Polly's Biscuit

TöUy, (Uin't buy your pearls tol'ol'.y Rutherford looked up quickly irom tUe feWeler's case slu1 was bending over, .-nul s.-r.v Mr Mellwaine i Ung al her Bide. ■Vl,y slumUln't I buy to-day ".'" cried. "I have had tliis hundreÖ I tor almost a year, Mr. Jlclhvalne, trylng to mate up my zoiud liat 1 want. il most; and 1 ■).. iiM-niil .ui'aiulpa wili Biake v! tor nv birthdays, II I don't hurry jCürnl spend it." But Polly's gay linie Laugh was heeknl by a look ol unmistai ompassion ia the gentíeman'a eolor faded a Uttle Irom her fcriuht young i:i ■■. tm she would nol any qi] 'Stlons here In .1"' croM á Qi stori1. ■Yon may put tliem back to-day, lr. West," Bhe Baid to the Jewcter. ■I'U come again to-morrow." ■Very well, Mis Eutheriord," Baid ,,-xrd Baiesumn, copcealing hte ppointment, "1 shall reserve ior you." Pony lelt the tempting store wltü Mcllwalne, and onee on the - d upon him a pair oí {rank quesog eyes, waic-u he found hard to wet. Paul Mcllwainé was a frlend or Rutherford ramtly; but not specïaUy n; Httle Polly; shB was only slxteen, a mere chUd to the Uardrorklng lawyer of thii-ty, and one -whom he considerad as altogi irivolous ind empty. Polly was an daughtier, living vrith a widowed mother in nér grandlather's eleg.n1 iious. and ü she was not a spoileá -chi'.d it was not tlie faalt i her dottog old grandfather, whosa Id&l sbe ïx;u been ironi her ■■Vant diii yon mean, Mr. Mell■ V she aski'd. presentir, ïng the questiónlng look brougï j'ep'.y. Am!, tlu-n seèing how embaríassed he seemed about answeringv Baid with a Budden fear, "Have ■„■,■11 b1 grandïa' Btooe I left ! anything the matter?" ■üh'.v ar'ê all well," he Báid aawiTing the ttibúgW whlch he knew was ia her mimi. "but somothiniï Has UapjNjncil. Polly, of i-cHirso. ot I woulil sot ha vr lirtertered with yóur iurefaaee." ■"Oh! teil mé, teil me," Baid the fcirl agltated volee. "Why do yii keen mr in suspense ?" What a blunderer 1 am," thowghi toer companion. "U I teil her out iie.ro on the street, there wiU l" a : but I'm in for it now. and iï ,:,vi't wil ter I suppose there will %e .1 si-ene; lliat's the war with Itheso fine young ladiis." ■■!t is a hard tlüiuï ti) say to vou. Io'ly, I.u; graadíatheí lias fail■■ Pailed," repeated Polly, va-udy. -j-ou mean he h:is lost his moix-y '.' th,-.l all ? Is that what you were raid to teil me ?" "That 'all1 means a good deal more :, you seem to understancl," Baid I Mcll-walne, impatleirtly, "it aueiiBS loss and griel and disappointiment and povérty to one of the bcsi Semen in the wo.ld; it means hard ■work to your ïnother whö has no trangth ïor work; to yon-" Ie stopped, and rolly said quickly. Seeling the tinge of contempt In Ma "Never ralnd about me, but I no-vï how bad it wlH be; loor ttdpa! Mr. Mcllwalne does- must - will anybody else lose by grandpa'B Sailure ?" "It is too soon to say posltively, 3e replied, "bat I think not. Ithlnk Se has qult business in time to Bave his credltora any appreAable loss." folly's head was ap now, and her eyes sliining. ' Dear old grandpa," ertie aid, "bless bis heart; I ani aahamed ■{that I asked tlie question; I mlght iave known. But, oh! I'm so niuch obllged to you ior keeping me fronS pending my hundred dollars; ït was ■very kind of you, very; I don't knowhow you came to find me. Bow lmiir (have you knoun about Krandpn V -M only came out this mörnllig, and took ua all entlrely by sunn-isc. 38ut her.' !■ are at your door; gooflSbyè, my ei -ir: t! I can 1' Ol any ger-vice to you in any way, (lic had moant ito offer her mioney, bn't he was sudScnly afraid to speak ol such a thiiifl he spiritéd-looMng glrl before hlm,) remember long lntlmawr Bctween oar [amffies gl-es me a rfgnt to help Jou." 'Tlia;ik you," Bhe saicl uimply, it ■,v,.,s all Blie had Voice for, and. aslng ];...-. Bhe Lel hersell into the "Bless me," sald the yotrag lawyer, lie walfeed off, "bnt tóe girl lias :,: h was very pretty, and entlrewoinnnly, too, thf way Bhe thought il others, ter grandfathér and the eredltors. 