Omaha daily bee., 1918-08-30
Author OF "Pollyanna."

by the way, how is Miss Flora bear
ing up-under the burden?"
Miss Maggie laughed.
Poor Floraw
s'Poor Floral And do l hear
Poor Maggie say Poor Flora""
"Oh,' she won't be poor long
smiled Miss Maggie. She'll get used
to it-this stupendous sum OF money
one of these days. But just now
she's nearly frightened to death"
Frightened!
"Yes-both because she's got it, and
because she's afraid she'll lose it.
That doesn't sound logical, | know,
but Flora isn't being logical just now.
To begin with she hasn't the least
idea how to spend money. Under my
careful guidance, however, she has
bought her a few new dresses
though they're dead black"
BLACK" interrupted the man.
YES, she's put on mourning"
smiled Miss Maggie, as he came to
dismayed stop. She would do it..
She declared she wouldn't feel half
decent unless she did with that poor
man dead, and giving her all that
money"
But he isn't dead-that is, they
aren't sure he's dead" amended Mr..
Smith, hastily.
"But Flora thinks he is. She says
he must be, or he would have ap-
peared in time to save all that money.
She's very much shocked, especially
at Hattie, that there is so little re-
spect being shown his memory. So
she is all the more determined to do
the best she can on her part"
But she-she didn't know him, so
she can't-er-really mourn for him."
stammered the man. There was
most curious helplessness on Mr..
Smiths face.
mo, she says she can't really
MOURN" smiled Miss Maggie again,
"and that's what worries her the
most of anything-because she can't
mourn, when he's been so good to
her-and he with neither wife nor
chick nor child to mourn for him.
she says. But she's determined to go
through the outward form of 1T, at
least. So she's made herself some new
black dresses, and she's bought veil
She's taken Mr.. Fulton's picture (she
had one cut from a magazine, be-
lieve), and has had it framed and
hung on her wall. On the mantel be-
meath it she keeps fresh flowers, al
ways. She says it's the nearest thing
she can come to putting flowers on
his grave, poor mani!
Good heavensr breathed Mr..
Smith, falling Imply into a chair.
"And she doesn't go anywhere, cx-
cept to church, and for necessary er-
rands."
That explains why l haven't seen
her. | had wondered where she was"
Eyes. She is very conscientious.
But she is going later to Niagara. I've
persuaded her to do that. She'll go
with party, of course--one of those
personally conducted affairs, you
know. Poor dear! She's so excited
All her life she's wanted to see Mag
ira. Now she's going, and she can
hardly believe it's true. She wants a
monograph, too, but she's decided |
not to get that until after six months
mourning is up-its too frivolous and |
Jolly for house of mourning.
"Oh. good heaven" breathed Mr..
Smith, again.
ut is funny, isn't it, that she takes
il quite so seriously2 Bessie sug-
yested Q'm afraid Bessie was a little
iaughty) that she get the phono-
graph, but not allow it to play any
hing but dirges and hymn tunes"
But, isn't the woman going to take
my comfort with that money!" de-
handed Mr.. Smith.
Indeed she is! She's taking COM
ort now. You have no idea, Mr..
smith, what it means to her, to feel
hat she need never want again, and
hat she can buy whatever she pleases,
thinking of the cost. That's
Why she's frightened-because she is
10 happy. She thinks it can't be right
o be so happy. It's too pleasant-to
,e right. When she isn't being fright
ned about that, she's being frightened
or fear she'll lose it, and thus not