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Show lr Aunt . . St. Joseph, Mo., Jan. 5, 1900. Dear Aunt Busy: As this is my first letter I will not write a long one. I used to live in Cgden, Utah, and went to the Sisters school. Sister Ethelbert was my teacher. teach-er. I wish some of my old friends in OgOen would write in this paper. I go to the Brothers' school. We have Shorthand Short-hand in our class. Your loving nephew, ROBERT DORSET. St. Patrick's School, Butte. Mcnt., Jan. 10, 1900. Dear Aunt Busy: As this is letter writing day I am going to write to you and ask how you are and my little cousins. Mamma and the baby are well. Dear aunt, I cannot think cf any more to write, so goodbye. good-bye. Your loving niece, CLARE DONNELLY. St. Patrick's School, Butte. Mont., Jan. 10, 1900. Dear Aunt Busy: "VYe had a nice time at school on Friday Fri-day before Christmas. I come to school every day. I have a nice teacher. We have a large classroom. We study language, geography, arithmetic, catechism, cate-chism, drawing, spelling, reading, writing writ-ing and singing. I like catechism and spelling best. I am going to close my letter with love to you. From your little niece, MARY SHEA. Mrs Turner dropped her work and sighed. "It does sa?m hard, Jack, but I really don't see how to help it. If we s'oould buy you a summer suit now, you'd have to wear your old suit again next winter, you know," she said, plaintively. plaint-ively. "Oh! I know that well enough, mother, moth-er, so it isn't worth while talking about it. It seems to me I've heard of nothing noth-ing but poverty all my life. We're so poor, Job's turkey wouldn't associate with us," he said, savagely, then stalked from the room with the air of a martyr. His sister Doris went on darning steadily for awhile. "I'm ever so sorry for poor Jack," she said at last, a suspicion of tears in her voice. "I wish I could help him some way, but I'm afraid I can't manufacture manu-facture a suit of clothes for him. I really do believe I could make him a coat and vest, though, if only I had tho material. You know I am an expert maker of pockets and buttonholes, and ! you often say my pressing is equal to a. tailor's." . Mrs. Turner's face brightened. "Yes, you are splendid at that kind of thing, Doris. I think it is a gift, or perhaps it is only a delicate touch, a true eye and unlimited patience. Whatever What-ever the quality may be, I know I do not possess it. Jack would never wear j a coat made by his mother," and she laughed softly at the idea. "Suppos? he had a coat and vest, mother, has he any trousers fit to wear south?" asked Doris. "Yes; those dark gray ones could be j sponged and pressed )iil they'd look as good as new." Doris put down her darning, ran up- j stairs, and returned in a moment with ! the full skirt of a black gown on her ' arm. Her face was radiant. "Jack can go, mother. I can get a coat and vest out of this gown, with careful cutting. The material is lovely, n rl ,,-,-.1 Cnrt,. V, r, i i, nrli-, t arily used for gentlemen. My big brother will be quite a swell in it," she said, merrily. "Why. Doris, you surely don't intend to use that good gown in that way? It is the only decent on you have for cold days," remonstrated Mrs. Turna;-. "Indeed I do, mother. I can wear my old brilliantine by freshening it up with new facing and ribbonst, and dear old Jack shall have his outing." "But Jack will not allow you to sacrifice sac-rifice your best dress for him. Doris." "Jack will know nothink about it. I can easily find out his measures, and 1 know where I can get good patterns. If he asks questions, I'll evadei them so skillfully he'll think we've had a sudden sud-den streak of good luck," the girl said, gaily. "But it doesn't seem fair, Doris. If Jack would give up smoking he could soon save money enough to buy hi3 clothea himself." Mrs. Turner protested. pro-tested. "Now, mater dear, don't you fret about your daughter. I'll have such jolly tims, and chatter and beam and smila upon people so broadly that they'll forget to notice my shabby attire. at-tire. Of course, Jack ought to be ashamed of himself for wasting money on such ani expensive and filthy habit, but I hope yet to some day coax him to stop it." And full of her generous purpose, pur-pose, Doris tripped upstairs to begin her loving work. Soon afterward Mrs. Turner went into the kitchen to see about dinner, utterly unconscious that her guest, Howard Halliday, was lying upon the ' couch in tho parlor, where he had gone an hour before with a severe headache. He certainly had not intended listening; listen-ing; but it had happened so quickly he had not had time to make his presence known. He was not very penitent. He felt there could be no harm in reading another page in a sweet, unselfish life. He had begun his acquaintance with Doris by being amused at her quaint, old-fashioned sincerity; and he had not been in the house six hours as Jack's guost, before the young