OCR Text |
Show men, "to take part in a little play to bo given privately here O, excuse me, Mr. j Howard Miss Gordon, my rector, Mr. ! Howard. I am so upset, you know, I . quite forgot myself. The play Is for" "The Mexican Indians." Miss Gordon Interrupted; In-terrupted; "I knew it; well, why don't you a-k Grace Henley" "J did, nd she refused.' "Hell Matthews then, she acts." 1 "Her mother wont let her." "Why not, Mrs. Porter?" "Her husband doesn't approve." "How absurd' What's the matter irith Sue Tower!1" ' "Oli. her nhvslcian has forbidden her actinc, and you're the only one left; I wouldn't ask yon for I know you are very busy, but I am getting desperate." ; Miss Gordon said she would do what I she could, and look the play book home with her, though she told Miss Carmen she 1 couldn't promise to be a credit to her. ' fcUie agreed too to find a man for her vis- i a-vis, and left her friend radiant once, more. "You don't know what a load , you've Taken off my mind," the latter ! said to Annie, us she went away with Mr. , Howard, forgetting how long he was : holding her hand until Annie coughed, j Miss Gordon told her mother that night if there wos not so great a difference in , their ages she would think there was somethiug between them. But tho nrxt day well, Miss Carmen said she would have to laugh, if she did , not she would have to cry again, it was so crushing. It reminded her of the time she had a beautiful portiere embroidered to raflte for the benefit of some poor mis- . sion. and the minister, who was opposed to r;i flies, persuaded her they were wrong. Xo one was willing to pay what the por- ) tiere was worth, so it ended in her buying ' it herself and giving up her Washington ' trip that winter. Now today the noon j mail brought a letter from Annie Gordon, j who wrote to know why in tho world she didn't tell her there was singing in the port, and asking her if she did not know that she. Annie, could not sing a note. . And in the same mail came a letter from ! the brother of Mr. White, who had been her stand by all through, saying his brother had the measles, and so, of ' course, would not bo able, etc. Tho the- atricals looked dubious. In the midst of '. her consternation Mr. Howard arrived on j the scene. She gave him a trembling ; hand, and was as frightened as could be lest she should cry. He told her almost immediately what ho had come to ask. "I know I'm young," ho stammered. "O, no!" she Interrupted, "I am old.' But what followed Is theirs, not ours, nor Mrs. Brown's, who said afterward: "What is the man thinking of? She's old ; enough to be his mother I" She was not really, though what if she were if they loved each other? As Howard started to leave at dusk, after ho and Miss Carmen had fully discussed dis-cussed tho advantages of Mexico for a honeymoon and for work, she said to him: "It will bo a wedding instead of theatricals." theat-ricals." "Yes, and you will play the heroine, after nil," he answered. "If you'd like to have mo nsk Miss Gordon" Gor-don" but she never finished that speech, i William Clyde Filch in Kew York News. THE LAST CUARITY. ' Mis? Carmen's pet charity now was the fund for Mexican Indians. She had it since three years ago, when u handsome, enthusiastic young curate, who was staying stay-ing in the same summer boarding house ns herself, had interested her in it. He had been on a ranch iu northern Mexico the year after he graduated from college, and before he had decided to go into the ministry. Miss Carmen, who had a very vague idea of what a ranch wns, confusing confus-ing It in her mind with cowboys, plundered plun-dered coaches ami rescued maidens, considered consid-ered Mr. Howard one of those reclaimed victims of a life of dissipation (he was, by ttie way, when she met him, just 23 years old), though he had in reality never done anything particularly wrong in his life. Miss Carmen belonged to that class of women one never knows how to speak of, whether as a "lady" or "young lady," unless 0110 Is addressing the person herself, her-self, when one is apt to venture on the latter term. And it must also be acknowledged ac-knowledged she could not resist the attraction at-traction of a man who was "turning over a new leaf;" this species sometimes even j took precedence of tier charity in her favor, I and that is saying a good deal, for her charity, whatever it happened at tho time 1 to be, was so dear to her heart it made her almost a dread to her friends. Perhaps Per-haps you met her in a store; before yon could hurry by with a "Good morning, Miss Carmen," bIic would stop you: "Oh, LauraLafarge, you're the very girl I want to see. I want you to take a booth at the fair next week for the charity. Yon can have any booth you wish, but won't you bo in the 'Mikado?' I want girls who will get up handsome costumes, and you know, with your taste," etc. Or: "Margaret "Mar-garet Wyndoff, I'm so glad I've met you; just step aside here a moment, will yonf I'm going to ask yon to help me in a little International tea I'm getting up for those poor such poverty, such distress, I can't tell you how they appeal to me. Now do promise to furnish flowers and appear In the Greek group the costumes will be very simple, and I've asked for veil," etc. Or on the street: "Good morning, Mr. Garey, won't you turn around and walk with me a few moments; I'm going to nsk a favor of you, which I want yon to promise to grant me. It's really nothing at all for you to do, and it is for a