Sally was a trusted old housekeeper who had her mistress’ confidence; Abe was her husband who had driven the Talmage coupé ever since he came North at the time of the Civil War.
Miss Selina had not always been so disagreeable. She had old-fashioned pictures of herself at the age of eighteen when hoop-skirts were the fashion, and the young women wore their hair in “water-falls.” At that time a handsome young man was in love with her, but he was shot in the war, and she brooded over her loss so long that she lost all the sweetness of living. The older she grew the more disagreeable she became, until, not one of her relatives wanted to be with her, but managed to keep far from her complaining voice.
And for this old lady, Ruth had waived the anticipated home coming of her dear father!
Breakfast over, Sally propped Miss Selina up on the cushions and left her for a time.
After wondering how long it would take Abe to drive back from the eleven-thirty train, Miss Selina started to think of something she had been pondering the last few days. What should she do with her vast estate if she died? She had never made a will, for she abhorred the idea of dying and having any strangers in her home. But she couldn’t take it with her, and she was nearing seventy years of age with all the signs of old age breaking over her defenceless head.
She tried to think of someone to whom she really wanted to leave her home, but there was no one. She generally sighed at this point and dropped the unpleasant thought. To-day, however, she wondered if her nephew and his wife could be plotting to get her property by having Ruth visit whenever she was invited. This idea seemed to take hold of her, and she frowned as she made up her mind to ask Ruth questions about her mother’s intentions and opinions regarding Aunt Selina and Happy Hills.
Miss Selina had been so engrossed in her thoughts that the sound of carriage wheels on the drive failed to reach her. Therefore, it was with a start of surprise that she heard the door flung open and a happy child’s voice cry:
“Aunt Selina! I’m here! Are you glad to have me?” while a pair of soft little arms were gently placed about her withered old neck and fresh little lips pressed her cheek.
The caress was such an unusual experience that Miss Selina forgot to wince or complain, and before she did remember, Ruth was bubbling over with news.
“What do you think is to happen to-day?—Oh! Aunt Selina, we all have new names at home; even mother is now called Mother Wings and I am Fluff. The other Blue Birds have names they chose for themselves, and Ned is an Owl, and prints our weekly paper called the Chirp. Now, instead of Aunt Selina, I want to call you a bird-name, too. May I?”