lady gave him a surprise that made him very nearly angrv. I It was just after tea, and they had adjourned to the broad porch to enjoy the lovaly sunset. He had pulled out his cigar case and with an air of easy assurance turned to Doris. "You have no objection to my smoking?" smok-ing?" "Indeed I have. I hate tobacco smoke, and even if I did not, I should object on principle." For once in his life Howard's grace of manner forsook him, and he thrust his cigar back into its case as awkwardly awk-wardly as a schoolboy, his face crimson, crim-son, Doris sat demurely swaying back and forth in her light rocker, one pretty, rounded arm upraised, toying with a spray of honeysuckle. Apparently unconscious un-conscious that she had said or done anything out of the ordinary, she smiled in a friendly manner into the gentleman's) clouded face. "You are the first young lady I ever met who objected to the odor of a fine cigar," he' said, half rebukingly. "I am the orjy one who has been courageous enough to tell you so; or, perhaps it will please you better to' say I am the only one selfish enough to deprive de-prive you of such a pleasure. But I'll warrant you many a lady has been forced to tell you a polite lie, rather than make herseir disagreeable by telling tell-ing the truth," she said good-naturedly. "So you do not tell untruths for the sake of being peasant, it seems," Mr. Halliday saidinterrogatively, a tinge of aarcasm in his voice. "Not when a principle is involved. I claim that the use of tobacco in any form is unwholesome, unclean, selfish and extravagant, so of course' cannot sanction smoking, even though the cigars may be of the finest." "Oh! I see you are one of the advanced ad-vanced thinkers, or 'reform' women who are slashing right and left at the small vices of the sterner sex:- You wish men to be little luss than angel lacking physical force and manly independence, inde-pendence, "he retorted, hotly. "I belong to the class who believe men should be as free from vices as women; good, pure and true; of the finest physical development and brave enough to resi9t temptation, no matter in what guisie it may come," she said quietly. A rather heated argument followed in which Mr.. Halliday felt himself decidedly de-cidedly worsted. To cover his defeat he gladly acpepte.d Jack's invitation to call on hia "beast girL" That tilt of words was by no means the last, nor was it the last in which Mr. Halliday left the battlefield inglor-iously. inglor-iously. It must be confessed his sst-approbation sst-approbation was often hurt, and that in thinking over their discussions afterward, after-ward, Howard frequently assured himself him-self he barely escaped disliking his friend's sister. That women should hold "opinions" at all seemed unwomanly unwom-anly to him, and to be defeated by one was almost unpardonable. Yet, aside from this unpleasant feat-uro, feat-uro, little Doris seemed one of the most unselfish and lovable girhi he had ever met. He felt sure his stately mother would approve of her and the thought sent a queer little spasm of pleasure through his hitherto invulnerable heart. It waa just like her to sacrifice her best dress to give Jack an outing. He hadn't had-n't much faith in the result, though, and he laughed to himself as he thought of stylish Jack in a badly fitting, fit-ting, badly made coat. His first impulse im-pulse was to tell Jack in time to pre"-vent pre"-vent the worsethan useless sacrifice; but that would be betraying a secret not intended for his ears, so he could omy oe suem im aw an developments', j For the next thro? or four days Doris j wan scarcely visible, excepting at ' mealtime. Jack stermed because she I did not give moretime to their guest. I It was; "jur-'t like, a girl's vanity," he j said, "to care more for stitching away on an old machine, making finery, than to care for tho comfort and happi-I happi-I ness of two forlorn men." And How-lard, How-lard, watching the "sensitive face flush- I ing under the unjust accusations, thought her tho sweetes.t and loveliest of women. At last .one afternoon as Jack and Howard weTe lounging on the porch, Doris came tripping demurely un the street, carrying a neat package. Her eyes shonewith a light that fairly daz-j daz-j zlod Mr. Halliday, and in a moment he comprehended her plan. He arose as ! she came up and offered her a chair, but .'the shook her head playfully and passed on into the sitting room. Presently Pres-ently she called Jack. lie got up lazily and went in. Howard How-ard longed to follow, but dared not. He expected every moment to hoar Jack's voice in angry derision. Instead that young man soon appeared with a beaming face, his fine figure adorned with a well fitted and beautifully made coat. "I tell you, Howard, there's nothing like having the right kind of women folks. Mine have trigged me out in these handccrr.e new duds and I am happiejr than the winning captain of a football team. I can go home with you