The Project Gutenberg eBook, Nell, of Shorne Mills, by Charles Garvice

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: Nell, of Shorne Mills
or, One Heart's Burden

Author: Charles Garvice

Release Date: October 11, 2007 [eBook #22961]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NELL, OF SHORNE MILLS***

E-text prepared by Roger Frank, Brownfox, and the Project Gutenberg Online
Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)

NELL, OF SHORNE MILLS

Or, One Heart's Burden

by CHARLES GARVICE

Author of
"Better Than Life," "A Life's Mistake," "Once in a Life,"
"'Twas Love's Fault," etc.

A. L. Burt Company
Publishers :: :: :: New York
1898

NELL, OF SHORNE MILLS

CHAPTER I.

"Dick, how many are twenty-seven and eight?"

The girl looked up, with narrow eyes and puckered brow, from the
butcher's book, which she was laboriously "checking," at the boy who
leaned back on the window seat picking out a tune on a banjo.

"Thirty-nine," he replied lazily but promptly, without ceasing to peck,
peck at the strings.

She nodded her thanks, and traveled slowly up the column, counting with
the end of her pencil and jotting down the result with a perplexed face.

They were brother and sister, Nell and Dick Lorton, and they made an
extremely pretty picture in the sunny room. The boy was fair with the
fairness of the pure Saxon; the girl was dark--dark hair with the sheen
of silk in it, dark, straight brows that looked all the darker for the
clear gray of the eyes which shone like stars beneath them. But the eyes
were almost violet at this moment with the intensity of her mental
effort, and presently, as she raised them, they flashed with a mixture
of irritation and sweet indignation.

"Dick, if you don't put that banjo down I'll come over and make you.
It's bad enough at most times; but the 'Old Folks at Home' on one
string, while I'm trying to check this wretched book, is intolerable,
and not to be endured. Put it down, Dick, or I'll come over and smash
both of you!"

He struck a chord, an exasperating chord, and then resumed the more
exasperating peck, peck.

"'Twas ever