Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-03-08
LETTERS

CHAPTER IA
1T seems mean OF me to be SO
happy when you are feeling blue
over your sisters DEATH" Alice said
one morning after she and David
he'd made plans as to where they
we're to live. She always referred to
Der aunt as your sister, when
speakirg Of her to Mrs. Fairbanks.
1t never seemed to Alice hat she
was any relation to herself.
Insisted, She was sitting in the tiny
Front room of the cottage, a room
that Alice had fixed up for the in
valid's special convenience. The
prettiest and most cheerful pictures
and pieces of furniture that they
possessed were in here, books as they
had managed to collect, the really
handsome rug Alice had bought from
Some of her garden money" and a
tabl with magazines and writing
materials and sewing things handy
whenever Mrs. Fairbanks wanted to
york. Her big padded armchair was
r SO she could look from the
window and watch the street life, and
a couch for her to lie down on was
Under the front window. Whenever
Alice was working, h was within
easy cab from this room.
Mrs. Fairbanks turned now and
spoke to Alice, who was getting ready
TO do the laundry work.
Here m the mail, dear. Run
n see If Lois has written u.s."
Lois had; there was a fat letter
addressed to both the women.
she uses awfully nice stationery"
Alice commented, coming into the
toom. 'rFhey have money. though,
haven't they? Wouldn't it be won
derful If she left you some, motherl
You could go away for a trip"
My dear!" demonstrated Mrs.
Fairbanks, breaking the seal of the
envelope.
Dear Auntie and Cousin Alice
Cousin Alice" quoted the girl.
sitting on the floor and pulling hair
pins out OF her hair. "She is a re-
iation. isn't she? I can't believe 1t.
Go on, 1 didn't mean to interrupt"
Il hope you won't mind my call
ing you auntie and cousin" Mrs.
Fairbanks read on, because since
mother died you are all the family
I have in the world"
Poor KID" said Alice, all sympa-
thy at once.
II would have written sooner. but
we had to make the funeral ar
rangements, and 1t was a lot of work
although / had q very competent wo-
sna an old family friend to help
me-
oh mother. Just think OF that
poor child having to conduct q fun
eral for her own mother, and pro-
badly o knowing a thing about it!'
Alice said gently, shaking oil her
long straight hair and combing her
6ingers through 1t.
Then there was the will to be
read and ever so much legal red
tape to go through, and the bills of
more than busy. But I thought Of
both a lot and wished you could be
with me-. You you'd ave been such
a comfort to me in my sorrow" Mrs.
Fairbanks interrupted herself this
Time to say. Poor child" again and
again.
Mother talked about you a lot,
especially during her illness and
wished so she could see you But
OF course we understand that you
could e not have come all this dis
tance, especially az you, auntie, are
not well. Your letters were a great
comfort to me, l do not think I
them.
well. when everything was ad-
5usted, we found that mother hadn't
much money, after all. She owed
some bills never mentioned, and the
lawyer paid them, by the time the
was very little left. OF course, she
had SO many friends we had to have
q very large funeral.
81 do not quite know what I shall
DO now that mother is gone from
me. 1 feel so lost and forlorn, but
I suppose that is natural. Mother
was staying with a friend for a few
weeks: her address Is at the top of
the letter. Mother left a cameo
breach which she used to wear when
she was a girl, and which she said
you would remember. I'll give it to
You when / see you, or mail 1t If you
say SO.
Il hope you'll both love me a lit