Show POOR LITTLE LINA Poor little Um She lived out with Mr and Mrs Klngsford Tho father hurt gone to tho dogs long ago and the mother a red eyed bulbous nosed creature wrapped In shapeless rags and those queer faded shawls of which tipsy women seem to have a monopoly now and then haunt ed the home The only son of the house Charles Klngsford was Just her own age In fuel Llna had fallen In love with him and now and + thon her humble pillow was wet with tears Charles Klngsford was not a worth less rascal but he was a very wild oung fellow Ho led tho life wild young men lead In a great city and got Into one small scrape after another an-other until at last a mighty trouble fell upon him There was nothing for It but to leave the city to leave homo and friends It was a stormy night Mr and Mrs Klngsford had been to a church meeting and a collection had been taken up Tho moneY500was given In charge of Mr Klngsford who Instantly on his return locked It up In the drawer of a desk In the back parlor On this occasjon Charles also sought his room at once and to Llua was left tho task of locking up the house and seeing that all the fires were safe Mrs KIngsford awoke with a start She distinctly heard the noise of voices below Womens plainly Mrs Klngsford stole downstairs The back parlor door was closed but it had a keyhole One cannot see much through a keyhole but what she did see was enough A bulbous nosed woman In a miserable bonnet and shawl sitting before tho fire drinking a cup of tea Linas mother I knew it was a liberty said Llna but the other fires were all out Mrs KIngsford and It was so cold Its my mother maam Will you tell your mother that we are going to lock up for the night Yes maam said Lina Lino having seen her mother out Into the storm put out the light and crouched down by the grate Poor LInn Then she heard tho sound of steps approaching and shrank back into the shadows It was an hour before she went to bed and then she crept upstairs shivering shiv-ering and trembling overcome with horror What was It sho had seen Whatever it was she told nothing of it to any one The next morning she was up as usual and found Mrs Klngsford astir My son Is called away on business busi-ness sho said It is something very unexpected Two hours later Mrs Kingsford called Lina into the back parlor and shut the door Mr Klngsford was standing before the desk In which he had deposited the money ho held in trust tho night before Do you seo this Lina he asked showing her the broken lock I do not think you guilty Lina said Mrs KIngsford but you know your mother Is not a respectable woman wom-an and she was here last night Madam cried Llna my poor mother Is innocent I tell you that 1 swear It I mean what I say Then you know who took it said Mrs Kingsford I see that in your face confess I tell you my mother is Innocent saId Llna It Is I who am guilty And so with this confession and with an obstinate refusal to say more poor Llna sealed her fate Sho was tried for the theft and sentenced inconsequence in-consequence of her previous good character char-acter to tho lightest possible term of Imprisonment As for Charles Klngsford no one heard of him for years Home he came one daya brown man with along a-long beard whom no one knew at first Ho sat by the fireside and was questioned ques-tioned and asked questions At last he saId And what has become of poor Llua Has she married And then out came tho story of the theft and its punishment The words were scarcely out of Mrs Klnpsfords lips when her sonthe great bearded man of whom she was proudclasped his hands over his so eyes and burst Into tears like any woman cried Has Llna suffered M > God ho Father she was fered this for me angel It was I an as Innocent as desk I have been who robbed your almost tho cause of ruin to ono who was most an angel no spent long months in searching for Llna and he found her at last In a wretched homo sho sat sowing by the light of n poor tallow candle Master Charles I she said I thought I should seo you again never I know 1I11Llnn Why did yon make sacrifice such a she It waS either mother or you saId lIe looked In her face took her hand put It to hIs lips und KIngsford sailed for Charles When California hIs wIre In homo hits nOW and the mothers prIde hIm pried went wIth parted laid low for us they been S bud dck she lt1ssed not only her stellluorS son hilt hIs wife also |