Beautiful but Poor — page 89: what you’re looking at

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

re ae a NR eae BEAUTIFUL BUT POOR. ~ a at 7 ran down to her duties singing, while Hattie hurried to her room, lighted her lamp, and opened her note. A look of wonder and of real perplexity gathered over and clouded her face as she read it a second time. “T cannot, for my life, understand his meaning. What can the proposition be? He knows me too well to ever make any offer but one that the noblest-born woman in the world could accept. I am poor, but I am proud—not of beauty, not of education, but of a pure and spotless name, of an honor untarnished by an evil act or theught. He speaks kindly, seems to be very sinceré, and is surely respectful. I will meet him, and in the parlor below, for I would blush to have any one see these poor surroundings when they know I could afford better. I know itis against Miss Scrimp’s rules to admit gentleman visitors to see her boarders, but in this case she must permit the rule to be broken. I will tell her I must see a gentleman on important business. He is my employer, and it is my right to meet him here.’’ This matter settled in her own mind, Hattie let down her gloriously-beautiful hair, arranged her simple toilet daintily, and went down stairs to sup- per at the very moment the bell rang. ‘“Wonder on wonders! What will happen next!” was what Wild Kate said as she filed with the rest into the room. There was an extra lamp over the center of the long table, and the increased light shown on a row of plates of cold tongue, sliced ham, cheese, and three large, real sweet cakes, equally distant on the table, =e Such extravagance could not be remembered by eg Scrimp’ s oldest boarder. comicbooks.com |