The Argosy — page 264: what you’re looking at

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

Straight from the Plain. 243 as if she wanted to watch her father trimming the roses. Truly, she saw neither him nor the flowers. A few minutes, and there ran into the house by a side door, Lily Sandford, a laughing girl in a flapping old Leghorn hat. She burst into the little work-room. “Such news, Anna! What do you think? Roger Brooke is com- ing home !” ‘“‘ Papa has just heard so,” replied Anna quietly, picking up her work and going on with it. ‘“My uncle went up to the Court betimes this morning. He had to see about paying some tithes, or taxes, or something or other, and he said I might walk with him. Goody Parker met us with the information that a lot of treasures had come through London from the East, and her master was following on to-morrow. [I’m uncom- monly glad; he will give us some more garden-parties.” “You can’t forget the one he did give, Lily!” said Anna, witha laugh. “When he made you its queen—for I’m sure that’s what he did do,” retorted Lily. ‘* How silly you are!” ‘Some official kind of man came with the treasures,” ran on the girl, who had sat down on the window sill and was swinging her old hat about by its yellow strings. ‘* He was unpacking them in the big music room, Parker said, being the barest and emptiest ; so I went to see, leaving Uncle in the steward’s den, bothering over the accounts and blowing-up generally all round.” ‘And what did you see ?” “My dear, I was plunged into the mysteries of fairy-land. There are beautiful pictures without number, and without name to me; some of them painted in glowing colours, and some just in that soft light and shade, like that child’s head hanging behind you, which was, I believe, given you by Roger Brooke. ‘There are boxes of carved, scented woods as curious as the forests they come from, and vases of strange substances that I could make nothing of, and pottery hideous to behold, and lovely porcelain from many lands. The last thing the man came to and unpacked, while I stood there, was Lot’s wife.” 3 “ Lot’s wife ?” | “ Lot’s wife,” repeated Lily. ‘‘ Anna, how queer you look!” Anna was gazing in doubting amazement, her blue eyes wide, her pink cheeks turning crimson. Do you think I’m inventing ?” cried Lily. ‘Tf you would just put down your work and run up to the Court, you could see it for yourself.” “But, did you veal/y see it—Lot’s wife?” asked Anna. “ Well, I really saw a queer, salty-looking thing, which the man called Lot’s wife ; ‘ Lot’s wife, straight from the Plain,’ said he to me, CONnNICLOO© ‘S (S(O) mn