Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-10-30

With wistful eyes. she gazed down the
long dusty toad, a small and slender fig-
ure, clad in a shabby gown OF blue. At
the first glance one could not think that
she might be the heroine of a tale--for
TO her belonged none of the character
istics of the modern heroinei She had
q faded, rather irab appearance and she
was not young. Added to that she never
had been beautiful, nor even pretty-and
she was So years OF age. without the
shadow of a lover ever having appeared
upon the horizoni
Upon this sunny autumn morning she
gazed down the long road that wandered
over wood and hill down 10 the railroad
station
"Oh! how l wish that something would
happen today" she said aloud. This
little village seems to have grown sud
denly very DUH Even the sewing cir
Gle seems to have lost its interest latelyl
] guess it's foolish In me to want a
change so badly! Yet I do! How I would
love to travel. but we are SO drcadfuiy
poor, there is no chance of thatI'
Della, Della. come right in and pare
the potatoes. and the beans are waiting
tu be shClled! | guess you're real lazy
this morniuG. standing out there doing
nothing cried harsh voice from
within.
Ine little SnanpN, DlOe-Clad 0S0re hNr-
ried to the kitchen door, why. sister. |
was looking for the mail carrier, and for
got about the dinner" she said apologet-
ically.
you are always dreaming" was the
ungracious answer The speaker was a
tall and angular woman close on 80. with
a hard. forbidding face.
The sisters lived together in little cot
tage all by themselvos-and to the elder
this was all suffiCinE. But the younger
sister sometimes had STRINGS and strange
longinEs for the world outside!
we are half asleep in this little village
sister she would sometimes say, we
merely vegetate Even good books are
hard to get here. Don't you ever think
that you would Ike to travel and see a
little bit Of life?"
Della, you are young and therefore
foolishn the hard-faced sister would re-
ply "I am 10 years older than you, and
] know enough Of the world to know that
It is n very wicked place! As for the big
cities that you banker for, they arc Ike
unto Sodom and Gomorrah for evil! No.
you are better here
But. sister I am 30 now, and that is
not young!" the other would reply.
I'm worldly wisdom you are very
young" the hard-faced elder sister an
swernd-and the little Della would be
crushed!
This sunny morning had enEendered
new rebellion in her heart. She had de-
Cided that somehow or other this dreadful
monotony must be broken-but no sOlu-
tion offered itself.
With a wistful little sigh, she set about
the business Of potato pairing. Her older
sister clattered round the kitchen.
\ sudden knock came to the door. II
was the mail carrier. and he had let
ter with him bearing a new handwriting.
1t was addressed to Della, and she open
ed It with trembling hands.
Her checks flushed while she read it,
and she looked perpleNed. ''I cannot un-
derstand this letter, sister, will you look
at it?" she said.
II was a lawyers letter. and It stated
simply that Miss Delta Craven had re-
Ceived a legacy OF $50 from a certain els
tant relative. The sisters stood there
on the kitchen floor, and zazed at one
another thunder-struck.
Five hundred dollars-that Is a great
sum Of money. sister, said the little
Della. "Of course, you must take half
of II. because you really did more for
Aunt Priscilla than ever I did. can
not think why she left me this money,
and not you"
II guess YOU have a more taking sort
OF way about you than I have, Della"
said the older sister in softened tone.