Year: 1870

| careless ana her husband more addicted
to drink, they finally reIapsed into ex-
treme poverty. While Aurelins st. John
lived, they had with means he furnished,
built their present house, a two stOried
brick house, but after his death, they
were compelled to sell all their land,
except the homestead, and long years
of neglect and i'll usage had rendered
the dwelling almost uninhabitable. As
he grew older he was compelled to seek
almost every kind Of hard labor The
village of Penway had improved rapidly
and the Pettibone's saw enterprising set
tiers, who began poorer than themselves,
grow into wealth and refinement around
them. Col. Hays and his wife, a childless
couple, had bought fine farm, amile or
two from Penway, and being mutually at
tracted by the surprising beauty of Fan
ny, the second daughter, they gained
the consent of her parents to adopt her.
Transplanted into home of refinement
and geniality, Fannie had grown into a
lovely womanhOOd and was wOOed and
won by lawyer Of rising fortune in Gin.
She was allowed to make occasional Wis
its to her mother, during childhood, and
Col. Hays had done much to relieve
their poverty. But they were too thrift
less to be much benefited by such kind
ness. Mrs. Pettibone had a large fami-
ly as years sped on but cold, want and
neglect bad laid them one by one in the
village cemetary. Fannie was on the
eve of marriage when the twins Aurelins
and Kate were born. She delayed her
marriage for q year, to tend and keep
them alive. A year after she became
the wife of Mr.. Thornton, she took
Kate to her home and the lovely child
/ was an object of special interest to Mr..
Thornton. Once a year, Fannie visited
Col. Hays and during the time Kate was
lent to her parents. When her father
died, the old lady had begged 50 piteous-
Iy to be allowed to have her Kate for a
year or two that Fannie yielded, much
against her husbands wish. He had at
first been indulgent toward them, but
they had tried his patience severely
several times, and not possessing the for
bearance to make any allowance for
Mis-. Pettibone's feeble state of mind, or
the old mans unfortunate propensity to
intemperance, or Meg's pitiable cOndi-
ton, he had declared that he would do
no more for them. As to Reel, Mr..
Thornton thoroughly despised the boy
without any good reason for so doing.


Fannie in her luxurious home with
two lovely children to fill the void left
by her darling Kate, would have been
supremely happy, but for the thought of
the old tumble down in Penway. She
sent half her pocket money to them and
was constantly trying to invent some
scheme by which she could educate
Reel and improve their condition.


"a bad state of affairs, is it not cous-
in? said Kate as she finished her story. 4
do all the cooking, for nanny with all
her want of thrift always managed to
keep a servant of some sort, but we have
no money to pay one now, and neither
nanny or Meg can cook decent meal.
have piano of my own at Fannie's
but Brother Thornton would not let me
bring it and although it made me a lit
tie angry, I could not help smiling,
when he said he knew Meg would chop
it up for fire wood. She has pulled near
Iy all the weather boarding from the
kitchen for that purpose. I do wish they
they were neat and careful, but It's no
use to fret. They are just So


"Their condition must be improved,n y
said Flora. 'Katrine is a good house
wife and think with her aid we can
soon mend matters


Flora had scarcely seen her aunt dis
tinctly the evening before. She now OBJ
served that in spite of wind or weather
there were yet traces of beauty in the
withered face and tall erect figure. Her
features had been classic in out line her
eyes were yet bright and piercmgly
black, and in her movements there
We're remnants of the elasticity and
grace of her youth. As to Meg, the sun
shine of bright day brought more pain
fully to light, the sad blight which had
fallen on youth and hope.


With FIora's energy of character, and
the means she had, so providentiaIIy re-
ceived, it was not long before she put
words into effect. She engaged a car
penter to repair the whole house. At a
furniture room in Penway she procured
parIOr, chamber and kitchen furniture at
q moderate price. A new fence soon en-
closed the yard and garden, room was
furnished up stairs for her aunt and Meg
and they were provided with new cloth
ing. Reel came home from q shopping
expedition with his cousin, looking like
a gentleman's son in his becoming suit
a servant was hired to do the rough
work and Katrine installed as house
keeper. Kate had begged Flora not to
give her mother much money. Or Meg
either she added. They will expect it
continually and their demands will be
hard to crafty. $50 Flora was content
ed to give them what they most seemed
to need. Among other things she bought
her aunt an easy rocking chair


The old lady was perfectly delighted.
She seated herself crying lie he! Now
mean to rock till get tired and when
Hoosiers come around me. I'll turn my
head neither right or left Say Meg /!
aint this nice! Old mam'sa lady again,
at last, he hep


Flora had with her own hands untangl-
ed and combed the long matted hair of
the hunchback, the poor thingshed tears,
the first any one had seen her weep for
years. So much will gentle care and af-
fectiOn do, that the poor creature fol-
lowed her cousin about like aspaniel and
was dOcile in her hands.


You see, he! he! cried Mother Petit
bone, Nobody ever done Meg Il kind
nesss before without giving her a kick,
or what she hates worse, abuse and ad-
vice. Kate is good enough but she al
ways flies off with her temper and what
can poor Fannie do with bear for
husband. Don't you think he! he! he
offered me home in his house if Pd
never see company, aud come without