Show grav and ice cold the twilight hail darkened over alie stone tower the biddy glow of alio firo became insufficient to dispel tho creeping shadows and nannie brought in iho lamp it was a great low ceilon room with nu antique carved cornice and a wainscot of oak which reached above bannies nannies Nan nies a room where the crimson hannings hangings hang ings slat out the dying daylight and iho of the had ion become indistinguishable and tho tarco blooming bright eyed girls in this ancient buoni ruoni as much out of their clement as a cluster of rosebuds would have been lying on au egyptian sarcophagus hut colonel copely liked seclusion and moreover lio liked economy and when lie brought his motherless daughters down to the stone tower lie grimly gave them to understand that aliey too must teach eliom to like three aspects of life theres one thing colonel copely who was a antu hiler added to himself gel no beaux hacic no girl ought to of a beau until alio 15 dvo years old at alie very least which was rather hard on amy and nannie who were nineteen anil seventeen and had their pretty heads full of vague visions of loro and lovers anil even little polly the youngest who had barely turned fifteen had ait imaginary ideal in her brain with dark melancholy cyus and a brow like ivory w aich she hoped one day might bo realized in a suitor and upon this windy night when colonel copely was in alie cita and mio haird the goic ucros was confined to glicr room with an attack of iii rheumatism amy and nannie were going to a surreptitious party of course papa lei us go it ho were at home said amy and we manage il if miss baiel laid up cither sagely added nannie nut happens for the said amy do look at this lovely guld colored silk nan it good of mary sinclair to lend us alie chico dresses to choose from I 1 think ill wear alie gold colored silk with this black lico mantle and I 1 nannie who waa pink and plump with china blue eyes and radiant radi aut bronac brown liuia shall wear the white all broc aled over with pink rosebuds rose buds aud the rote colored satin shippers 0 amy darling pouncing upon glicr sister with a little ecstatic kiss we shant know s go too pleaded roily whose gipsy beauty gleamed in between alie apelu bloom faces of her lifters sifters like 1 rose among whito moss pink wear tho pretty gar act silk that youve neither of you chosen nonsense cried amy you arc only a child 1 I shall be sixteen in nine months urged polly anil im almost as tall as 3 on and nannie ami I 1 never never was at a grownup grown up party in my life polly said nannie with autocratic t hold your tongue its quite out of the question you arc to stay here with hiis baird but miss babi d is always asleep in the evenings whimpered polly so the better for you pronounced nannie and to look after the house the house wont run away pouted polly still rebellious 1 hat the question under discussion said aim biskit now like n darling and help us tuck up a little for mary sinclair is nt loat half n licad laller than we aro and is no time to lose polly dauw a sigh and obeyed why was it alic within her ecal that she must abw ays be put down and snubbed and kept in alie background because she was the youngest and short frocks and her hair braided iu two chinese tails down her back if ever she was a grosu up ss ashow how them bilut poliy got a linau belter natured when she was allowed in make ln r for tea in alie absi of maryeliza their solo domestic whose brother had bethought himself to fall ill of fever half a mile or so up the mountain at this suspicious lime of nil others and to select a jar of raspberry jain by way of for polly tall though abo hbo wa had not anuito outgrown alio of ats and delight in playing at housekeeping and she arranged alio tea rose buds in lier sisters hair tho last dainty touch to dresses polly was a born ladys maid the girls declared laughing and looked regretfully after them as with their splendor gp lendor all shrouded in black ergo cloaks they hurried down abo frozen road two merry shadows 0 dear oh dear said polly aloud how I 1 wish I 1 was going too and sho tho tears down and rail back into the oak wainscoted room where the lamp still glowed and alio logs blazed and snapped on the hearth BO eliat she never once ro amys farewell caution as to the locking and double locking of outer door ass baird was asleep supper and her medicine 1 hero was no going to glicr for companionship for she and slept with glicr month open and was not in alio least an ideal slum benr and the kitchen was very lonc onie without mary eliza and tho cat was too drowsy to purr or frolic with n ball of yarn what shall I 1 do said polly 0 I 1 know I 1 all try on alie garnet silk dress and cincy im A grownup grown up young lady