Beautiful but Poor — page 71: what you’re looking at

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

4 ie 69 BEAUTIFUL BUT POOR. told ’em the same story. I said Jess had run away.”’ “That makes another fraud, Miss Scrimp, for which you could be arrested and punished.’’ ‘Oh, dearme! You’ll not have me arrested for what I tell you, when I only answer the questions you force on me.”’ ‘“‘It depends entirely on yourself now. Treat Jes-. sie kindly, set a good fair table. I ask no luxuries, only that you have enough for all, and you are safe ~ from the arrest which I can and will have made if you break a single promise.”’ “T’ll keep my word if it Just ruins me,’’ sighed Miss Scrimp. ‘‘And now, Miss Hattie, please, please — do me one favor.”’ ‘“W hat is 1t?’’ “Tell me who is it that is writin’ to you from__ Californy. I’m just dyin’ to know.”’ “T cannot tell you at present,’’? said Hattie. ‘‘The time may not be far distant when I shall make no = _ secret of it to you or any one else. Now youcan go.”’ - ‘““Thankee, Miss Hattie. Ill live in hopes. But I’d give anything to know now.” Hattie made no answer, and Miss Scrimp took up her lamp and crept down stairs again to mourn over the change that had got to come in her house- hold. And Hattie, delighted at her victory, pondered over a new thought. How would she go to work to discover if the lady who had called was really the mother of Little Jessie, and if so, how could she in- form her that her child was alive and needful of a mother’s care and love? ‘It can only be done by advertising, and I will do it,’’ said Hattie, after she had thought over it a while. Eomicbooks.¢o