The west shore., January 01, 1886, Page 29, Image 27

THE WEST SHORE.
20
"Oli, tlinnk you, thank you," stammered Amelia.
Alns! the words of sympathy ninde the tremulous tours
overflow.
"You'll gotubiiJ to it," bnid ILo pander gently; miy
how, you've got your name in the catalogno. And at a
little distance the picture looks uncommonly well, doesn't
it, now? Besides, it's often those at the top that sell the
soonest, you know."
Toor Amelia, gazing from afar at the well-known
hluisli features of her bandit, wondered if her new friend's
pictures were always hung so high that ho had grown
used to speak on the subject with liaopy confidence; then,
after thanking him, she wended iier way slowly ami
sadly home.
She felt bound to appear as cheerful as possible, how
ever, in her sistur's presence, for Grace was waiting, in a
perfect fever of anxiety, to hear the details of so eventful
a morning. Therefore, it came to pass that, a few days
later, when Amelia and her mother sallied forth together
to see the pictures, even Mrs. AVyvern was scarcely pro.
pared for the shock of Beeing the bandit so unduly ele
vated. There wore no very woll-known names among
fho painters represented in the catalogue; consequently,
Mrs. AVyvern took a high stand, and was more angry
than aggrieved.
"We must Le prepared for a little jnalonsy, my
child," she added consolingly, after a burst of wrathful
words; "I dare say it is well known that you aro young
nnd pretty."
In which Bpeech it may be thought that Mrs. AVyvern
was somewhat hard upon the hangers, who were not,
after all, of the feminine sex!
But whother her comparative success (or comparative
iailure) hail been good for Amelia or not, it is certain
that she went back to her work at the 1'rofesHor'B with
improved industry. She worked early anil late; she
never seemed to tire. Her eager enthusiasm had mel
lowed and given place to a patient, even-tempered love
of her profession; once, when Grace spoke to lior of the
future, she answered gently:
"Oh, Graeie, I seom hateful to myself for having
neon so silly as to think 1 should ever do anything great
" But you will, you must, Amy."
"Must I? I don't know, I BOiircoly dare to hope.
Oh, it is all as far off as that Aurora that you and Doug
las wore talking of one afternoon; do yon remember,
Grncie?"
" Ihmtjhtaf Did you call him Douglas?" asked
Grace in a whisper.
"Yes no," nnsworod Amelia, reddening. "I think
of him as Douglas sometimes."
"Amy!"
" Well."
"Come and sit beside mo, will you, dear? There,
give me your blessed old head close, and let mo siroko 11.
Listen, if ever you think about me, by and by, later on"
" Oh. Grncio. don't"
"AVhen you think of mo," repeated Grace firmly,
"think, dear, how glad I was that you thought of him as
Douglas, your Douglas. Will you, Amy?"
"Yes' answered Amelia, who was crying. And
thereupon she caught hold of her little sister's hand and
spueeznd it violently, nnd then, without a word, she got
"p and ran out of tho room.
A few days later Graco called her mother to come and
it besido her.
. The two were alone in the rxm. It was twilight, the
"our the sick girl loved:
IHwd tin iU"k and IU U;lilil
Wlwu Uia nulit i twKinmni ui linm.
Grace thought it ahould not only be "tho children's
hour, bb Longfellow meant it to be, but an hour of heal,
nig mini for all the sick and sorry, a time when our
spmtB looso themselves from their trnmmoU and prow
more spiritual -an hour, aliove nil, when we seem nearer
to those wo love, mid moro able to Bay what nt other
times it is hard to say.
Outside, in tho dreary, fog-laden street, Mia gas lamps
were being lighted, one by one, nnd occasionally the roil
ing sound of earriago wheels grew, and passed, nnd died
away upon the ear.
" Mother, coins nnd speak to me," said Grace; " I want
you to do something for me."
'in - ....... . ..
jiiimo whs n rising son in Mrs. Wyvern's throat as
she obeyed tho summons, for sho had been wrnpt in sor.
rowful meditation; nevertheless, witting down silently,
sho took within her own the fragile fingers of Omens
outstretched hand. -
They were very fragile fingers. Mrs. AVyvern could
not but recollect with a fresh pain at her heart what
Douglas McHuish had told her yesterday, after he had
held the child for n while in his arms at the window.
Acs, he said that the light weight hnd grown yet lighter;
lie thought it his duty to tell that, he said, nnd ever since
he had spoken thus a sense of helpless misery had gath
ered tightly round Mm, Wyvern's heart For she knew,
alas! of how little use to Graco were the medicines pre.
scribed for her; she know that hers was not nny special
muladv.
" V ill you do something for mo, mamma?"
"AVImt is it, Graeie?"
" H ething that I want very, very much. AVill you
promise to do it, mamma?"
" Without knowing what it is?"
Mrs. Wyvorn gazed at the enger little face, visibly
eager even in tho twilight shadows; tears came into her
eyes; somehow she could Hot keep them back.
"Oh, promise, mother, promise!"
" Very well, 1 promise, child."
" Ami vim will never, never telL"
" No, I will not Ml; not if you do not wish it,"
" I have saved four xmnds of my own," acid Omen
hurriedly, "my very ownmy sekot money. And Amy
Iimh put live guineas on tho bandit"
" Well?"
" I want you to buy tho bandit Do you understand,
mother?"
" You -want mo to- buy the - bandit?" repeated
Mrs. Wyvorn slowly.
"Yes, yes! Oli! yon said you would do it! You
must; you promised And you promised that you would
never tell."
"I will not tell," said Mrs. AVyvern gently. "But,
Graeie, I scarcely see "
"Don't you see," asked tho girl feverishly, "don't
you see that if Amy sells this picture, her flrxt picture,
hIio will be quite tremendously uneournged? The picture
will have a red star on it - she told lint that - and nil the
world will know that it is sold, and what a great painter
she is going to lie, and everybtsly will want to buy her
pictures." Grace stopped, exhausted, and drew s long
breath.
" My little Grace," said Mrs. AVyvern huskily.
" 1 know so exactly how it will be," went on tlm child;
" I have Ifccii thinking it all over, oh for so long! It is
the first picture that makes the whole difference, mi I
when once nnylssly has got s start success folios s esnily
enough. 1'iMir Amy! she hns nolssly to help her on,
only you snd me, mother dear. But, above all, you wlli
not tell; promise ngain, promise."
"Yes, I promise."
" 1 am afraid you must advance mo the one m i I