Aunt Jane's Nieces at Work

"I guess he'll win. He's worked hard enough, anyhow."

"Has he?"

"Yes; 'Rast's a good worker. He don't leave any stone unturned. He's up

to all the tricks o' the trade, is 'Rast Hopkins!"

Here he began shaking with silent laughter, and Mrs. Hopkins looked at

him curiously.

"What are you laughing at?" she inquired, with a sniff of disdain.

"At--at the way he come it over the gals up at Elmhurst. 'Rast's a

pretty slick one, he is!"

"What do you mean?"

"Why, settin' that 'Liza to watch 'em, and tell all they does. Who'd a

thought of it but 'Rast Hopkins?"

"I don't see anything mighty funny about that," declared Mrs. Hopkins,

contemptuously. "The girl's too pert and forward for anything. I told

'Rast not to fool with her, or she'd make him trouble."

"Did you, now!" exclaimed the man, wonderingly.

"Yes, indeed," said Mrs. Hopkins, pleased to have made an impression. "I

suspected there was something wrong about her the morning she came to

the house here. And she changed her name, too, as brassy as you please."

"Well, I declare!" said the visitor. "Did you know her before that, Mrs.

Hopkins?"

"Why, I didn't exactly know her, but I seen her workin' around Miss

Squiers's place many a time, and she didn't seem to 'mount to much, even

then. One day she stole a di'mond ring off'n old Miss Squiers and dug

out, and I told Nancy then--Nancy's young Miss Squiers--that I'd always

had my suspicions of the hussy. She hid the ring in a vase on the mantle

and they found it after she was gone."

"Well, well! I didn't know that about her," said the man, looking with

admiration at Mrs. Hopkins.

"That's why I told 'Rast not to have any truck with her, when she came

here bright and early one morning and asked for work."

"Oh, she came here, did she?"

"While I was gettin' breakfast. She said her name was Eliza Parsons, an'

she was looking fer a job. I told her I knew her record an' to get out,

and while we was arguin' 'Rast come out and took a hand in the talk. She

laughed and flirted with him outrageous, and said she was a stranger in

these parts, when I'd seen her many a time at Miss Squiers's.