1 didn't thlnk llttle I'cilly ■had it in her." 1Í lic had scon little l'olly at lliis minute, he mlght not have thonghi had bo much in her; Bhe had sltpVea nol8ele88ly toto the greal hand. ,;,„. innt parlor and droppcil down one of the luw ctifihlonëd divans. "all in a heap," as the glrla aay. For two whole houra she fcept herseli bid !,r parlor, nobody knowing she - In the house, and in that long, SÜent time, when she heard only the tinfcling llttle bronze clock, and lier own Irregular breathlng, somethlng bappeneS tr Polly, almost llke whai happens to the moth when lt comea ont of the cocoon. It happened to Polly that was li'nl away laaide i the Polly that everybody knew; and who shall s;iy lmt that tliis great, tUng ehange ol fortune was nol keep Uiai Inslde Polly trom beini; amothered and dwarted by the ontsiilo Tolly ? Whon Bhe went to find her mo I grandfather, it was wlth a brlght ■ and steady voice. A ïi'v daya after this, Polly broughi Xp a dainty llttle breakfaat to her niothor. who as quite pTercotoe by ih.-ir di?(U8ter, :is was 1 1 ))oor old grtmcliather. ■■( mother," Polly said blithiy, ■■i made these bdacuw, and you'vc m.t in cal !n. V.'hat a gopdihing il was thai yóu Ixad iaat ttpbbj ■,!,,,. 11 teaching me i do things; a.ui't ii H1 nléely now V" Mt was a tli'oiy of vuur falh.-r's," answ.rcil the in a depressed tone; 'I promised b.lm when yovi „,.,-,. a ree baby in long clothes that I would live v.iii taught to do everytliiiv Ui.-.t w.i'iicu can do, and o; course, alter Kis deatU, I feit more bocftd to lo it. EJwi [ don'1 kiww win ould uiakf st mura of ii no-vr; yoa can'1 support your. maklng i.isruiis." ■ ■; don-i bno-w," Bald PoUy wiarelefjsiy, ■ don'1 Uiiov, .'■ shc repeated nrore earuestly, Bpringtng up and waiking al)oui the room as ii her mina } not follo-w-lng her footsteps. 1,, ,. ;vw wrrks the Butlierforda liad moved Into a smaU down-town , n-ith all the avallable rooms i poor old Mr. Rotherford „ is trylng reebly to discharge wie i ,,: a small salarled office Lnfco b hls friends had put him. ■ ,, v tnother Beemed quite rr.is'aflrst, but the girl lieraelt was bouyant vvitb hope, as every youiag daa a rlght to b-, " paaiter what her Btyle ol IMBg s-or la npt. Thanks to Mr. Mcllwaine, had 1,,-r hundred dollars aow 10 invcst iu e enterprise on Wairh she had Bet her heart far more than it had ever t„TU el iu bhe pearls. And along Wlth thë hundn-d dollars ahe liad ateo to invt-st in it youth, healtU, good sense, a bfaví piar, au.l o róud adepeodencfe Whai oeeöed ahe ,,, ■ a !kiii and sarcrssful lia' V áer enterprise began wiili tí visit, basket in hand. to Beven pr 'i-'"1 "' the begí city notéis, and as niany ol the restaurants; to all pf fcHea püe offered a Uaily. wcrkly, 6 u-i-wcckiy supply ol úer flaiuty littte beaten blacuit, Buch as Bhe had léarned bP mak in easteto Virginia; ïrom a faraOU8 Oíd -""!;. WbO liad in slav.' days .-!■,! lo fa'ther's íaniily. She was Siiccessful almost up to ber pwn expectailops', and íar beypnd her niodu-r's: and aer elation could biit fníuso Borne hope into tiiat lady's weak spilit. Wc must have a new name lor vour biscuit. miss." said oue wtas old restaura! keeper; '"what shaii we cali iiiein V" ■CaJJ ihfin." sniii PoUy, hesltatlng and laughlfig, "cali them tlu' poUy' wolly-winkuin blapult." The ï'dlly-wolly-winUuiii blscuit got to be tne'iaslüon tliat Winter; altei hlxing oue good cook at wnal seemed ruinous wages, a second and a tlürd had to be engftged; but PoUy put on hor great Utahéa apron, thed up Her almndant hair into a high fcnöt, and spent foor hours of every day in her kitclirn herself; no plea of ot'.ier engagemeats, no pretenae that the eooks wonld do as well without her, n temptiag offer of sleigh-rides, no tlattering invitations oí any sort eould make the little misiress of the bakery breáis txei rala or peglect ner wo?k. Naturally the bise uit gsew in fayor The last time I visited the l'nll.v wolly-wmUuni bakn-y. it had moyei its quarters to a teffge, wW-llfflite kitchon. with :i clnss-room attaflu'd. Yes, a class-room; for I'oüy luid agréed t teach cooking to i number of rich men's dauj;lncrs at a gpo round prioe per ii'l. and. nut tp tosí tlio ehance of doing good because she was poor, setected a donen of pooi hls, to wliom she gíive anothor hour a week, without par. Mr. Paul Mcllwaine was my cieerpne on the occasion oí my vislt and when I had admired and prais-d until the English language was exhausta lie said, gravely: N.vcrthclcss a suir is péndi&g ii eourt against the vinkuin bakery; it is charged thai Miss Kuthorford' ts dishoncstly wlthhbldlng tróm all the young gentlemen of her acqualntance the time and thouht that they believe to be their diü-." 'That is a dreadful charge, Pollywlnkum," said I. "Whai are you going to do about it ?" "I'll engage Mr. McDwaine to di fend me," replied the linie bakereös, ruunign to look in an oven. But somehow her face was red even beiore she opened oven door!