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Show MARIAN. "So you've been bounced?" said Mrs. Topover. Marian Milman winced at the inelegant in-elegant word; but she understood enough of the Popover style of dialect to know that no harm wa Intended. Mr. Popover did not gauge hor phraseology phras-eology by "Webster's Unabridged," but she was a good soul, nevertheless. "Yes," she answered meekly, "I've been discharged." Mrs. Popover was stout and short, with no visible waist, a black lace cap on the side of her head and her feet thrust in carpet slippers. Miss Milman was slight and graceful, grace-ful, with ruddy brown hair and pleading plead-ing hazol eyes, and looked every inch tho lady in her shabby mourning. "Pity, ain't it?" said Mrs. Popover. "Th)9 time o' year, too!" "Yes," sighed Marian; "but I am not the only sufferer. Thirty other girls have gone, too. Business is so dull after the holidays. Mr. Meredith says we shall bo re-engaged when the state of trade warrants it. Hut I haven't much hope." "And what ye goiu' to do now?" asked Mrs. Popover. Marian drew a long breath. "I don't know?" said she, piteously. Just then the door opened, and a blooming young girl came in, with a satchel in her hand. "Is this Mrs. Popover's?" said she. "Does Miss Milman Oh, Marian, you dear thing, I've found you at last! Oh, how glad I am to see you!" Marian gave a little gasp. "Juliet Powers!" she cried. "Y'es, it's me!" beamed Juliet. "I got tired of teaching school down in llolbrook Hollow, and the trustees were so exacting, and tho children so dreadful, dread-ful, that I made up my mind to come to you and see if I couldn't get something to do in the city." ' -Well, I declare!" said Mrs. Popover. "Here's Miss Milman herself just been throwed out o' business. I'd liko to know how she's to help anybody else?" Marian gave the good soul an appealing ap-pealing glance. "I will do the best I can," said she. And Juliet, an apple-faced, sanguine-natured sanguine-natured young country lass, nestled close up to her. "I kncio you would help mo," said she, "because you know all about the city. And oh, Marian, dear, I'm so tired and so hungry. And thus Marian Milman became charged with the responsibility of another an-other besides herself. And the days wont by, and situations wore harder than ever to obtain, and the little common com-mon purse was exhausted, and Mrs. Popover's account became larger than ever for the rent of the back bedroom, with its hedeous green wall paper and its dispiriting outlook over the tin roofs and smoky chimney stacks. "Marian," said Juliet, "what are we to do?" She had, came in, tired nnd weary, afti't lMiji? day's work at the old business busi-ness of looking for employment. Marian sat gazing sorrowfully at a clumsy parcel that lay on the table beside be-side her. ' 'They have sent back my poor little screens and plaques unsold," said she, "with a polite note intimating that the market for that sort of thing is overstocked." over-stocked." "Oh, Marian! And you worked so hard at them!" with a quick burst of sympathy. "The more fool I! To toll you the truth. Juliet," said Marian, with a forced smile, "I begin to think that the market for everything is overstocked life included." Juliet threw both of her arms around the slight young figure. "Darling, you're tired and discouraged," discour-aged," said she. "You'll feel better after dinner." "Hut Juliet, there is no dinner." Juliet threw open the cupboard doors and gave one exhausted glance around its empty shelves. There were the two china plates, the two china saucers, sauc-ers, tho neat knives and forks, the pewter spoons, tho nine-cent peppor and salts but that was all. "I'll go out and buy something," said she, cheerfully "a neck of mutton mut-ton to boil up for soup, r an end-piece end-piece of corned beef. " "You can't make bricks without straw, " said Marian, sadly, ' 'nor buy vacant place there was at least a score of applicants. They sought from place to place; they traversed street after Btreet, but in vain. And on a dreary February night, when the snow was turning to discolored slush on the pavements and a dismal fog hung over the streets, Marian looked sadly up into her friend's face. "The soles of my shoes are worn in holes, Juliet, said she. "My feet are soaking wet, and my head aches, and I don't think I cn go out any more. It's of no use. I think heaven has forgotten for-gotten us." Juliet, stronger and more courageous, brewed her friend a cup of weak tea, and produced two soda crackers from the cupboard. "Eat and drink, Marian, and you will feel better, said she. "I have heard of a woman who wants a bookkeeper book-keeper in her business, and I must go there at once, this very evening, before be-fore any one else has a chance to crowd me out." "You won't get the place, Juliet" "How do you know?" cheerily. "I