The Widowed Bride — page 63: what you’re looking at

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

64 THE WIDOWED BRIDE -*f win’t a touching of her,” was the sulky response. ‘‘é gig cry-baby! J’d be ashamed?’ | A derisive laugh rose up among the girls. Rena looke round at them with flashing eyes. | ‘‘P’'d be ashamed to laugh at strange girls,” she said, with an indignant choking in her voice. ‘‘You’re a mean, hate- ful lot, and I won’t speak to any of you.” One of the most mischievously inclined of the crowd caught hold of a fluttering remnant of Rena’s torn frock, just. as she uttered this defiance and jerked it away. “No,” said she, with a giggle. ‘‘Dear me, girls, Miss Rag-bag-and-bobtail won’t speak to none on us! Ain’t it a ity.” 4 Rena faced short round on her tormentress, and made a snatch at the captured stream of faded calico. ‘“Give it tome,” she sputtered wrathfully. ‘‘It’s mine.” The girl made a clumsy effort to evade her grasp, and in doing so fell against Alice, and nearly overthrew her. Alice cried right away, and Rena, mere incensed by far on her sister’s behalf than she had been on her own, flew at the - tall girl, and grappled with her furiously. ‘““Mur-r-der,” squeaked the appalled victim, ‘‘mur-r-der! She’s a killen’ of me! I’m a-bein’ strangled!” And Mrs. Mar, opening the door at the same moment, stood in astonishment and displeasure, while a dozen shrill voices piped up, in answer to her stern ‘‘What is the mean- ing of this?” ‘‘Please, ma’am, Mary Ann Jones wasn’t a doin’ nothin’, © and she just flewed at her an’ most choked her to death.” Poor Rena! the first impression she succeeded in making had been far from a favorable one. “It’s a lie!” she cried, with more emphasis than elegance of expression. ‘She tore my frock and knocked Alice over, and—and I hate her, so I do.” _ A dispassionate cross-examination of the small witnesses who had beheld the origin of the affray, convinced Mrs. Mar that the elfish looking new-comer had been more sinned against than sinning, and the two little girls were bath, and an assignment of new clothing in place of the _ wretched rags they wore. _ *T don’t want this old gray frock,” said Alice, distrust- fully eying the respectable ‘uniform gown’ laid out for _ _ taken to the matron’s own room to have some supper, a ~-~comicbooks u% co