Gratia's Trials — page 125: what you’re looking at

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

116 GRATIA’S TRIALS. The rickety little one-horse sleigh from the hotel at Wingley was waiting at the door for Alberta. ‘Any way I’ve put a spoke in er wheel,” thought the step- ‘mother as she turned ‘into the house. And very much the same thought passed through Miss Fal- coner’s mind, though after a more elegant fashion. ‘‘She defied me!” Alberta said to herself, with the flush of triumph burning on her cheek. ‘‘I think I can prove to her now that I was not so unworthy an antagonist after all.” And the evening train, steaming into the New York depot, brought both Alberta and Gratia back, after scarcely ten hours’ absence. Gratia kept her own room all the next day, and it was not until the evening of the third day that she joined the family circle. Ida welcomed her rapturously. ‘‘Dear Gratia,” she cried, ‘‘it has seemed so long since I saw you, But how pale you are !” Alberta raised her searching black eyes to the pallid face of — the other girl, and a curious smile came to her lips, ‘J think our darling Gratia has reason to be pale,” she said. | ‘*What do you mean?” asked Ida. ‘*’The contemplation of such an important step in life, as she purposes taking, is of course something quite fearful,” said Al- berta, lightly. ‘‘Seriously, though, Gratia, you will have to give up your high moral ideas, and take to a little harmless rouge, like the rest of us.” ‘‘T have no desire to heighten my charms,” said Gratia, coldly. Ida stole her arm softly round her adopted sister’s waist. ‘* Don’t talk to Aunt Alberta any more,” she whispered. ‘* Z want you now. Look at all these beautiful bigs)? HeLa that have come for Uncle Ralph while he was gone.” Gratia turned them: listlessly over, her eyes scanning their Gomicbooks.com