now. I only refusc-d before because be-cause I hadn't anything fit to wear in' your warm climate,-and I was too poor to buy anything. Uncle "Walter only allows me income enough to barely squeeze through college, and Doris' teaching scarcely furnishes mother and herself with the necessities." , Jack paused, and Howard, feeling like a hypocrite, cudgled his brain for something to say. "Doris and mother are wonderful women, anyhow. Doris has a knack j dainty and artistic, and mother why, ! mother can ea?iy evolve something out I of nothing. I'm sure now they must I have pinched themselves awfully to buy these nice things, unles-s Doris has sold one of her pretty water colors, as she does sometimes. It must be that, for Doris declares she hasn't taken a dollar from the -family treasury. It's-just It's-just like her. bless her generous heart! Anyhow, I'll not worry her asking questions for I know she's as happy over it as I am. Have a cigar?" extending ex-tending a finely flavored one to Mr. Halliday. That gentleman declined, almost rudely. "I've concluded not to smoke anymore. any-more. Your sister is right. The use of tobacco makes a man blind and selfish." self-ish." , , i , . He was half angry with Jack for accepting ac-cepting so unquestioningly the sacrifice Doris had made, and he kept thinking how soon Jack might have saved money mon-ey enough to buy his own clothes, had he been half as self-denying as his sister. sis-ter. Jack looked at him in astonishment. astonish-ment. "Will wonders never cease? To think of your giving up smoking is a stunner! Next thing you'll sign the total abstinence pledge and fit yourself 1 for a church deacon. Doris will be delighted," de-lighted," he said, between puffs. "Don't tell her; I want to tell her myself. And, Jack, if you were half the man you ought to be, you'd stop smoking yourself and save the money to buy the things you n?ed. I pvvcar I'd be ashamed to let a little, delicate girl help clothe me," Howard said indignantly. in-dignantly. Jack's sunburn-ad face took on a bright red. "You're confoundedly polite in your way of putting things," he said, giving his cigar a petulant fling that landed it in the rosebed, "and you've grown virtuous vir-tuous very suddenly, it sssms to me. Then there was a long silence, broken by Jack. "Thank you. Howard. You're right. I've been a selfish beast to let mother and Doris rpoil me so. And if you, van so wen ctnora it, can quit smoking, I will, too." "If you come down to facts, I guess it is as Doris says: we can none of uJ afford it even if our poketbooks are overflowing. We cannot afford to risk the many evil physical results likely to follow, and to be repeated in future generation j, to say nothing of poisoning poison-ing the air for others who detest the odor." Howard said gravely. "You talk aa if Doris were dictating," dictat-ing," Jack said, lightly. "As she is, in a measure. I'm such an egotistical prig that I have lacked the courage and grace to acknowledge how much her arguments have affected affect-ed me. I think I shall be brave enough to tell her before I go," Mr. Halliday continued, frrnkly. Jack was silent. Brotherly intuition had sntddenly opened hia eyes. "And if you think there is the least hope for me, I've something else to tell her before I meet my mother. I know I'm not half good enough for i.er. but I intend to grow better, and" Howard stopped abruptly, nervousness making his voice husky. Jack grasped his hand and squeezed it till it ached. "No, you're not good enough for her, old fellow, no man is; but if she loves you as well as I do, she'll take you. mat evening uoris and Mr. Halliday sat on the porch in the starlight, having hav-ing reached a perfect understanding. "I think I commenced loving you because be-cause you were so frank and outspoken,' outspok-en,' so unliko the conventional society girls I had grown so tired of: but the thing that showed me my heart as nothing else could have done was Jack's coat. " 'Jack's coatM" Doris exclaimed, in astonishment. "Who ever heard of anything do absurd?" Then she turned upon him quickly. "Howard you didn't you don't know !" "Yep, I do, too. I heard you talking it over with your mother, you dear, generous little girl!" "Aren't you ashamed of yourself?" sho asked, trying to disengage her hand. "Not a bit. It was the last little link to fetter my heart to yours forever," holding the -struggling hands firmly upon his . breast. "You won't tell Jack? Pi ease -do not. It would spoi! hi3 whole trip south to know he was wearing - his - sister's dress." . ., "I promise not to tell till the day he starts home. He'll be a better man for knowing it then. Your unselfish act will make it easier for him to resist small vices and extravagances in college col-lege next year. Besides, my own char- ! acter has been improved and my life made one of perfect happiness by read- j ing your beautiful sou! through the medium of Jack's coat." ! LAURA J. RITTENHOUSE. |