrobe"
1t would be useless for me TO at
, tempt to describe in words my joy at
t this announcement. Sooner or later
: would claim Bert for my brother, and
3 that without placing him in an embar-
3 RAISING position. Gwendolin would not
1 listen to thanks, saying that my posi-
| ton as maid had beep as embarrass-
: ing to her as it must have been to
me. She also told me that her admirer
t and my admirer were coming that
[ same evening to play cards and she
wished me to make a fourth hand. |
I tried to beg off from such sudden
q jump from serving persons to being
q their companion, but she would not
> listen to me.
/ GwendOlin some time before had In
' sisted on my providing myself with
1 a respectable wardrobe of my own,
0 and | now saw why she had done so.
, That same evening Bert came earlier
than her friend, and Gwendolin in
p sisted on my going down TO receive
h him. With a futtering heart did so.
I Entering the room. | saw no one. but
q suddenly Bert stepped from behind q
a curtain and caught me in his arms.
While 1 had been carrying a secret
l. the others had been doing the same
thing. Gwen had told Bert all about
: her maid, her origin and her name.
, Bert had from the story recognized his
sister, and. though he did not at
once make the relationship known to
I Gwen, he did so very soon. Indeed, he
: prefaced a proposition of marriage by
telling her that he was brother to her
maid. She accepted. and together they
, laid the plan to spring "A surprise on
me, not knowing that | possessed the
secret of Bert and my relationship.
While my brother and | were still
locked in an embrace Gwen came
in. We three passed some time in ex-
= plantations and rejoicings when Mr..
Underwood appeared, and l learned
that he. too. had been taken into the
, secret shall never forget his beam
ing face or the pressure OF his hand as
, he congratulated me upon the reunion
with my brother.
, | do not know which one of the
. party during that memorable evening
. we did not play cards-was the hap
: piest Bert had found sister and d
ladylove. Gwen had found lover
, who had found Il sister had been re-
: united TO a brother and knew well that
q it would not he long before | would be-
> told that had gained lover. AS for
/, Howard. I made him happy by re-
spending glances that had been long
restrained
Bert had received both an academic
. and a professional education from his
benefactor and was en- exemplary and
| promising young man. He married my
. benefactress. and I married Howard
t Underwood. he having fallen in love
: with lady's maid and the ma Id having
, fallen in love with a gentleman at drst
> sight.