Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-03
HAPTER VII (Continued)


+ fho Bible and the big box of papers
y IN q little table in the corner. and
\ told him to make himself quite at home :;
\ Gft4 she showed so plainly that she
4 REGARDED him as quite one of the fam
81 ~, that Mr. Smith might be pardoned
y f6f soon considering himself so,
Il was while at work in this corner
thar he came to learn so much OF Miss
4 e1[aggie's daily life, and of her visitors
Although many of these visitors were
4trAngers to him, some of them he
y know.
One day it was Mrs Hattie Blaisde'l
With countenance even more horld
: than usual. She was breathless and
excited, and her eyes were worried. She
\ was going to give a luncheon. she said
:. She. wanted Miss Maggie's silver spoons,
Sand her forks, and her hand-painted
suear-and-creamer, and Mother Blals-
$delrs cutglass dish.
Mr.. Smith, supposing that Miss Mag
sie herself was to be at the the lunche9Hm, .n. sHn
was TO have this pleasant little outing
when he heard Mrs. Blaisdell telling
her to be sure to come at II 10 pc
(, in the kitchen, and asking where could
she get maid to serve in the dining
room. and what should she do with
Benny He'd have to be put some
where, or else he'd be sure to upset
MI. smith did not hear Miss Maggie's
answer to all this. for she hurried her
visitor to the kitchen at ONCE loIN
30 the spoons, she said But IIi inIirecty {aS.
he found Miss Maggie gone one day
when he came and Benny, who was IN
Z her place told him all about It. even to
the dandy frosted cake Aunt Maggie had
made for the company to eat.
Another day it was Mrs. Jane BlalsI
dell who came. Mrs. Jane had a tired
frown between her brows and despair
ing droop to her lips. She carried
large bundle which she dropped uncere-
moniously into Miss Maggie's lap.
"There, I'm dead beat out. and I've
brought it to YOU. You've just got to
help me-" she finished sinking into a
why. of course. if I can. But what Is
;ty.l Miss Masgie's deft fingers were
already untying the knot,
sIts my old black silk. I'm making
.Arain? But I thought the last time
IL couldn't ever be done again
"Yes, l know but there's lots of good
In IL yet" interposed Mrs. Jane declu,
edly; "and I've bought new velvet and
new lace. and some buttons and new
& lining. / thought l could do 1t alone,
hut I've reached a point where just
y have got to have help so came ''s"'
sYes, of course. but"-Miss Maggie
was lifting a half-fnished sleeve doubt.
< fully-"why didn't you go to flora :
She'd know eEactly--
because / can't afford to go to
vera she interrupted coldly. ''I have
s.. pay Flora. and you know 1t; If l
& kad the money l should De gao 10 r! uo
II Il. OF course But haven't, and char1
III begins at home. I think. Besides,
az 10 to her for new dresses. But TINS
oId thing! OF course, II you don
oh. but ut do" plunged in Miss Mag
4 eie hurriedly. "Come out into thS
kitchen where we'll have more room,
4 she exclaimed, gathering the bundle into
her arms and springing to her feet
sT'ye got some other lace at home
yards and yards. / got lot. 1t was
20 cheap" recounted Mrs. Jane. rising
with alacrity. But I'm afraid II won =
n 10 for this. and l don't know as II
win do for anything. it's So
The kitchen door slammed sharply
and Mr. Smith heard no more. Han an
hour later, however; ne saw saw MIS- i,ss Sane Sane
rom her face and the droop from the
Aorners of her mouth. Her step was
saIert and confident. She carried nc
The next day it was Miss Flora. Miss
E.lora's thin l.ttle face looked more
Z pfnched than ever, and her eyes my
anxious. Mr.. Smith thought. Even hei
Z arnile as she acknowledged Mr. Smltn
@raetjrg. was SO wan he wished she hac
MT tried to give H. ,;,so,y q, nd
began to chat with Miss Maggie, ano M
vary soon Mr.. Smith heard her say
/ ..No. Maggie, I don't know. really
kAvAat / am going to do-truly | don
Business is SO turrible duii ~ VIZ, hsrd,
6on't earn enough to pay my rent, haru
M now. ter say nothin of my feed.
Miss Maggie frowned. 49,,
n sBut / thought that Hatte-isn
Hattie having some new dresses-ah'
sigh passed Miss Flora's lips.
.Yes, OH yes: they. are having three
or four. But they don't come @ nt 10 i.t
tn
wolnan that makes the Pennocks' things
Won know, with the queer name. AND
y az course, it's all right, and you can
blame. 'em. livin, on me no,,rse MeS' amt amt 81
up ter date as she is. And just ne
sNonsense Up to date; indeed !:
y sr,,ith. copying dates at the table, de
Y fecfed a note in the laugh that was no
merriment) you're up to date enougl
me I've got ,nio Just tbt the Siisben 5SS ior sS
+ wse already almost at the door
ls9 sWhy. Maggie, you haven't either
f>fxn spite of the incredulity OF voice an
Suner Miss Flora sprang Joytully I
= feet) you never had me make yo
Again the kitchen door slamme
4 hut. and Mr. Smith was left to hnis
& ~ sentence for himself -,,, o,,
y Y p ant Mr. Smith was not finishing sen
. fences. Neither was his face eXpressln
SrSf then the sympathy which 1t Nigh
- ~ aupposed to be showing, after $
31rry a tale as Miss Flora had been tell
Y Inx On the contrary, Mr.. Smith, Wit
s. ans actual elation of countenance, wa
acribbling on the edge or MS noleooo
words that certainly he had never foun
= Is the Blaisdell records before him
two months more, then-a hundre
thousand dollars. And may | be there
1ee II 20
Half an hour later, as on the pre-
viQus day, Mr.. Smith saw a metamoi
+. n110aed woman hurrying down the ntt
Snfh 10 the street. But the woman Il
~ was carrying a bundle-and it wa
ISL f[S same bundle that the woman III
4ay before had brought
:; But not always, as Mr.. Smith SOC
& learned, were Miss Maggie's visitor
women. Besides Benny. with his grie'
times, and poured into Miss Maggie
nympathetic ears the story OF Guss
~ Eontlocks really remarkable personalit
or of what he was going to do when
81 vent to coliege-and afterward
;' Mr.. Jim Blaisdell drifted in quite fr
+ 6nently Sunday afternoons. though a.
.-4 6arently all he came for was to smol
81 9nd read in one of the big comfortab
Gk6irs. Mr. Smith himself had fall,
10 the way of strolling down TO Mi
nggie's almost every Sunday after di
1E One Saturday afternoon Mr.. Fral
Biaisdell ratified up. to the door in
~ Mrocery wagon. His face was very re
- 0EM his mutton-chop whiskers we
~ 1landine straight out at each side
r.; - lane had collapsed. he said utter
a s 6ollapsed All the week she had be
"a &or1aecleaning and doing up curtain
1nd now this morning. expressly again
- Wishes TO save hiring a man, $
Ri ~ put down the parlor carpet hersei