Year: 1879

tlient : lacc as she lpokpN NJ me anu Stiit,


'.When first saw Myra YOU don't know
how She had broke. She stood opposite
her picture. looking pale as Il ghost in her
black dress and widows cap; you would
have known that the river Of death had
rolled between her and tie girl who was
holding the harp. Maybe | ought to have
told her of the shadow that was coming.
But how could my crushed lily have stood
against such hailstorm? All the prepa-
ration in the world could not have helped
her.


"Everybody was 80 kind to her, and lit
tie frankie grew more like his father
every day. Some of the hopeless look
wore out of my darling's face, and in
time she seemed more willing to live for
her child


what with grief for his son, and not
having a lawyer to attend To his business
after Frank died. Mr.. Street seemed to
get into all sorts of trouble He had re-
tired and given up to his son long before.
But he was old he talked all about his
matters TO strangers.-I am growing old.
too, she smiled as she said that. but con-
tinued rs before; ''lIe was easy-tempered,
and kept signing his name when people
asked him to. You see, there were plen-
ty of Scamps who thought he had lots of
money that they might rs well pick mp aS
not. | wish Abraham Street had never
known how to write. Nobody ever got
any good of all these Signings, but he
was cheated and tormented and pestered
till his life became Il burden. He sold
the big house and satin furniture and
great glasses and all, but he never got
any money. Somebody cabbaged the
money Mr.. Street had worked and raked
and scraped all his life to make. Then
Mr.. and Mrs. Street moved into Myras
house, and his troubles kept tie old man
awake nights till he just gave up and
died, and his wife died soon after of
a broken heart.


"And when his affairs were looked into
there was not Il cent left only the house
that was given to Myra when she was
married. That was hers. She could not
eat it or drink it or make it into jackets for
frankie, you know SO | persuaded her
to come and live with me and let the house
furnished. ! secured it as clean as a new
pin. and fixed all Myra's pretty vases and
things about on the cunning little brack-
els, and it looked SO nice and cozy that l
thought everybody would rush for it.
Then advertised it for forty dollars a
month. Myra was not one of the talking
kind, and did not want her to be put
down or imposed upon; so | went to stay
with her when people came to leok at the
house.


IF you want TO know how hateful and
tOssv and bOssy and snubby real nice peo-
pie can be, just let them come to rent Il
house of you when you're nothing but a
woman. You would have thought every
body had come from Il marble palace, and
that Myra's house was shanty, they
seemed So stuck up. \ stranger in Il linen
blouse rampaged through the house as if
he had but two minutes to catch the train,
merely remarking. NO modern improve
ments.' suppose the words came from
his throat and not from pocket steam
whistle. Another gentleman tip-toed
through the rooms with his hands under
his coat-tails and his nose in the air. He
never even said Good-morning to Myra.
but only, Too much, too much, and you'll
find it So Then with his boot he Kicked
to pieces Il little dandelion that grew in
the courtyard. 1t was one of Frankie
playthings, and there was yellow posy
on it every morning for him: | was real
glad that man did not take the house
Plenty OF pleasant-looking people came,
but there were too many cubbyholes or too
few cupboards, or it was too dark or too
light too big, too this and too that, till at
last sweet spoken lady came, with an os-
trich feather on her hat that must hav
cost Il months rent. She seemed so sorry
for Myra-said her heart ached for her.
and she knew how hard it must be for her
to give up a dear home where she had
been so happy. She prowled around for
an hour. and then she said to us, as soft as
a pussy-cat. III take the house-the fur
niture will allow To stand where it is: |
don't object even to the pictures-and
would like Il door cut through the east bed
room to the next chamber and new CRATES
in the paror. | would like the whole
thoroughly painted, whitewashed and
cleaned. | will pay thirty dollars
month, and YOU will get a iirst-class, gen
teel tenant.


My hands We're smarting with scrubbing
and duSting: this fine lady did not know
Il clean house when she saw it. Do YOU
wonder was out of patience and tired of
palaverng? | was filling up every minute,
and said to madame, about as amiably
as if was first cousin to snappng-tur-
tie, You cant have it, ma am She
tossed up her head and walked off in high
di-dain, her feather streaming out behind
her.


1T was natural should fire up some
times when people turned up their noses
at our pretty little house and found forty
faults with it, and were not willing to give
half the price they ought to. They hag-
gled about the rent and abused the
place till couldn't stand it. Wasn't it
aggravating when ii had been good
enough for my Myra? One man said
there was no cistern, no dumb-waiter.
and he was afraid of the dust; he thought
there were too many wagons going by


So spunked right up and said, NO sir.
there is no cistem. or dumb-water,
nor cupola. nor chime of bells
there are no fireworks thrown in and we
can't afford to have the street moved a
square off ON account of the dust. We
can't keep festoons of flowers or flags
hanging out of the windows either for
forty dollars month"; Myra had to quiet
me-sort of stroke me down


Zone woman stood up ON chair. and
poking up her parasol to mark as big as