ad
died a drunkard and then her only son, "as likely a lad as you ever
saw," had also taken to "crooked ways and left her all alone." One
day a man came to visit the poorhouse, and poor "old Nan," glad of
any one to talk to, tells all her story to the sympathetic stranger,
asking him at last wouldn't he try to find and save her poor Jim,
whom she had never ceased to pray for, and whom she still believed in
and loved. Then she discovered the man to be in tears, and of course
he turns out to be the long-lost Jim, and a happy scene follows.

It is a common theme among temperance reciters, but to Pearlie it was
all new and terrible. She could not go on with her sweeping--she was
bound to the spot by the story of poor old Nan and her woes.

Miss Morrison was giving Maudie instruction on the two lines:

"It is the old, sad, pitiful story, sir,
Of the devil's winding stair."

Neither of them had time to think of the meaning--they were so
anxious about the gestures. Maudie did a long, waving sweep with
three notches in it, more like a gordon braid pattern than a stair,
but it was very pretty and graceful, and Miss Morrison was pleased.

"And men go down and down and down
To darkness and despair."

Maudie scalloped the air three times evenly to indicate the down
grade.

"Tossing about like ships at sea
With helm and anchor lost."

Maudie certainly gave the ships a rough time of it with her willowy
left arm. Miss Morrison said that to use her left arm to toss the
ships would add variety.

"On and on thro' the surging waves,
Not caring to count the cost."

Maudie rose on the ball of her left foot and indicated "distance"
with the proper Delsarte stretch.

* * *

It was dark when Pearl got home. "Maudie Ducker has a lovely piece,"
she began at once; "but she spoils it--she makes a fool of it."

The family were just at supper, and her mother said reprovingly, "O
Pearlie! now, sure Miss Morrison is teaching her, and they do be
sayin' she's won three medals herself.'"

"Well," Pearlie said, unconvinced, "them kind of carrin's-on may do
fine for some pieces, but old women wid their hearts just breakin'
don't cut the figger eight up in the air, and do the Dutch-roll, and
kneel down and get up just for show--they're too stiff, for one
thing. Ye can't listen to the story the way Maudie carries on, she's
that full of twists and turnin's. Maudie and Miss Morrison don't care
a cent for the poor owld woman."