ening the outside door. "But I will never let him in again, Miss
Annie, 'deed I won't," said Sallie.

And now it was all peaceful for some weeks and then Sallie with
fatuous simplicity began on certain evenings to resume her bright red
waist, her bits of jewels and her crinkly hair.

One pleasant evening in the early spring, Miss Mathilda was standing
on the steps beside the open door, feeling cheerful in the pleasant,
gentle night. Anna came down the street, returning from her evening
out. "Don't shut the door, please, Miss Mathilda," Anna said in a low
voice, "I don't want Sallie to know I'm home."

Anna went softly through the house and reached the kitchen door. At
the sound of her hand upon the knob there was a wild scramble and
a bang, and then Sallie sitting there alone when Anna came into the
room, but, alas, the butcher boy forgot his overcoat in his escape.

You see that Anna led an arduous and troubled life.

Anna had her troubles, too, with Miss Mathilda. "And I slave and slave
to save the money and you go out and spend it all on foolishness,"
the good Anna would complain when her mistress, a large and careless
woman, would come home with a bit of porcelain, a new etching and
sometimes even an oil painting on her arm.

"But Anna," argued Miss Mathilda, "if you didn't save this money,
don't you see I could not buy these things," and then Anna would
soften and look pleased until she learned the price, and then wringing
her hands, "Oh, Miss Mathilda, Miss Mathilda," she would cry, "and you
gave all that money out for that, when you need a dress to go out in
so bad." "Well, perhaps I will get one for myself next year, Anna,"
Miss Mathilda would cheerfully concede. "If we live till then Miss
Mathilda, I see that you do," Anna would then answer darkly.

Anna had great pride in the knowledge and possessions of her cherished
Miss Mathilda, but she did not like her careless way of wearing always
her old clothes. "You can't go out to dinner in that dress, Miss
Mathilda," she would say, standing firmly before the outside door,
"You got to go and put on your new dress you always look so nice in."
"But Anna, there isn't time." "Yes there is, I go up and help you fix
it, please Miss Mathilda you can't go out to dinner in that dress and
next year if we live till then, I make you get a new hat, too. It's a
shame Miss Mathilda to go out like that."

The poor mistress sighed and had to yield. It suited her cheerful,
l