Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-10-28

every day p read to Aunt March, a
peppery o. lady; and Meg, too
earned small salary as daily nur-
sery governess to a neighbor's
children.
In the big house next door to the
Marches lived a rich old gentle
man. Mr. Laurence, and his grand
son, jolly, chummy boy called
Laurie. Though awe-inspiring at
hrst, Mr.. Laurence proved both
kindly and generous, and even tim
&c Beth mustered up courage to so
over to the palace Beautiful' at
twilight and play softly on the
grand piano there. But, as she con-
fessed to her mother, when she be-
gan she was so frightened her feet
chartered on the floor.
The night Laurie took the two
older girls to the theater. A1av
though not invited, insisted on go
ing too. 10 GROSSLY declared She
wouldn't go if Amy did, and fu-
rlously scolding her little sister, she
slammed the door and went off
as Amy called out: you'll be sorry
tor this, 10 March! See if you amt
The child made good her threat bv
hurnlng up the manuscript of a pre-
clous book which 10 had written.
and on which she had spent three
years OF hard work. There was q
terrible fracas, and, though at her
mothers bidding Amy made contrite
apology, 10 refused to be pacifed.
1t was only when poor little ANY
was nearly drowned by falling
through the ice that conscience
stricken 10 forgave her sister and
learned much-needed lesson of
self-control.
Meg, too, learned a salutary les
son, when She went to visit some
fashionable friends and had her first
taste of Vanity Fair" Her sisters
gladly lent her all their best things.
and, as she said to 10: you're q
dear to lend me your gloves! I feel
SO rich and elegant with two new
pairs and the old ones cleaned. I'm
for common" Yet she soon saw that
her wardrobe was sadly inadeuuate
to the environment in which she
found herself. Whereupon the rich
friends lent her some of their own
tlnery, and, after laughingly apply
ing paint and powder, they laced
her into a sky-blue silk dress, so
low that modest Meg blushed at
herself in the mirror, and Laurie,
who was at the party, openly ex-
pressed his surprised disapproval
Chagr1n and remorse followed. and
1t was not until after full confess
sion to Marmee. that Meg realized
the trumpery value Of fashionab BILE
rivalry and the real worth of sim
pllcity and contentment,
All four of the girls had Ieanings
toward life of luxury and ease,
and when Mrs. March smilingly pro-
posed that they try a whole week
OF all play and no work" thew
agreed eagerly. But the experiment
was a miserable failure; and after
mortlfylng scenes at company
luncheon, a canary bird dead from
neglect, several slight illnesses and
lost tempers, the girls decided that
lounging and larking didn't paw.
Now John Brooke, the tutor of
Laurie, was secret admirer of pref
ty Meg. Discovering this, the mis-
chleVous boy wrote Meg a passion
ate love letter, purporting to be from
Brooke. This prank caused a terrible
upset In both houses, but later on
Brooke put the momentous Dues
ton, and Meg meekly whispered
yes, john" and hid her face on his
| Waistcoat. Joe, laundering in, was
transfixed with establishment and
dismay, and exclaimed "Oh, do some
body come quick" John Brooke is
acting dreadfully, and Meg likes it"'
At Christmas, Father March came
nome from the war, and great cele-
bratlon was made. The neighbors
from the Laurence house were in
vited, and there never was such q
Christmas dinner as they had that
day!
Later came the first break in their
| restored home circle. The Dovecote
| was the name Of the little brown
house that John Brooke had prepared
for his bride, and it was a tiny
affair with a lawn in front about as
big as a pocket handkerchief. =
wedding, beneath the June roses, was
simple homely one, and the bridal
journey was only the walk from the
March home to the dear little new
house. Pm too happy to care what
anyone says-pm going to have my
wedding just as 1 want itn Meg
had declared, and SO, leaning on her
| husbands arm, her hands full OF
flowers, she went away, saying
Thank you all for my happy we'd
| ding day. Good-by, goodbye
10 developed into a writer of SEN
sational stories. This, however, was
because she found a profitable mar
ket for such work and she wanted
the money for herself and the 9TH
| ers For little Beth was ailing. and
summer stay at the seashore
might, they all hoped, bring back
the roses to her cheeks. But it
| didn't, and after a time the dark
days came when gentle Beth. like a
tired but trustful child, chung to the
hands that had led her all through
life, as her father and mother had
guided her tenderly through the Val
| ley of Shadow and gave her up to
| God.
Then came a day when Laurie
was invited to the Dovecote to see
Meg's new baby. 10 appeared. a
proud aunt, bearing a bundle on a
pillow. Shut your eyes and hold
out your arms" she ordered, and
Laurie, obeying. opened his = eyes
again to see-two babies! Twins,
by Jupiter!" he Cried take 'em,
quick, somebody! I'm going to laugh.
and I shall drop 'em!"
! Laurie had loved 10 for years, but
10, though truly sorry, couldn't re-
| spond. AS she said, ct is impossible
| for people to make themselves love
other people if they DON'T! And
So after time, Laurie decided that
Amy was the only woman in the
world who could fill JOS place and
| L hi ho1 Apd hn