very worthy charity; young Mrs. Carley has said she will be Lady Washington, and I want yon to bo George in an old time ten party." And often before you can refuse she Is gone, with "Good-by; I knew you would; so kind of you; good-by." Now it was theatricals, and for the , Mexican Indians again. Her friends, to tell the truth, were getting a little tired of doing for these creatures. They had been to teas for them, to a kirraess for them, to tableaux, to lectures for them; enough of things to have educated whole tribes of them, Mrs. Ned Brown said, if they had only been there themselves. And, Bhe added, she really didn't see why they should be made to suffer and pay both; if they must give these things, give them, but make tho Indians go them-I them-I selves. However, Mrs. Brown was a i flighty little woman whom every one laughed at in their sleeve, while people all did admire Miss Carmen, though they were getting a little tired of their charities, chari-ties, All these things MIsb Carmen felt In an Indefinite sort of way as she came home from the mission school one afternoon. It was Mr. Howard's mission and he had j spoken so beautifully to tho poor children that day. But then he always did. He had spoken so kindly to her, too; somehow some-how or other some people seemed to take it for granted that she could go out in any kind of weather, with no matter how bad a cold, without any danger. And today ; had been her birthday, she did not think what birthday, the fact itself was bad enough without being numbered. She was getting old, she thought with a sigh; ' dear me, much too old to be thinking so I much of this handsome young minister, I and much too old to have that drop on j her cheek; she must walk faster and think ! of something else, and yes, she would ask her sister to take her mission class, at I least for awhile. She passed a wretched beggar sitting on the curb grinding a small organette that had stops nearly a minute long between each note. Miss Carmen looked quickly around and then furtively dropped quarter into the tin cup, and passed on. She had been told such charity was mis-1 mis-1 applied, but then she had felt just liko it j and was willing to run the risk. So Mr. Howard was really going back to Mexico, I not as a ranch man this time, but as a I missionary. What should she do when l he was gone what, had it come to thisP ; She must think of something else, and I she hurried on, without noticing two young girls who passed her quickly. "I was afraid she would see lis," one of them said. "I know she'd ask me to be in a booth or take part in those theatricals," Girls who never did any good In the world, and probably never would, who would not even appreciate the self sacrificing sacri-ficing labor of Miss Carmen. Undoubtedly Undoubt-edly the latter did lack judgment, or let us say moderation, but in her proper sphere, or under able guidance, what might she not accomplish? She found a note at home for her from Uliss Tower, saying she was sorry, but her health was so wretched this winter her physician had tabooed theatricals, She also found Mr. Garey's card, with a hasty note on the back, wlilch read how much he regretted he would not be able to tako tho part Miss Carmen had kindly assigned to him. Miss Carmen sat down and cried. She knew It was silly, but she didn't care, She nlIf n,l Trar wr.lorl r..l aha threw herself down on her couch and had a "good cry." She was bathing her eyes and smoothing her hair when the maid brought tier Mr. Howard's card. She put In another hair pin and then went right down. "Oh," she said, without even greeting him, "I'm perfectly wretched! Two of my people have backed out. I did think when I had only three in the play I should have no trouble, but the only two who cun act won't net. What shall I do?" And she laughed nervously, feeling dangerously dan-gerously near her mood upstairs. Howard How-ard felt very sorry for her. so sorry ho did not know what to say. Finally he murmured: mur-mured: "I wish I could help you; of con we Iconldn't ct but can't youf" no added quickly, as the thoueht came to him. "Why don't you take Miss Tower's part?" Miss Carmen blushed and laughed. "Oh, no! I nm too old; I : couldn't." And Howard answered! "llow absurd, Miss Carmen; you know! you" And then stopped embarrassed. He knew she wns older than he; he hod deplored that often, especially of latf. I lie wns afraid perhaps she looked down I on him. He did not cure about age. "I am getting so discouraged," she went on, "I am always trying to help or do good in some way, but I don't seem to succeed. , My way is not the right one; I've overdone over-done it. People are getting tired of my subscription lists. If I could only do some honest work myself." An idea wns forming In Howard's mind, one full of hope. He could give her the opportunity she wished for. His age ought not to bo a stumbling block; he was sure he could not love her more dearly were he twenty or thirty yeors older than lie was and just then a young lady was announced. . "Oh, Annie!" exclaimed Miss Carmen, j "I'm so glad you've come; I am In the greatest trouble. Will yon help me?" "Of course I will if I can, hut you must tell what It Is before I promise, and I warn you beforehand, I refuse to be a Rebecca Re-becca and sell lemonade, and on no nc-! nc-! count will I dress myself up for a Japanese Japan-ese woman. I did it once and It was too : hideously unbecoming; now tell me" I "I only want you," continued Miss Car |