Year: 1879

good reason to thank God for that. | had
been waiting so long for business which new
er came that when Mt last the door did open,
and l saw it was neither the newsboy, the
ashman nor the washcrwoman, but possible
client, my heart warmed toward the new-com-
er. Only last week l asked her how she
came to talk freely to me that morning
long ago. She answered "rhe truth is
Charlie, l suppose l had got hungry for
kindness, and so tired of keeping things to
myself, that when l saw sombody who looked
as if he didn't mean to take advantage of me
l couldn't help talking. l was like the earth
when it has been frozen by long winter, and
feels at last somehow it is spring. l think l
felt MS the ice does when the warm air sets it
running"


l remembered the anxious. lonely, care
worn look which has quite vanished from the
dear face now, and thanked God that she had
been my first client If she had come in the
busy days when clients lad grown plenty, she
might have found in me more of winter than
of summer. Only yesterday, when n woman
entered the Office said to myself Women


everlasting takers never know their own
minds-always think everybody is going to
cheat them" But vivid memory checked
the thought. l hope, before glance had dis
closed it, Whenever the selfshness of age
begins to chill in me the generous sympathies
of youth, may some good angel move me to
look into Myra's eyes,


Il came said my first client, ito see you
about my daughter Myra's house. It's all
she has the tenant don't like to pay rent
we've been greatly bothered about it--and
now Mr.. Stickney says he'll sue me me for
libel if | say word about money. Myra
don't want any fuss in court, so thought I'd
just step in and ask you what we had better
do, seeing you are "a lawyer and we're two
lone women"


"Sit down, ma'am," said; my mother
was widow. will help you if can; let
me hear your story"


She took the pronered chair, and the tired
expression slowly faded from her face as she
proceeded MY name is Mrs. Coutts. I've
kept boarding house off and on-mostly oil
for nigh fifteen years 1t may have been my
bad luck, but it has always been a hard life
for me, trying to please everybody and make
one dollar overtake another in hand What
with my heart in my mouth on account of
fish-bones and children, and people turning
up their noses at my butter and hemming aud
having at the price of board, and high-hiers
clearing out aud forgetting to pay, and nap
kins always falling short, and good cooks get
ting drunk, and bad ones dropping hair in
the soup and sending in the mutton raw
I've been so badgered and worried that it
would often have been n relief to 60 away for
an hour, if only to have II tooth pulled.


1T seemed as if you were the whole world
to your mother didn't it but somehow a
boy can't be so near as girl a girl is always
at your apron-strings. At night, when the
dishes were washed and everything settled
down, there was Myra, always sweet and i'll
nocent-looking. Did you ever see brown,
scaly root like an onion that's me and did
you ever see the pure white lily that
grew out of it that's Myra. She was like
her father that has been in heaven many
year-whcre your mother is When night
came it Just rested me to look at her She
trotted up and down stairs and along the
pavements after me as busy as a bee, but
you'd thought, to see her asleep, she had
been playing in Paradise all day and dream
ing of heaven all night. She was the real
contented kind. was willing to work my
fingers to the bone for Myra. Everybody
loved the child when she was little, and they
loved her more as she grew bigger. She was
tiptop Mt her lessons she did her sums beau
titul and sang like a bird. Sometimes l used
TO think l ought to teach her about house
work and such like. But girls, if they live
long enough, are pretty sure to have heart
breaking time somewhere, somehow; so did
my potwalloping myself, and let my bit of
sunshine take it easy while she could. l
don't say l ought to have done just so |
only say l did. Myrn wasn't one to scutfle
through the world as l could. So, like the
wind from the garden-bed, my pet came and
went through the house as she pleased, and
made everybody glad that looked upon her.


"Well ! Mrs. Street lived opposite us. MIR.
Street had the biggest store filed with silks
and satins, and he had no end of money in
the bank. His son Frank used to walk to
school with my Myra and carry her books
and slate. l can't remember when they We're
first sweet on each other. l might have
known how it would all end it was not nat
ural that rich folks should want their only
son to marry a girl who had not a cent and
whose mother kept boarding house. | al
ways liked Frank though, he had such straight
forward eyes. And Mrs. Street used to ask
Myra to tea every once and while-just ON
account of Frank, you know. Why, watched
those two just as l would children playing
iackstraws, they did have such good time.


Zone day, before 1 began to think of such
a thing (Myra had Just put on long dresses),
Frank came to Inc as shame-faced as any girl,
aud really manly looking too, and he said,
Mrs. Coutts, want AIyra for my wife, and
III try and take good care of her What
could l say Mr.. Frank, I'll give you an
answer tomorrow was what told him. l
made up my mind to 90 to Mrs. Streets, and
if Myra was not welcome in the family I'd
rather she'd break her heart at once than be
snubbed and die by inches. She was my
child, but she was good enough to be the
wife of the king of England, My eyes were
open wider than a hawks all that night, and
| kept thinking over and over how l would
stand up to Mrs. Street and battle for Myra
The next morning. after had brought my
basket home from market 1 determined to
90. First, thought would put ON my black
silk dress that my husbands old partner had
sent me four years before But was too
proud; she must take me as l was, and would
go in my everyday rig. So l crossed over
to Mrs Streets house. There were blue sat
in chairs in the parlor. aud when l saw two
women in brown-stuG frocks walk toward me
out of the big looking glasses, sort of wished
l had worn the other dress that was hanging
up in the closet at home.


Mrs Street was in the room watering |
.a..aa i..ins aud sLa said- YarY friendlY lke- !