don't know it, I feel it." "Well, you'll see. Eat and drink, I snv, dear. Don't sit so mournfully there." "When you are gone, Juliet." Hut when Juliet was gone, Marian rose and put the soda crackers back into tho cupboard. "She thought I didn't know they were the two last." said she. "Juliet was always a hearty eater. She is not so good at starving as I am. Hut the end's come at last!" She took from tho mantel a little vial of dark liquid, labeled "Laudanum" (Juliet had had nguo-in-tho-fn.ee a few days ago, and had used a little of it), and looked at it questioningly. "I hope it isn't very wrong," tihe murmured; mur-mured; "but but it must be so hard to die by inches! Harder still to go to the poorhouse on lilackwell's Island! Oh, no, I could not endure that!" And removing the cork, she drank the bitter draught. Surely this would be a dose strong enough to silence all the pangs and woes of a dozen poor souls! "Will it be painful?" she asked herself, her-self, nestling down among the pillows of her bed. "Because I have not much strength to endure." No, it was not painful. Heaven be thanked for that! A sweet drowsiness, like tho breath of poppies, overspend her being and with a half-murmured prayer on her lips, Marian drifted into slumber. "Didn't I tell you it was always darkest dark-est before daylight? Wake up, Marian wake and rejoice witn me!" Through a sort of cloud, Marian saw Juliet's radiant face. She struggled into a sitting posture, and tried to remember re-member what had passed. Was it true? or was it only a dream? "Who do you think the woman was who wanted a book keeper? Why, my mother's dearest school friend! She knew my name at once, and she says she should have known me anywhere from my resemblance to mother. She is in the perfumery business oh, such a nice big store! and she manages it all herself. And I am to be book-keeper, with a nice salary, and you are to have a good place there, too right away, Marian, dear! And we can pay good Mrs. Popover now, and live like Christians again; and I've brought home such a nice little supper of cold roast chicken, and hot potatoes, and a pitcher of smoking coffee. A real treat, Marian. Rouse up, dear, and enjoy it." A faint, sad smile flickered into Marian's Ma-rian's face. Had all the sunshine come, now that it was too late? And yet how good tho little feast looked how deliciously fragrant was the coffee! With a feeble gesture, she pointed to the little vial on the mantel. Juliet would know what, she meant. ' 'Why, " cried the girl, ' 'where is all my cough medicine ? I got the bottle flllod only yesterday, for I knew that I kept you awake coughing at night. Mrs. Popover gave me some oat of tho children's bottlo. She's such a kind old woman. Laudanum? Oh, yes, I know that's what tho label says, but the vial tipped over long ngo, and all the laudanum leaked out! Never mind, dear we can easily get more now. We are notbeccarsanv loncer. Here. sit up. Drink this hot coffee before it has time to chill. And eat the chicken and taste this dear little teeny glass of current jelly. Y'ou see I'm getting extravagant, but we have been starved so long!" "What a coward I have boon!" said Marian, to herself. "Oh, thank God that Ho saved me from my own rash will saved mo to begin life anew saved me for new strength and hope! Oh. I never, nevor will abandon myself my-self to despair again, no matter how dark tho future seems!" And Juliet never knew how near Marian had come to the solution of all life's problems. It was a secret between be-tween herself and heaven. Helen Forrest Graves in Saturday Night soup-meat without money. At least I've never been able to do it." "Is tho money all gone, Marian?" "All but five dirty copper cents, Juliet." Juliet clicked her tonguo softly against the roof hor mouth. "Mrs. Popover will irust us for a few of yesterday's rolls or a "loaf of stale bread," sho suggested, cheerfully. cheer-fully. "No, Juliet," said Miss Milman, resolutely. "We aro already too much in Mrs. Popover's debt. I will ask no more favors from her." "Must we starve?" resentfully demanded de-manded Juliet. "I would rather starve than sink into the quicksands of debt," Marian grimly answered. Juliet's cheeks flushed; she bit her lips. "There is a pawnbroker's on Sixth Avenue," said sue. -Ana 1 nave got my mother's old garnet ring and a mosaic scarf-pin which my father brought from Florence when he was a sea captain. I'll go and see what I can do." But a pawnbroker!" sobbed Marian. "Oh, Juliet, what are wo coming to?" "No worse than many another has como to," said Juliet. "Cheer up, Marian! Remember that it's always darkest just before daylight" And she kissed the pale girl and went cheerfully out. The garnet ring and tho mosaic scarf-pin scarf-pin kept them for a week. Still they were seeking for work still tho same old answer was returned. For every |