Marm Lisa

le of ground in a most unattractive but respectable quarter of a large city. It was called a square, not so much

enthusiastic persons who projected it saw visions and dreamed dreams of green benches under umbrageous trees, of a

roups of working-men out of work. As for the wire fence, it had been much used as a means of ingress and egress by the children of the neighbourhood, who preferred

times, sleeping, smoking, reading newspapers, or tracing uncertain patterns in the gravel with a stick,--patterns as uncertain and aimless as themselves. There were fewer women, because the unemployed woman of this class has an old-fashioned habit

In the small front yard was a microscopic flower-bed; there were no flowers in it, but the stake that held up a stout plant in the middle was surmounted by a neat wooden sign bearing the inscription, 'No Smoking on these Premises.' The

beds at any special hour, though a remnant of superstition still existed that it was a good thing to make up a bed before you slept in it. There were more women on their respective front steps, and fewer in their respective kitchens, in Eden Pla

drawn, and stayed in the hack of her house. Such retribution as could legally be wreaked upon this offensive and exclusive person was daily administered by her two neighbours, who stood in their doors on either side and convers

ere seven or eight long benches on one side, yet it had not the slightest resemblance to a schoolroom. The walls were adorned with a variety of interesting objects. There was a chart showing a mammoth human hand, the palm marked with myriads of purple lines. There were two

r the bay window, and various texts were printed in red and black

Shedder of Blood and a Destroye

g, let Woman Reach Down a Strong, Tender Hand and Aid

as Large as Possible. Pai

sh, to Grind, to Pillage, to Oppress, to Afflict, to Plunder, to Va

This, like many of the other ornaments in the room, was a trifle puzzling, and seemed at first, from its plenitude of coloured spots, to be some species of moral propaganda in a state of violent eruption. It proved, however, on closer study, to be

ce

x

n of War

nism

form

ity

y

Liberty

of } Crush

ined, in the lower left-hand corner, as denoting the fact that the Eldorado face-powder wa

a perfect hot-bed of world-saving ideas, and was surrounded by such a halo of spots that it would have struck the unregene

hired for that purpose; but they gave her a feeling of security, as, in case one of her less flourishing societies should be ejected from its hall, or in case she should wake up i

l and kitchen in one, and as Mrs. Grubb's opinions on di

ather untidy in its aspect; but, though it might have been much clean

ramble of feet, a tussle, with confusion of blows and thumps, and then generally a temporary lull in the proceedings, evidently brought about by some sort of outside interference. If you had pushed open the wire door, you would have seen two children of four or fiv

ttle, but only a little, loosely. She looked neither at earth nor at sky, but straight at the two belligerents, with whose bloodthirsty play she was obliged to interfere at intervals. She held in her lap a doll made of a roll of brown paper, with a waist and a neck indicated by gingham strings. Pieces of ravelled rope were pinned on the head part, but there was no other attempt to assist the imagination. She raised her dull eyes; they seemed to hold in their de

tied on their calico bibs, and pushed them up to the pine table. While they battered the board and each other with spoons and tin mugs, she went automatically to a closet, took a dish of cold porridge and turned it into three bowls, poured milk over it, spread three thick slices of wheat bread with molasses from a cup, and sat down at the table. After the simple repast was over,

lled her! She had all the sorrows and cares o