going to a ball she was walking up and down the floor trying to seo in the alil ro etian mirror that hung nuovo tail wooden mantle when bo creaking of a board in the hall startled led her flying to tho door garnet silk train and all faco to face with a ann 1 I pardon lio daiil apologetically but you did not hoar tho knock and what do you want cried roily all in a panic go away at I 1 called to ace it tho young lidon roily waited to hey no more vague ideas 0 peddlers grampa trampa burglars midnight assassin floated through her brain yes daiil she with calmness they aro a home to walk in and opening the nearest door she motion cn him to enter As it was dark therein how was lie to know that it wn the coal collar or that tho next minute tho door would be shut and bolted upon him there cried polly aci dark eyes staring like balls of rite hei chooks turned aiom deadly palolo glow ing red but stop 1 minn tc pleaded 1 stilled oica from the other sido of the door theres a mistake I 1 res said polly there is a mistake yon arc mistaken in supposing that I 1 am to bo imposed upon now stay there until I 1 call the coachman and the two stable hands and unloose tho dog which four last bo it understood were entirely a fiction of miss alio stood 1 second or so to consider miss baird must not bo excited or disturbed at least so lie doctor said besides of what use could miss bair d possibly be all go for tho girl said polly ill bo at tho ball after all and folding a shawl around lier pretty taper shoulders shoulder 1 anwa she tike an arrow quite heedless of alic lace lined train of the bainet silk arcs hazel hill where tho ball wa baing held wai not anoro than a quarter of a mile from itono stono tower and lighted from garret to cellar it presented a very pretty to hollys pollys wondering eyes she posted herself on the verandah just where a carment cac ment had been opened to cool tho atmosphere of alic dancing room ami there with big sparkling eyes and cherry checks hidden by tho shawl drawn over her licad and cars she watched to catch a glimpsy of amy or bannin aliey were dancing polly would scarcely known them so ri biant diant they seemed their exquisite bor rowed d set 01 by lights thou faces limbed by hippy excitement and at lat amy sat down by this very open i casement siu illing and fanning herself while her partner hurried to bring her a glass of iced champagne all of a sudden a cold little hand fell on her round dimpled shoulder sho started and looked around polly goodniss me it cant possible slie exclaimed what on earth hag brought you hero Is miss baird dead come home no answered roily but ive caught a burglar call nannie and come home at once because break loose and so amy never got the iced champagne and nannie finish her waltz with a whiskered young gentleman from montreal and harry sinclair tho brother of the hostess them back to tho tower with hie tallest of tho waiters two revolvers and a blackthorn stick which would have done credit to rory himself thus backed up polly drew the bolt unlocked I 1 lie door and called in stern accents to the sequestered victim como out you villain come at once and a tall rather pleasant looking young fellow emerged alio llio cold and having the traces of coal white shirt collar and light kid glorch who arc you savagely demanded the gentleman presented his card my name is saford sibil he colonel copely requested me to call hero anil bring his daughters bick to new york with iw ller is a letter from him he has taken a furnished house in forty seventh street and 5 me gasped polly clap ing over her eyes and shut him in tho coal cellar one dread second was silence ard then they all burst into a peal of contagious laughter which broke up all ceremony at once and rendered theiu all friends mr sinclair with the tall waiter ami the blackthorn stick dupai led and polly with a little of bannies nannies Nan nies amateur assistance served up an impromptu supper of bread and toasted cheese which waa pronounced a success mary eliza returned in a 1 while and all was well the boxt day commenced the packing for removal mary eliza was to remain in alie stone tower until mrs hailds convalescence and alie three gills returned to new york with mr stafford and mr stafford strange to siy appeared to have no malico toward bis little jailer on alio llio contrary said the shrewd amy as the season advanced 1 I dc believe lie likes polly the best of us all or he would do italic such a child but alios growing older every day said daunie and prettier added amy with a laugh so that as tho agreed there was telling what might happen one of days but it they venture to question polly sho only laughs aud blushes and hides glicr face because you know im not a grown woman yf 1 says polly saturday |