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Show J I I J A STOR.Y-BOOK MOTHER i k I ? y MARGARET BLOUNT. HJ tMOH. '' Wlls "lc twentieth day HJ J ot Juno. Tim strawberry HJ , ( ( O T O hCllHOU was at Its height, L j' f k '""' s!llH' Moore, tliL only 1 M01r child of "Farmer Moore," j I 1 in .-., t'owucst Farm, near Concord, HJ ! j had been out all the afternoon In licr HJ i I father's groat ox pasture, gathering HJ , j berries for a shortcake and for pre HJ In the pleasant kitchen Mrs. Moore was lighting the lire to bake the short HJ ! . enkes. It wan a full hour Inter thiui HJ I j tlio usual ten time at the farm, for HJ i ! the farmer bad driven into Concord HJ with some iiroiliice for tho market, and HJ wns not expected buck till dusk. HJ .lust a h Mrs. .Moore bad tilled the HJ ' teakettle her iiiek blown eyes caught HJ , j. i sight of the hired boy leisurely stroll HJ J i tut; along llio hlghinnd toward the HJ li i village. .Shi' rusheil to the open win- HJ ' tlow and culled after him: "Abncr! HJ Ali-ucrl" but Aimer either did not bear, HJ or did not choose to bear, mid went HJ way. HJ j "Tbnt ptoiokliig boy!" said Mrs. HJ Moore, iin .she came back lulo the kit- HJ Ij i Chen wilb n Hushed face. "I'm sure tic beard me. 1 told liiiu that Hlack HJ , 'j .Dick would not drlo In tho cows to HJ I ' 'i night, and that be must see to them HJ ! 1' before be went uway. Now be lias HH j ' gone, mid your father will be tired to Hb deatli when be gets back from the HH Sho looked wistfully at Mabel, who HH whh braiding bcr blight brown linlr HB j with rosebuds at the open win. low. HH I . Mabel felt that look. Sim knew what HH I J It meant. Hut she did not choose to HH I j move or speak. HH . "Don't you think you can go for them HH ,t this once, daughter, and .save your HH j por father the trouble?" said Mrs. HH , Moore, tu a hesitating tone. HH I Mabel's pretty face clouded over. HH 1 f "Ob, dear! Yes I 8iipiui.se so!" sho HH said, with n Kroiui. HH Sho took her hiiiibonnct and went out HH , with slow, uiiwillliiK feet. Her mother HH looked nfter b;r and hlhed. HH "l wish she was more contented. 1 HHJ wish I could make her life more ns Sslio wants it to be." said the goutlu i ' soul, as she went on with her prepara ' tion, and rolled out a hpcclul pile of HH "doll oakch" for her uirl. HHj I Mabel went sulkily down the green HHJ v i, bine uueoiiKclous of the loving wish. HH '., Kll crossed the foot bridge and en- HH 4 teied the pasture, and sat down by a HH ' RlH-lug that ran meirlly out of the li 1 11- HH ij side through u hollow log into a wood HH en trough. She drank of the cool, HH sweet water, and bathed her face and HH looked at herself in tho still surface HH of tho HH 1 I" "I'm pretty enough to be n girl In a HH . story book," said the vain llttlo thing, HH arrnnglug her rosebuds. "I wish I HHJ ). was one. I wish I bntl n story book HHJ lioino and n story book father and HHJ mother, an earl mid a countess," she J went on, leaning against the mossy HHJ bank mid shutting her eyes upon the HHJ HctunI red wooden fiirnilioiise. with its HHJ clustering bm us and sheds, that stood HHJ by the roadside In the hollow below. HHJ "1Ct me see. I should be Lady Mabel HHJ then. I.mly Mabel Moore. On, dear! HHJ I wish there were fairies now, and one HHJ . of thPin would come here and touch mc HHJ villi her wand, and make It all true." HHJ i ', As sho mused over the delights ot HHJ such a life, sbe beard a gruff voice HHJ saying on tho other stdo of tho spring: HHJ "Well, why not?" HHJ Hho opened her eyes. HHJ , i A little, sharp-looking woman In ! 1 green, with u wand o peeled rush, a stood balancing hcrxclf on tho edge I of tho watering trough. "Ob!" cried Mabel. "Are yon n fairy?" i "Why not?" growled tho weo wo HHi " , li! ' mnti. HHJ l "Can you make me I.pily Mabel?" HHJ ( I "Why not? This Is mi nusplelnus HHJ JOrtr, mid any one who wishes by my HHJ spring at this sunset hour can have HHJ tliclr wish. You are suro that you HHJ want yours to come to pass, I sup HHJ HHB, "Oh, please," cried Melicl, without HHRi uven a parting glance nt tho red farm- HHV II bouse one last thought of the good HHH mother tolling In tho kitchen. HHi "Have your wish, tbenl Appear, HHI I Lady Mabel." HHJ. 1 The wand touched bcr slioMldern. HHJ I In nn Instant everything was HHJi I I changed. She found herself In mi HHJj j upper chamber In a large and stately HHJ I bouse. The windows were open, show HHJ Ing a magnificent park that extended HHJ on orcry side far as tho eye coulrt H HHb Mabel recognized the bouse nnd the HHl woodland view. ho bad owned n pic HHh turo of that lordly palaco when she HHb was pin In Mabel Moore. Was It HHl could It bo possible that It was now HHV her HHH f "I.ndy Mabel." said a demure voice, HHV beg that you will not lean ou jour el- HHV tiowH In that mnnner. Pray attend to HHH . i this lesson In history, or I must repot t HHV ' I ! you ns Idle In the c.-.treme." HHJ j , It was the stiff English governess HAHHHHHHHHHHkm v-w HHHHHHHHHHJHkpc -i';.