Year: 1873

far, on the principle of not ''having OBJ
jections." He had none now, "if
ma'am hadn't, and Bin saw best" He
let his child go out from his house down
into the great, unknown, struggling,
hustling, devouring city, without much
Thought or inquiry. 1t settled that
point in his family. "Bel had gone
down to Boston to be dress maker,
long of her Aunt Blindy,u was what he
had to say to his neighbors. 1t sounded
natural and satisfactory. Mrs. Bree
had her own two children-and there
might be more-that would claim all
that could be done for them. She would
miss Bells telling them stories, and
washing their faces, and carrying them
off into the barn or the orchard, and
leaving the house quiet of a Sunday or
a busy baking day. 1t had been sail
Bel was good for" and it had been
more than Mrs. Bree had appreciated at
the time. Bel cried when she kissed
them and bade them good-bye; but she
was gone; she and her round leather
trunk and her little bird in its cage that
she could not leave behind, though
Aunt Blin did say that "she wouldn't
altogether answer for il with Barthol-
Omew."


Bel herself-the other little bird-who
had never tried her wings, or been shut
up in strange places with fierce, prOwl
ing creatures-she could answer for her,
she thought!


1t is worth telling-the advent of Bel
and her bird in the upstairs room in
Leicester Place. Miss Bin believed
very much i'm her cat with the apostolic
name, though she had never tried his
principles with n Gagged bird. She had
tutOred him to refrain from meat and
milk unless they were set down for him
in his especial corner upon the hearth.
He took his airings on the window
ledge where the sun slanted in of a
morning, beside the very brown paper
parcel in which was wrapped the NUT
ton-chOp for dinner; he never touched
the cheese upon the table, though he knew
the word ''cheese" as well as il he could
spell it, and would stand up tall on his
hind paws TO receive his morsel when he
was told, even in whisper, and without
a movement, that he might come and
have some. He preferred his milk con-
densed in this way; he got very little Of
IL in the fluid form, and did not think
very highly of it when he did. He
knew what was good, Aunt Bin said.
He understood cOnversatiOn-espec
moral lectures and admonitions; Miss
Bree had talked to him precisely as il
he had a soul, for five years. He knew
when she was coming back at l O'clock
TO dinner, or at Q in the evening, by the
ringing of the bells. After she had told
him so, he would be sitting at the door,
watching for its opening, from the in
slant of their first sound until they
came upstairs.


Bel was charmed with Aunt Blin's
room, when she opened the blinds and
drew up the colored shades, and let the
street light in until she could find hel
matches and light the gas. 1t was just
after dark when they reached Leicester
/ Place. The little lamp-lighter ran down
out OF the court with his ladder as they
turned i'm. There were two bright
lanterns whose flames flared in the
wind; one just opposite their windows,
and one below at the livery stable.
[ There was big livery stable at the bot
tom Of the court, built right across the
end; and there was 4 litter about the
doors and horse-Odor in the air. But
I that is not the very worst kind OF city
smell that might be, and, putting up
with that, the people who lived in
| Leicester Court had great counterbal-
ancing advantages. There was only one
side to the place; and though the street


way was very narrow, the opposite walls
shut in the grounds of public building,
where there were trees and grass, and
above which there was really chance
at the sky. Further along, at the
corner, loomed the eight stories of an
apartment hotel. All up and down this
great structure, and up and down the
little three-storied fronts of the court as


well, the whole place was gay with il
! Elimination, for these last were nearly
/ all lodging houses, and ut night at least
looked brilliant and grand; certainly to
] Bel Bree's eyes, seeing three-stOried
/ houses and gas-lights for the first time.


Inside, at number eight, the one little


gas jet revealed presently just what


Aunt Bin had told about: the scarlet


and black three-ply carpet in a really


handsome pattern of raised leaves; the


round table in the middle with a red


cloth, and the square one in the corner


with brown linen one; the little parlol


beauty stove, with boiler atop and an


oven in the side-an oval braided mat
before il, and a mantel shelf above with


some vases and books upon it-all the


books, some dozen in number, thai
Aunt Bin had ever owned i'm the whole
course of her life. One Of the blue vase:


had piece broken out of its edge, bu


that was turned round behind. Tht


closets, one on each side Of the fire


place, answered for pantry, china closet


store-roOm, wardrobe and all. Th'


refrigerator was out on the stOn'


window-sill on the east side. The room


had corner windows, the house standing


at the head Of little paved alley tina


ran down to Hero street.-FrOnl "I'h,


Other Girls"