The Girl at Cobhurst

, who had come down to see a friend off, noticed the two standing on the platform. She did not know who they were, b

lored man!" said Miriam.

n from a wagon drawn by a mournful ho

ing his hat. "Thought so; I'm the man in

would be expected on the morrow, Mike, who with his worn felt hat pressed flat upon his head

ve the others hauled over tomorrow with the boxes. Ye can both go in the wagon, if ye like.

a cab," said Ralph. "How

says four. It depends a good deal on

d known Cobhurst ever since he was born, and having arranged for the tra

she continued, after gazing right and left from the cab windows, "one of the first things we ought to do

to have charge of the place," he sai

nother thing," she continued. "If that is our horse and wagon, d

e own the horse or not. He may belong to the man. He's not a bad one

at. Did you ever see such an old poke as we have, and such a

id I am not a very good manager, yet. I had an idea that Cobhurst was not so far from the station, and that we could go over and look at the house, and come back to a hotel and sta

us is a good manager. I am housekeeper now, and I did not forget that we shall need our supper. I have it all there in my bag, and I shall co

have you?" asked

e of gingerbread. I am sorry I couldn't bring any butter, but I was afraid that might melt in a warm car, and run over everything. As for mil

oing to have for breakfast?" But he would not tr

he; "I wish we were there, and sitting d

eat and spend their evening, we shall eat there, too, this once. You shall build a fire, and I'll have the coffee made

t?" ask

d you need not make fun of my supper; the chops are very nice ones, and I have

them," exclaimed Ralph. "It m

cannot get it out of mind that there will be all sorts of kitchen things hanging

not a cottage?"

to me that a real home ought to be like parents and relations; we've got them, and we can't change them, and we never think of such a thing. We love t

rougher. Every now and then they jolted over a big stone,

there?" he aske

the man; "we are

claimed Miriam, "tha

just here," said the ma

smoother and in a few mi

, "with thinking of being at home, and

flagstone. Although it was dark, they coul

ot a cottage." Without waiting for a reply she went on: "Ralph,"

you think it will be well to keep this man until we go inside and see what sort o

gan to ascend the bro

e said, "and please

d, paid the driver

"we have burned our ships, and

e gone back. If there are floors to the ro

door opened, revealing a c

'," said she

ad entered, the woman l

all?" sh

s," sai

ment, looked out again,

o to your rooms afor

he lamp, still in the woman's hand, gave a poor and vacillating light, but they could see a wide, lo

table the minute ye come down. Ye'd better take this lamp, sir, and thar's another one in the

the lamp, and looking about him; "but

nt of ye," said the woman. "I'd go with ye

ey saw before them a narro

om of their own," said

ee anything lik

anything before," said Miri

ound another wide hall, a

sister; "take the first room you come to

ought," said Miria

," interrupted her brother. "To hurry

ound the colored woman standing by a

said she, and they en

t the table, which stood in the middle of the floor, lighted by a hanging lamp. It was a large table

you didn't write no orders, sir, we had just to do the best we could accordin' to our own lights. I reckoned there would be the gem'en and his wife, an' perhaps two growed-up sons, though Mike, he was doubtful about the growed-up sons, especially as to thar bein' two of them. Then I reckoned thar'd be a darter, just about your age, Miss, an' then there'd be two younger chillen, one a boy an' one a girl, an' a gov'ness for these two. O

Miriam at the other. It was a good supper; beefsteak, an omelet, hot rolls, fried pot

presumably for additional supplies, Mi

d, "this is our supper. The f

ble when they were startled by t

," and getting down a plate of hotter biscuit, with which she had been offering

brother and sister to the neighborhood of Thorbury, a

visit near by I thought I would look in on you. It might be days before I should again

r," said Ralph, "t

ngry, and my own supper-time is passed. Yo

we were a large family, and you can take the seat of one of the grown-up sons, or the daughter's chair, or the p

ned her face to th

ntiful meal. Please consider me, for the present, the smallest bo

" said Miriam, gravely, "if

art, he could not help looking upon it in the light of a joke-an agreeable one, however-that these two young people, one of them a mere child, should consti

e, "I must go. My wife will call on you very soon, and

as not in the room, "that it would be very nice if you could get u

ooked at her

s? Why, my dear young lady, the whole country looks upon Mike as a pattern man-of-all-work. He may be getting a little cranky and independent in his notions, f

y the appearance of the man to which his s

thoughts about our home, I never connected it with such a very shabby person. But the

doctor, "and to Phoebe, too, if she will stay with you. But

s a neighbor, I believe that man is at the head of his class, and I a

't know whether this doctor is homeopathic or allopathic, so that we can get st

had opinions about the different medical schools. Di

taught to me, can't I?" she answered. "I saw a lot

don't believe you ever took

have taken enough to settle it in my mind that I

e not little

ere not," said Mir

id Phoebe, coming in, "if you all wa

iam, "and I am crazy to get a peep out of

ed her out o

ly, I think we can get far enough away from the house to

cross the driveway, and

iam. "What tall pillars! It looks like a Greek temple in fron

Grecian portico front, and perhaps another at the back. But you must come

h, Ralph, look up at the stars. Thos

as he led her

ed, "we own all the way d

oor behind them, "how shall we explore the house? S

of watch springs. It is nearly nine o'clock, and after the day's work that you

shut up the house and retire to her own domicile, "and I wi

ighted candle in her hand. She was dressed, with the exception of her shoes

ep. "Ralph told me that he considered the place as much mine as his, and I have a right to go up. I

r at the ends than the sides, with a railed open space, through which one could look down to the floor below. Some of the doors were open and she peeped into th

she said; "I c

. She was in a great, wide, magnificent, glorious garret! Her soul swelled. To own

uld be broken; in the dim light at the other end of the garret, she could see what appeared to be a piled-up collection of boxes, chests, cases, little and big, and all sorts of old-fashioned articles of use and ornam

mp. I could spend the night here, looking at everythi

of which was evidently unfastened, f

one box," she said, "an

d aside the lid with her left. From the box there grinned at

h and senses left her, and she fell over unconscious, upon the fl