-. who spoke, nnd the nnmi .iv a fihool room, plainly furnlfbed "Ijuly Mabel-ghuieed Mabel-ghuieed down at her own drc. Only n plain miullii. with n high white pill-afore, pill-afore, thread stockings, and high kid boots! She bad expected to wear sllk and satins at least. If not cloth of gold! Ob, that woarIome governess! Two mortal hours went on, and Lady Mabel Ma-bel was questioned about history, go ography nnd grammar, till the felt ns If she were becoming Insane. At last a great clock struck somewhere. some-where. School hours were over for that day. "Hurrnli r cried .Mabel, seizing her gypsy bat by Its blue ribbons. "I-ady Mobel. pray do not bo so hols toroiis!" said the prim voice. "And your glows! You cannot be going out without gloves!" The stiff kid gloves were drnwn on, the bat was properly tied under Iter chin, nnd nt last the half-stilled prisoner pris-oner was in the open nlr. Hut here she fell perpetually Into disgrace. Miss Simpson scarcely knew her charge. "So boisterous! So unladylike!" un-ladylike!" were the cautions forever on her lips. Lady Mabel must not run too fast to get heated. Lluly Mabel Ma-bel must not think of tossing off her hat, Lady Mnbel must not iltlnk cold water, Lady Mnbel must go In and dress for dinner long before sho bad had suillclent exercise to satisfy bcr cramped up limbs and heart. The dinner was one plain Joint of meat, with vegetables, titul a plain fruit tart. "I've eaten better things than this in tho red farmhouse," thought Lady Mabel. Hut she was hungry, nnd to tho healthy appetite of a twelve-year-old girl nothing came nmlss. Hero ngalu Miss Simpson reproved her. "A second help, Lady .Mabel! And a second help to the tnrt! I hardly know what my lady would say. However, for this once; but pray, I.ndy Mnbel. do not ent so hurriedly. I scarcely rcc-ognizc rcc-ognizc you to-day." Mabel saw the tray carried out with regretful yes. Sho wur still hungry, or she thought she was, which was quite as hard to bear. "Now, nt least, I can have n good piny all ly myself," she thought when they went out on tho lawn. Hut no. Kver nnd always that disagreeable dis-agreeable governess nt her hepls. As the evening drew on, she was to run upstairs to be dressed. Here, for the first time, her soul rejoiced In a beautiful evening 'rock, with openwork open-work stockings nnd French slippers, n wide bluo sash, and n tlnv string of pearls around her neck, clasped by a golden locket. Downstairs she went for tho dessert. Ushered Into the dining-room by a tall servant In full livery, she stopped short nt sight of n brilliant company In full dress gathered around u splendidly splen-didly decorated table. "You may come to me, my daughter," said a tall, handsome mnn nt tho foot of the table. Sho went to him. She stood beside bis knee nnd be fed her with dainties from his plate. His hand lingered oncp on her brown curls as If ho loved her, but only once. A beautiful woman sat nt the head of tho table glittering with diamonds. Her Inrge, dark eyes rested coolly on llttlo Mabel, for she was tho 6econd wife of the tytrl, nnd tho child recalled tho linage of ft dead rival whom Bho hated, even In her gvnvo. Mnbel shrunk from the Indifferent gaze, mid dared not call the proud Jntly mother when they wero alone. Tho ladles arose from table with a silken rustle. Tho gentlemen stood up In their places, mid one held the door open, bowing low ns they passed by. He smiled nt little Mabel. It was the first kind siullo sho had received in that grand bouse. Up to the magnificent room she timidly tim-idly followed the ladles. She crept Into a corner and turned over the leaves of n volumo of engravings, feeling feel-ing herself sadly homesick nnd out of place all tho while. "Ob, dear!" she sighed, "it Is renlly dreadful! I do witb I could be Mabel Moore again!" "Why not?" said n gruff voice. Mabel opened her eyes. The llttlo woman In green was no-whero no-whero to bo seen, but the cows stood In a grave circle around her, wondering what could mako tho usually nctlve llttlo girl so still. Trom the chimney of the nnug, red farmhouse In tho hollow a column of smoko poured merrily upward, and die saw her father's wagon driving nwj from tho kitchen door to the barn. "Thank goodness, .Miss Simpson b not bore!" she said, executing a jVmp that would have lilted thut staid ludy a heart with horror. Then Mnbel drovo her cows quietly down the Inne, and Into the barnjuni, j ...J whera her father caught Iter up In his arms mid kissed her heartily. "I've brought you such n doll, Mabel," Ma-bel," bo said. "Dressed like a lady of Colonlnl days, you know." Just then Mrs. Mooro appeared at the open kitchen door. "The shortcakes are done to n turn, father, nnd I want Mabel to hnvc her's now," sho said. "Can't you come, too. nnd do your milking afterward?" "To be sure I can. My llttlo girl's supper shan't be spoiled If I cau prevent pre-vent It," said the farmer. So they snt down happily to ten, with the fresh breeze blowing through the open doors nnd windows, the round jhln.n cake d'sh piled high with such shortcakes ns few city people ever have the luck to see or to taste, nnd the lady of Colonial days looking on, amiably. from beneath her powdered hair next to Mabels sent. "Oh, dear! I'm so Tlad you nrn not nn rarl and n countess, nnd I wouldn't be 1-sdy Mnbel for the world," said Mabel when Kipper wns over. Thr laughed heartily nt the speech. Hut they did not know why she tnnde It. nnd they never will know till they read the reason on this printed page-New page-New York Weekly. |