Evening star., 1915-04-04

Mrs. Gray ought to be ashamed of her
self, Mum, or my names not Mary Reilly,
wildly of Sergeant Reilly-God rest his soul!
|-of the Seventh Cavalry! And that boy
a settin' there in the cottage by his lonely
self, and he that brave, Mum, and never
sayin' complainin' word. And when said
to him, Mum, as didn't mean to be disre-
spectful to Mrs. Gray, who was lady born,
but did think of all the heartless critters |
ever see she was the worst, that mite of a
lame boy calls me down as he was the Colo
mel of the regiment and | was just Mary
Reilly, the Sergeant's wife. Mary Reilly
says that boy, says he, I can't let you say
anything against my Aunt Edith, says he,
and if she's gone away, it's for my good, he
says, Mum.
Here the water pail went over from
touch of Mary Reilly s substantial foot, and
when mopping up the flood Mary Reilly
snorted out:
"And the boy has been four days in the
cottage, Mum, with only morsel of fire in
the stove and none too much to eat; and
when | went in, a chirripin' like bird,
Mum, and sayin' brave-like, I'm all right,
Mary Reilly, thank you"
The thought of the boy in his loneliness
and cold and hunger smote Elizabeths
tender heart. She went into the hall, where
Mowbray was preparing to start for his
offices, and told him about Kenneth Gray.
ave must look after him. said Now
bray. "You had better go instead of me:
you know SO much better how to manage
these things than l do" 1t was a part of
Mowbray S pride in Elizabeth that he would
often say she did many things far better
than he did.
"Certainly will CO." she answered.
THE day was still lowering and clustering
and snowy when Elizabeth left the house,
warm and bright, where her own nestlings
were Tapped in love and comfort, for the
little cottage down the road. Kenneth saw
her from afar, and opened the door to her.
The little room, with scrap of fire in the
stove, was chilly to Elizabeth in her furs.
Kenneth had on his shabby overcoat, and
made a cheerful answer to Elizabeths kindly
questions.
at isn't so bad" he said. "The spring
snow didn't last, and I'm getting on first
rate, anyhow"
Elizabeth made some gentle inquiry about
Mrs. Gray and her sudden departure. But
there the boy showed polite reticence.
His aunt's reason for going away was all
right. Elizabeth pressed him little. When
was Mrs. Gray coming back?
| The boys eyes filled with tears, and his
voice broke little "I don't know" he said.
Then he recovered himself, and asked
about Hubert's accident, which he pro-
nounced "hard lines as if there were no
hard lines in the cold and lonely little cottage.
Elizabeth, resolutely kind, asked still fur
ther questions, and offered the boy money,
at which he blushed up to the eyes, and
Elizabeth too blushed when he said quietly:
Aunt Edith always told me never to take
money from anybody. People used to offer
it to me because | was lame"
| When Elizabeth rose to go she felt herself
as completely baff1ed as Mary Reilly had
been. However, she sent the boy basket
of provisions, to which Hubert added boys
scrawly letter, Harold book Sophy and
Christine a box of candies, and little Esther
her greatest treasure,-a noseless rag doll
for her beloved "Kenny."
In the evening, when Mowbray came home,
and heard Elzabeth's account, he tee-
phoned to have some coal sent to the little
cottage,-so Kenneth was warmed and filled
against his will,-whie Mary Reilly uncere-
moniously gave the cottage a cataclysmal
cleaning and defiantly refused the modest
coin that Kenneth offered her.
SPRING SHOWS do not last long, as Ken
meth said, and in week the ground was
once more clear, and Nature, in her feminine
mood, made up in smiles and sunshine for
her storms and SHOWS.
Elizabeth Mowbray calmly met the Sc