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Show cjsra lis.'lib! t. the test dnntms more ghttstiy, and it was with a sena of relief thru she found ber visit at an end and bid her aunt good-by. Her trunk bad been tent to ths depot in the morning, morn-ing, and, as she was fond of walking, she decided to follow it on foot. "Take the road to the right Ihsn, Ad-Uude," Ad-Uude," Aunt TttUtiia had said. "It's better bet-ter paved." Accordingly Adelaide took the road to the right and found it much longer than Bho expected. As she entered the depot her tmin steamed out of it, and there wus no othw w New York for two long hours. Tho little wooden building was close and unpleasant, and after paciug it nervously ner-vously for BAvhile ilrs. Vauderpool sauntered saun-tered out oain, nnd turning down a well shudtd rond came lo a litfic yellow house, the front of which seemed to be a general store, while across the back gurdenfenco she read in black tetters the legend: "Ice cream gurden." Within the fence stood an arbor. In the arbor was a table flanked by two chairs. It seemed a desirable de-sirable resting place, nnd Airs. Yamler-pool Yamler-pool entered ami sat down. As mk m sh she had done so a small dog came rushing rush-ing Tut of the house and began to b;trk as furiously ns though he had been look Ujg for his enemy all his life and has just found him, and a bony young woman with sharp features, who wore a drens, apron and sunbonnet, all made of the same blue checked gingliam, stalked out of the house, kicked the dog furiously and entered the arbor in three long strides, "Don't look ut me," was hr salutation. saluta-tion. "I haven't had time to wash my face today, let alone comb my hair. What'll you huve ice cream?" Mrs. Vanderpool assented. "Ginger snaps or lemou snaps Is all the cake rpe got," said the young woman. "Well, we hare to take what we can get here, Tisn't like the city. You'r from the cityf Mrs. Vanderpool bowed. The young woman vanished and shortly short-ly returned with a plate of Tanilla ice cream and some ginger snups, a napkin and a glaBB of water on a tray, and having hav-ing placed them before her customer seated herself in the other chair and re-j re-j garded her steadily. i ; "This is an awful place," said she. l "Rut here I live year in and year oat. I mind the store and do the homework and plant the garden and see to the refreshments, refresh-ments, while pa goes kiting around in New York. Did you ever hear such a case before?" "I think not," said Mrs. Vanderpool, 7" MIL NOUSIUIAN. "Good looking, distinguished and very fond of me really, why not?" said Mrs, ; Vanderpool. "Of course he is not S young," she continued; "but, after all, j I'm a widow of 40.' I She folded the note she had just re-I re-I ccived and placed it in its envelope. "1 think I'll say yes," she mused, "I i am lonely sometimes, and that dear little i ! girl he speaks of may be a very pleasant I ! companion." I i The note that hnd set Mrs. Vanderpool j 1 iyto thtB train of thought was from the1 j most devoted of her admirers, Mr. Norse- 1 ; man. A widow with two hundred thousand dollars safely invested is sure to have ad-I ad-I mirers, and Mrs. Vanderpool was a hand-j hand-j some woman as well as a woman of means. Mr. Norseman had iron gray hair and ; rather an elderly look about the throat j and shoulders, but he was a man of ele-t ele-t gnnt manners. He spoke of his "little place on the Hudson" in a way that made people understand that it was a very fine one, and that the prefix was the outgrowth out-growth of modesty. The general opinion wni that he had retired from business, i He seldom spoke of the matter. He I had, however, told the widow that he was still connected with oertain mercan-1 ' tile enterprises ''as -n sort of sleeping i j" partner." For the rest, he dressed well, j i walked well, made offerings of roses at their most ex-usive seasouB, aud pro-1 fe.-wd himself to he madly in love with Mrs. Vanderpool. The fear of being married from mo-! tives of interest had often intervened to prevent the widow from accepting the pointed attentions of men younger than herself. They did not arise in thinking f Mr. Norseman, settled and Bolid as ho was. ! . "I'll do It!" the widow said to herself, j "A woman is so much happier with a I protector, and I'm sure I should bo proud i i of Mr. Norseman; and after awhile one! fades a little, and it is a great deal more j comfortable to occupy a matron's posi-j tion a widow who has no family is al-1 ways a sort of elderly girl." Then Mrs. Vauderpool Kit down to' her desk and, taking her moat delicate pen, indited on her finest paper tho following much amused, "A kind of prodigal father?" "You've hit it,n Baid the young woman. wo-man. "AnoV I have to kill tho fatted chicken when he comes home, I tell you. He comes to collect all he can; then off again. As for me, 1 live principally on cold beans, and this is my best gown." Mrs. Vanderpool looked sympathetic, "Oh. pa is a case!" the young woman continued. "Ma was single and kept this store. She married pa for his beauty, beau-ty, and ho never touched to do a thing afterward. Kited around like he does , now. He broke her heart flirting; but ! the last thing Bhe said to me was, 'Take care of poor pa,' Well, I slave and he enjoys himself. He's very stylish. You wouldn't believe he was kin to me in my gingha.ru. Jefferson Norseman is the handsomest man hereabouts, and I am plain, and I know it. I take after poor ma in upearancG.n "Jefferson Norsemau," repeated Mrs. Vanderpool to herself. But she kept hr eyes fixed upon the saucer before her and governed the corners of her mouth as only a society woman can. "I guess you think I am unflllal and cantankerous," said Miss Norseman, after af-ter a moment's pause, "but you don't know pa. When he is nt home he is just th meanest and hatefulest why, nobody no-body dares come