Martha By-the-Day

e area-gate, showing a face of omino

He's deep as a well. He didn't tell his mother on ye yesterday mornin', but he done worse-the little fox! He told his uncle Frank when he got home last night. Leastways, Mr. Sha

welcome, that Eliza, who flattered herself she knew a thing or

elish bein' bounced,

get my walkin'-papers,

body else. There's neve

t, if Mr. Frank is disch

at's somethin' to

but I must say I'd rather keep my place than have even him kick me out. An'

said Martha. "Yo

tracks for fortunes, I

" Eliza obser

you'd slip up on it," Martha

t in motion mighty forces that, if they did not make for success, might easily make for disaster. She had very definitely stuck her thumb into somebody else's pie, and if h

that for a moment she almost believed the bones had turned into breadcrumbs. Then energetically she shook herself into sha

alone. It was all very imposing, the place, the particular purpose for which she h

e first lines of her piece, that evenin' of the Sund'-School ent'tainment. It wasn't so dead easy as a body might think, to sta

d then, announcing to the assembled m

time when l-li

fixin' to come d

ha, good-

n, and she was ready to face the music, whatever tune it might play. So susceptible is the foolish spirit of mortal to those subtle,

, Martha, because R

not-Well, it was a pity! After all her thinkin' it out, an' connivin', an' contrivin',

meditations, "that you own a very rare, a very unusual breed of dog. I couldn't mak

her sudden revulsion of feeli

's yellerer or cur-er than him. I'd bet my life his line ain't never been crossed by anythin' different, since the first pup o' them all set out to run his legs off tryin' to get rid o' the tin-can tied to his tail. But Flicker's a winner, for all that, an' he's goin' to

o get Radcliffe's imagination considerably stirred about Flicker, and the result is, he has

or little rascal, dog rather, ain't worth two cents. He's just a young flagrant pup, you w

cker. I'll give you

Mr. Ronald, sir. It w

en dol

't the

ent

can

Martha. Radcliffe's he

ould have seen something like a faint quiver disturb the firm l

s home after school. An' then, nights-(I ben workin' overtime lately, doin' outside jobs that bring me home late)-nights, when I come back, an' all in the place is abed an' asleep, an' I let myself in, in the black an' the cold, the only livin' creature to welcome me is Flicker. An' there he stands,

t. Then Mr. Ronald slowly inclined his head. "You a

ad, in fact, reached the d

moment,

came

in my rooms yesterday. Was any

t have one of the girls, but I per

were qui

s,

the household had occasion to

be pos'tive. But I

elongs to you?" He exten

y a small, fla

d the muscles about her mouth. For a second she positively grinned, then quickly her face regaine

! Me losin' somethin' I think the world an' all of, an' h

shot out a quick

been accustom

s,

en you with any sort of ornament, even a gold pin. Sh

e hasn't noticed me wearin' it is

r waist. Of course, that explains why she hasn't noticed it. Yet, if you wea

rutiny. During a rather long moment she was

then I sometimes undoes the neck o' my waist,

y pretty face inside it. Of course, as the trinket was in my room, and as there was

Martha assured hi

inside puzzles me. 'De

you're not dea

-you know, where the furnitur' an' the carpet-sweepers comes from-He died about a year ago, an' Miss Claire

ng lady, Miss Claire, as you c

s,

d Rapids, she can't be my little girl-I should say, the young woman I saw here in New York City. But if they were one and the same, they couldn't look more alike. The only difference I can see, is that the original of your picture is evidently a prosperous 'little sister of the rich,' and the original of mine-the one I've carried in my mind-is a breadwi

suddenly, her chin went up, as

her hand at a lot o' things, an' thank God an' her garden-angel for keepin' her from harm, for as delicate an' pretty as she is, she can't help attractin' attention, an' you know what notions some as calls themselves gen'lemen has, in this town. Well, Miss Claire is livin' under my roof, an' you can betcher life I'm on the job-relievin' her garden-angel o' the pertectin' end o' the business. But Miss Clai

t I hadn't my wits about me enough to be onto'm, till his teacher sent me a note one day, by his sister Cora, askin' what was ailin' Sammy. That night somethin' ailed Sammy for fair. He stood up to his dinner, an' he wouldn't 'a' had a cravin' to set down to his breakfast next mornin', only Francie put a pilla in his chair. But Miss Claire, she's got him so bewitched, he'd break his heart before he'd do what she wouldn't like. The thought of her goin' away makes him sick to his stummick, the poor fella! Yet, it ain't to be supposed an

onald, "except-" He rose

and passed from the room. Once outside the threshold, with the

out o' me dress, with his gimlet eyes never stirrin' from my face, an' me tremblin' like an ashpan. If I hadn't 'a' had my wits about me, I do' know where I'd 'a' co