The Rising Tide

's hat moved slightly on the hat-rack, and

" a motherly voice said; and Miss

n to his supper; he's a li

en keyboard, and she struck a jangling chord. "Flora has been playing on the sly," she thought; "poor old Flora!" Then for a moment her fingers were rigid on the keys-the scrabbling procession was passing through the hall down to the roo

the sitting-room: "Don't

g

gnedly; and went into the pleasant, fire-lit room, with its bubbling teakettle and fragrance of

e ended, with an air of achievement that was pathetic or ridiculous, as one might happen to look at it. Her daughter, glancing at the array of white packages tied with gay ribbons, did no

on the old maids. No, I do

l them 'old maids';

one is. The other one is very nice. But th

t limited, vocabulary to know what "vintage" meant, so she said: "Oh, no; t

ry up!" Frederic

g

r that," Mrs.

nd all dolled up like a plush horse;-so I suppose I might as well tell you just what happene

k he might! Fr

g but not unkind eyes. "I wish I knew wh

on the tray with a despairing sigh:

dmother says, 'it isn't done'? I could mention a lot of things that are done, that I would call improper! Wearing nasty false fronts, as Grandmother do

e only distinctions in the worl

se if it had been in our parlor, with the Egyptian virgin ou

e discussing anything with you. When I was

g

s go back to the dark ages. As for Howard-I'll s

ou in your own house? Y

use! I couldn't st

deri

's lips closed; when her mother spoke to her in that tone, the child

ond of him. But you can't expect me to feel as you d

the same!" Mrs. Payt

for twenty-five dollars a month. I'm going to hire it for next summer-rather ahead of time, but somebody might grab it. I want to have a place to

was saying to herself, des

o it? She tried a dozen ways; but she could not remember the entirely unconscious gesture which had pleased Howard Maitland. "How funny and old-fashioned old Miss Graham was! But quite sweet," she thought. It occurred to her, as she took out her hair-pins, that Miss Graham's antiquated ideas did not irritate her, and her mother's did. For a moment she pondered this old puzzle of humanity: "Why are members of your family more provoking than outsiders?" After all,

ss had hinted. She remembered Howard's look when he said he would rather talk to her than to any man he knew-and she lifted her head proudly! No girly-girly compliment could have pleased her as that did. It was just as she had always said, the right kind of man knows that a woman wants him to talk horse sense to her, not gush. If the tabbies, and Mr. Weston, and her mother had heard that talk, they wouldn't worry about sentiment! Suddenly, she recalled that strange fee

o

ng face, a little thin, with the color hot, just now, on the high cheek-bones; dark, wavy hair, falling back from a charming brow which, pathetically enough (for she was only twenty-five), had lines in it. "Heavens!" she

it was like this!" She glowed all over

d not know herself with this quiver all through her, and the sudden stinging in her eyes, and something swelling and tightening in her

ready, Mis

creature, not even scolding when the slim, cold finger-tips touched her warm shoulder, tha

c'lar to go. Anyway, I knew you

ano," Frederica said, smili

man confessed. "I picked out

in love. Have you got a new beau? I've been told that

d; "Ah, now,

he? You've g

Good riddance! He never did 'mount to nothing. Me, I'm sorry for the girl he marri

es for a woman," Miss Payton ins

d freckled." Then her face fell: "Anne says he's got a girl on the Hill. Don't make no difference to me, anyhow. It's mu

r how I'd feel if Howard had 'a girl on the Hill'?" Again the tremor ran through her; she could not have said whether it was pain or bliss. "I certainly must teach Flora her notes," she said, trying to get back to the commonplace