near the bonne to see mti. I might have married when I was seventeen even If you ore plain, youth is tajking but ho kicked, my beau out. You see he wanted to keep mo here to keep shop while he kited about," A remembrance of the passing mention men-tion of the sleeping partnership in a certain mercantile establishment here caused Mre. Vanderpool'B lips to curve a little. Miss Norseman saw it. "I suppose it is funny to other folks," I said she. "I almost have to laugh my-I my-I self; and now bo is goiug to bo married." "Are yon sure?" asked Mrs, Vanderpool, Vander-pool, smiling again. "He says it is settled," said Miss Norseman. Norse-man. "He got all he could rake and scrape for new clothes last week, and j sold the horse. She's a widow. Well, I I don't wonder. Pa, with his company manners on, is taking. His private ways are different. When sho sees him with his false teeth out and no padding in his coat she'll be astonished, I rather think; I epistle: - I "Dear Mr. Norseman I have received your note and read it very carefully, t Without actually giving you a positive I'anbwer at this moment, I will say that its contents do not displease me. I am going into the country to pay a visit tr-i tr-i morrow nnd will remain away three days. On Thursday I Bhall bo at home all the afternoon and should be glad to see you. Yours sincerely, "Adelaide Vanderpool." Having sent this billet-doux to the lamp ost box by n servant, Mrs. Van--deipofd prepared for her visit to an old aunt at , and shortly left New York behind her. . This visit was, I regret to say, a sort of penance which Mrs. Vanderpool imposed im-posed upon herself every spring. The aunt was one of those ancient females who, having outlived vanity and the desire to dodge Time, delight in unpleasant un-pleasant reminiscences and in recording the paa3.-tKo.of years. f-".,,tMt:0' Va rftier pool '-k new that her age r.wordri lK.'rneutsonedwithin the Crst ten minnles; that she would be. forced to remeinbnr things she desired to forget; ;t!fut aH'those skeletons which tho most respectable people- desire to lock away in cupboards would be trotted out, and that she would return to tho city with a large collection of ancient goods to match silks of obsolete colors, woolens of a eort no longer woven, oortons of patterns at least twenty-five years old. She would sleep in a sort of state bed-. bed-. room, where p.! in always expected tosce a ghost; tiie, wo;: Id bo obliged to red "loud from ancient devotional works printed with long s's, or from such nov-elsas"SirChark'3Grandison'and nov-elsas"SirChark'3Grandison'and ' Aine-vnnld Aine-vnnld be requested t'i ng and U on a little oiil piano I : . rT.. . " I" 1 preacher would read one of his old ser-' ser-' ,iii-.n?. and -where much hand-ilnl.ing PHistbe gone through in tiie vestibule. .Moreover,, titer1 would bo at least two -wea'f teoui- tea -drinkings ono at the res-Wi'iicn.of res-Wi'iicn.of Col. -Whackon), whoso memory hid" grown - weak, and who always took her for fler own grandmother; tho other nt tliat of Mrs. Led sky, who went to nil the funerals sbe heard of and entertained her gtfeslii "solely with accounts thereof. Unwcvcr, it was a -superstition of Mrs. Vandei-ftfiolVfha&it was hprduty to visit iitnt Xaiutluvanrl s(e always performed it once a yeni; ..." 'On this occasion the old lady's remlnls cenceswere more unpleasant than usual, the novels more wearisome, tho sermons and what names he can call a body if things doD't suit himT "Really, you ought to warn the lady," said Mrs. Vanderpool, srailimr outright this time. "Catch rue," said Miss Norseman. "As. soon as they aro settled I'm going to break up here and go and live with 'em. He can't refuse his only daughter a home, and I guess the mortgage will be foreclosed fore-closed pretty soon. I'm going to have easd and comfort after that, widow or no widow. I'm a match for pa's new wife. I've got a determined' spirit of my own, and If she tries to triumph over; me hair will fly. Pa will uphold me, for there are lots of tilings he'll be afraid of her finding out, and he'll want to keep me quiet. You see, I'm In his power down here, but it will be different then. Oh, wouldn't you like to see pa's photograph!"" photo-graph!"" "Yes, I would," replied the widow, finishing fin-ishing her cream. "And what do I owe you?" "Twenty-five cents," said Miss Norseman. Norse-man. "Now, don't go until I bring the alhum." Mrs. Vanderpool had no Intention of i doing eo. She waited patiently for the returu of her hostess with a rlokety photograph pho-tograph album full of the usual repre- j sentations of aunts and ancles, cousins ' and acquaintances, and in their midst a 1 face fihe well knew. There was no pos- I sibility of a mistake. j "Now, ain't my pa handsomer said Miss Norseman, ns slm spread the book ! upon the bible, open at. this place, and j showing a certain pride in the exhibition. exhibi-tion. "Handsome nnd stylish. Oh, I dearl if be was as pond ho Is pretty he'd bo a very nice fatliei' to have, j '.-ouhln't he?" i "Yps," said Mrs. Vanderpool, a little j J!y. It wus a handsome face, and she lid grown fond of It- "Yes. I'm very lad I slopped here. Miss Norseman. I'lur conversation 1ns interested me 1 ry much." nVe have had a ral nice little visit, linven't weT' said Miss Norseman. "I wish I'd been more fixed up; Imt I guess . I'll le more drwy when I go to New York to live with pa and his second wife." "My dear Miss Norseman," snid the widow, "never calculate too much on anythiita m this world. Ik is one ot disappointments." dis-appointments." She smiled and walked away. A little further on Shu tdghed. "Goodness knows It is to me," ihe said, petulantly. . . " But on Thursday, when Mr. Norseman called fn his new suit, armed with a fragrant fra-grant bunch of hot house! roses, Mrs. Vanderpool Van-derpool was simply not at home. Mary Kyle Dallas In Fireside Companion. |