Winning Her Way 



A STORY OF A CHANGE OF HEART 

 "BY EBEN E. REXFORD 



Chaptek VII. — ( Continued.) 



BY this time the visitor had reached 

 the front door, and was knocking. 

 ^Tto 'ronnd to the side door," 

 called out Miss Betty. "The front door^s 

 locked." 



"An^ she needn't think I'm goin' to 

 onlock it fer Iter/' she added. 



Presentlj^ the visitor made her appear- 

 ance at the door of the kitchen, almost out 

 of breath with the exertion of bringing her 

 satchel along with her from the garden 

 gate. 



"How d'ye do, Mis' Peabody ?" she said, 

 as she stopped on the threshold and looked 

 into the room, as a general might pause 

 to make sure of the enemy's position before 

 making an advance. "I don't s'pose yer 

 tickled to death to see me, but I can't help 

 it if ye ain't. I'm here," and she dropped 

 her satchel inside the doorway in a manner 

 that seemed to say, "What are you going 

 to do about it?" 



"I see ye be," responded Miss Betty, 

 curtly. "Come in an' take a chair." 



"I might as well say right here that I 

 didn't come thinkin' I'd be welcome," said 

 the visitor, who evidently was of the frank, 

 outspoken kind. "But I heard 'Cindy's 

 little girl was here, an' I come to see lier. 

 I s'pose you'd ruther I'd stayed away, but 

 she's my flesh 'n' blood, as well's yours, 

 'n' 'tain't nat'ral to noi want to see her, 

 seein' 'Cindy's dead." 



"I s'pose not," responded Miss Betty. 

 "Take off yer things, 'n' I'll call her." ^ 



Xotwithstanding her "ungracious recep- 

 tion, the visitor proceeded to make herself 

 "at home." Evidently she was a woman 

 who could overlook slights and snubs. 

 Perhaps she had become used to doing 

 that. Her wrinkled face was a good- 

 natured one, and her voice had a pleasant 



ring in it, as if hard luck had not soured 

 a naturally cheerful disposition. . She 

 seemed to be one of those persons who 

 think life was made for something more 

 than resentment and envy and bickering. 

 Years ago she might have been so sensitive 

 that such a cool reception as Miss Betty 

 gave her would have aroused angry feel- 

 ings, but she manifested no displeasure 

 at it now, and seemed disposed to overlook 

 it as if hardly worth notice. Without 

 doubt it was precisely what she had ex- 

 pected, from her old knowledge of Miss 

 Betty and her peculiarities, and she had 

 come on her visit prepared to ignore the 

 lack of cordiality and friendliness which 

 she was sure to find, and concerning which 

 she was not disappointed. In short, she 

 was one of those happy-tempered persons 

 who go through life determined to make 

 the best of everything, pleasant or other- 

 wise, and who have the knack of avoiding 

 a quarrel by laughing it down. "Shif'less," 

 Miss Betty pronounced her, as she went in 

 search of Mary, who had discreetly retired 

 to the background, fearing her aunt's re- 

 ^ception of the unwelcome visitor might be 

 attended with unpleasant features. Per- 

 haps it was true that Mrs. Graham was 

 somewhat lacking in energy, but what she 

 lacked in that respect she made up for in 

 good nature. 



"It's your gran'mother," said Miss 

 Betty. "She's come to see ye — " 



Mary did not wait for the sentence to 

 be finished. Some one had come to see 

 her who might love her! She ran to th.^ 

 kitchen with all a child's eagerness, and 

 one look into the face that beamed toward 

 her across the threshold was sufficient to 

 win her heart. When Miss Betty came 

 into the room she was hugging and kissing 

 her grandmother in a wtldly demonstrative 

 way, and the old lady was returning the 



