Bessie's Fortune

ears younger than Lucy, who, having been petted so long as the only child, looked somewhat askance at the brother who had come to interfere with her, and as he grew older, and developed that wonderful beauty and winning sweetness for which he was so remarkable, the demon of jealousy took possession of the little girl, who felt at times as if she hated him /or the beauty she envied so much. " Oh, I wish he was blind !" she once said, in anger, when his soft blue eyes had been extolled in her hearing and compared with her own, which were black as midnight and bright as the wintry stars. And, as if in answer to her wish, an accident occurred not long after, which darkened forever the eyes which had caused her so much annoyance. Just how it happened no one knew. The two children had been playing in the dining-room, when a great crash was heard, and a wild cry, and Robin was found upon the Sooi screaming with agony, while near him lay a broken cup, which had contained a quantity of red pepper, which the house-maid had left upon the sideboard until ready to replenish the caster. Lucy was crying, too, with pain, for the fiery powder was in her eyes, also. But she had not received as much as Robin, who from that hour, never again saw the light of day. There were weeks of fearful suffering when the littlo hands were tied to keep them from the eyes which the poor baby, who was only two years and a half old, said, " Bite Robin so bad," and which, when at last t... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.