A SOCIETY QUEEN ; OR, THE Fortunes of a Governess.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4734, 8 October 1886, Page 4

A SOCIETY QUEEN ; OR, THE Fortunes of a Governess.

CHAPTER V. Ef THE CITY.

The man "Luddy," who seemed to have such a mysterious hold on Annie Best, met her at the cars in New York, as has been already stated. He showed a disposition to help her, but she begged him to Jeave her, and when ho got angry and swore that he had a right to be near her, she said : "If you do not loavo mo at once, I shall call a policeman, tell who you are, and have you arrested." " But you cannot do that without dragging yourself down," hissed the man. " 3lake me desperate, as you are doing," she replied, " and I shall lose all thought of myself. Go, I command you !" There was that in her voice and in tho flash of her eyes that convinced Luddy she was in no humor to be trilled with.

Muttering an oath betweeu his teeth, ho turned and strode doggedly away. Annie, afrcr watching Luddy out of siirht, hired a man to carry her trunk to Mrs Slater's, No. 137 East Bascom-street. Taking the man's name and the number of his express wagon, and promising to pay him when ho reached his destination with the trunk, Annie took a street car for the same place. In the happy long-ago, when Annie's father and mother were living and want seemed as far distant as tho stars, Mrs Slater, then a widow was housekeeper in the happy family. Nor did she desert them when adversity came; not till Annie's mother died and self-preservation compelled her to seek another home for herself, did she leave. During the years of prosperity, Mrs Slater had laid by v snug sum of money, but by no means enough to support her without work—if, indeed, it wore possible for such an enorgt-tic body to live without work. Thrown on her own resources, Mrs Slater rose equal to the emergency. She was not only a first-class cook, but as a manufacturer of "domestic and unadulterated candies," sho had no superiors; indeed, when she began the business she had no rivals. She rented a little store with two rooms back and four rooms over-head. No. 107 East Bascorn street, being nestled down iv the midst of v number of public and private schools, was, in Mrs Slater's opinion " just tho place for a caksry and piery, with v, fine chance for pure domestic candy." So she rented the place, and hiring a btout boy, named Tom Dickery to assist iv her new field of effort, she set to work with the resolution that makes success assured.

Being large and wholesome looking, with a face that won children at once, Mrs Slater soon became a most popular person with the little folks.

In addition to the excellent cakes and pies that were very fine, as pies go, and the domestic candy which was her " stronghold," Mrs Slater, in order to accommodate her little customers, kept on hand pencils of all kinds, crayons, rulers, cheap writing paper, sponges for slates, rulers, seasonable fruits, sarsaparilla, toys, root beer, and many other things as varied a.s they were cheap. A majority of her customers spent sums under five cents ; a purchaser who invested a half dollar was entitled to wholesale rates ; and if any ono spent at one time a dollar in the little store —a thing, by the way, that but rarely happened—he was entitled to wholesale rates, a discount for cash, a bottle of root beer and a ginger cake as big us a dinner plate, locally known as "aßolivar." A kinder heart than Mrs Slater's never beat, yet she had the genuine American instinct for business.

Where others would say: " Let u.h build up trade," Mrs Slater said : "I must build up confidence and trade will follow." She soon learned to know all her customers by name, and acquaintance soon ripened into friendship. She had circulars printed, in which sho gave the days on which she baked, and the evenings on which she made candy ; and sho invited the parents and friends of the children to como around and examine the raw materials and witch the process of their manufacture.

No one ever came to euquiro into Mrs Slater's materials and methods, but there was as much confidence on the part of her indirect customers tin if they had made tho examination through a regularly appointed committee.

"Ah, my darlin' child, ever since you could lisp and toddle you'vo been near me, and so now that you are goin' out to do for yourself like, let me say that if Becky Slater can ever have a chance to chow her love for you, she'll embraco it as she's embracin' you this minute." This is what Mrs Slater said to Annie Best the very day the latter went to assume the duties of " companion " to Lola Yon Rosenstein.

If Annie had been permitted to keep tho money she hud saved by close pinching, she would have taken board in some quiet place till she could have found congenial employment, but she now saw that her money could not hold out, and she re-called Mrs Slater's offer and resolved to avail herself of it.

Mrs Slater, with her sleeves rolled up, and a white apron covering her dress from her throat to her feet, was in the act of placing a fresh batch of home-made candy in tho appropriate boxes, when Annie entered the store.

"Tom! Tom Dickery ! you lazy fellow, come hero and wait on tho young , lady !" called out Mrs Slater to her ass-istant in tho back room.

" Yen'm: coining," responded a boy's inullled voice; clearly, Mr Thonws Dickery was sampling " the home-made" before carrying it out. " Mrs Slater, have you forgotten " asked Annie, throwing hade her veil.

With a quick glance, and exclamation of mingled joy and surprise, Mrs Slater ran with extended arms from behind the counter, and catching Annie's slender form to her hreant, she kissed her with loud smacks of delight; with similar sounds happy youngsters wore wont to express their approval of her " home made." " Oh, bless me!" cried Mrs Sister, with a final smack, into which she threw all her strength, "the sight of yer sweet, purty face has set my heart all of a flutter. Well, lam gladder to see you than I can tell. Here, Tom Dickery"; do you hear?"

" Yez'm," replied Tom now appearing in the door leading into the back room with hie fat face shining and a suspicious stain of " the home-made" upon his lips and chin.

"Tom Dickery, you've been gorging again," said Mk Slater, stonily. "No'm" replied Tom, "only eaten of a little snrapin's as I found in one of the pans yovi tolemo to ckfin, an' so I put it away till I got time, an' I was just a thinkin' only of takin' a bite wen—" "Tom Dickery," said Mrs .Slater, solemnly, "I'm afenrd you're preparin' for to be a reg'lur AnnernighuH. Now you watch the store for a bit; do you hear me ?"

" Yes'm, I heat." " And, mind you, no tuuipcrin , with the goods." "No'm, I never docs tamper; its only the ecrapin's an' pich—" Without waiting to hear Tom Dickery's defence out, Mrs Slater put her arm about Annie's waist and half carried her through the back room and up stairs to a cunning little sitting-room, directly over the store. " Here, let me have your hat and shawl; sit in tbis co.sy chair, for you do look fatigued, and I'll have you a cup of tea in just no time." . And so Annie found herself kissed once more, and her hat and shawl in Mrs Slater's hands, and herself in an easy-chair, very comfortable indeed, but many sizes too large. After lighting a little gas-stove and putting on it kettle, Mrs Slater got down on her hands and kuecH, lifted a trap-door, about fix inches square, that jravo her a ibird's-eye view of the store beneath, and called down : "Tom Diukery ?" 41 Yes'm," curve back the reply. ■" What are you doiu'?" •"NawthiuV ** What have you got in yer mouth '(" " Nawthiii'." <* Open it and let me see. Come right under mo where 1 cuu look down into you." Tom Diekery must have obeyed his exacting mistress, for she said : « Mind, I'm apt to appear mighty sudden. Stick to the store till I come down." "Yes'm." " And don't be unperhte."

" No'm." ~ ~ Cl " That boy, Tom Diekery," said Slator, closing the trap and addressing herself to Annie? "is a half orphant, and for a boy, «ich as bo is, lie aint h> awful His