Beautiful but Poor — page 23: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“ “ 2 we ‘aft . be we | aa % +0 Ne Dl AY ti A,3%) Shee Pate fan te we Mead tags tht My SUM tie NS > eR IAT Cy were ae at ee oie tiace Be re y | Ae | Sa Bias “ ep eae . rE 7% - # é a ' - 7 / - > Hf 4° - BEAUTIFUL BUT POOR. it time to try the plan she had formed for finding out who had written to her favorite boarder. ‘“Hope you’ve good news from your brother, Miss Hattie,’’ she said. ‘“‘I heard some one say you had a brother in Californy.. Hope he is doin’ well. It’s an awful country for gettin’ rich in, I’ve heard say.’ ‘““My letter brings me very pleasant news, Miss Scrimp. I thank you again for the trouble you took to bring it up tome. You are always kind to me.’ ‘‘T ought to be, dear. I haven’t another boarder in this house, out of forty-three all told now, who is as punctual and so little trouble as you... And you can tell your brother so when you write to him.” “When I do write to my brother I will surely mention you, Miss Scrimp,’”’ said Hattie,. with an amused smile. For, with quick intuition, she saw the aim of the curious woman. “You didn’t say if he was doing well?’’ continued Miss Scrimp, determined to get some information. ‘The letter only refers to business of mine—not to that of any one else,’’ said Hattie, gently but firmly. “You'll not answer it now, will you? I might mail it early, you know, when I go out for milk, for I’m first up in the house.”’ ‘*T shall not answer it to-night, Miss Scrimp. I am very tired, and am going right to bed. I thank you for your kind offer as much as if I accepted it.’’ Beaten at every point, and so gently and gra- ciously that she could not take offense, Miss Scrimp took up her lamp with a sigh, and said: ‘‘Poor, dear thing, I know you must be tired. If your brother is getting rich, as he must be, there in that land of silver and gold, I should think he’d. - send for you to go to him.”’ Comicbooks.com