The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1872-09-04

stratiye way. "And see how per-
fectly neat everything is kept;
always in this beautiful order. Do
you wonder Harry calls him a rara
auis ?'
"Indeed I do not" said Fanny,
slowly; "but he must spend every
cent he earns to furnish himself in
this extraordinary manner.
"He has nothing else to do with
his money, DEAR" said Olive; che
don't even buy cigars. For my
part, I think he is perfectly ele-
CANT"
Fanny said nothing. but she
found herself wishing that she knew
who was the original of that lovely
miniature, and trying to reconcile
the tastes and surroundings of the
man himself with his servile occu
patton. Not but what the work
was good enough, and honorable
for any man; but why was he not
laboring for himself instead Of an
other?
For days she thought Of the min
iature. Every time she met him,
heard. him talk or sing-he had a
fine voice, and was not averse to
using it-up popped that mysteri-
Gus face with the.spanish eyes and
the clustering curls.
Mr.. Eben Wolcott, meantime,
had taken advantage Of her reluc-
tant' permission and brought his
dashing team to Winnicut. Poor
Fanny, at sight; of his respectable
aldermanic person, his gold-bowed
spectacles, and thick gray whiskers,
felt strange sinking at the heart.
Why. would that. six-footer rise up
in her imagination and cause by
mere force of contrast repulsion
so terrible?
cts positively wicked for me to
seem to encourage that man, >" she
said, almost passionately, one morn
ing, the day after a drive.
(which man % asked Olive, in
nocently, and their eyes met. tl z
The red blood flew all over, poor
Fanny's face; she felt hot to the
crown Of her, head-and yet why
should she?3 ata1:.i ~ aFsi.i
"That's pretty question tosask y
she exclaimed, nearly angry.
"Well, dear, but how am | to
know who that man is % queried
Olive, with a conscious look. =
"You know it is Mr.. Wolcott,' .
said Fanny, nearly crying. 20"
"Well, he is a good man, and a
rich one,' was the answer. 81
know girls who would jump at the
chance, as the saying is. I uould
either marry him or send him off,
"Pshaw!' said Fanny, biting her
red lips, and a few moments after
she left the room, conscious of a
new, a painful, and at the same
time strangely delightful expert
ence. No use to try to conceal it
or cloak it to herself-not the
slightest: she loved Mathew Dom,
her sisters hired man.
How she paced her room, half
distracted, sobbing without tears,
forming wild resolves, and then
throwing herself down with a sense
of her utter helplessness, [ shall
not describe. How could she ever
meet him again? Could she keep
her almost painful secret, and did
Olive guess at it? What would
Olive think-what counsel her if
she knew?
Only'the next time that Mr.. .Eben
Wolcott came out she quietly dis
missed him, and then made up her
mind that she must 60 home. II
she could only fly to the ends Of
the earth! g.s 4i.ti L.
But Fanny did rot 60, for Olive
would not hear of it. A slight cold
confined Olive to he2 room, but one
evening she sent Fanny out and
bade her peremptorily to take Har-
ry and go for a walk. Then she
summoned her husband to give
him his orders, but when he came
down stairs Alice was gone, and
Mathew, with wicked little smile,
was taking down his hat.
''That's right, Don,' said Harry,
breaking into a laugh; "shc ought
to know better than to go alone.
BY the way, I happen to know that
she has dismissed old alderman"
Dom smiled again and went out,
closing the door bchindhim. There
was bright moon, displaying flow
er, leaf and bud. Supposing that
Fanny would only make the round
Of the place, he ran swiftly down
to the back gate, and met her jnst
as she had reached the great elm
that stood guarding the lane.
She started at sight of him.
"Iou will allow HE to walk with
you?" lie said. "T'hcre is a squad
of gypsics' i'll the ncighborhood, and
some one might molest YOU r..
Fanny could not say no; could
not talk, even, for with ready tact
he took all the conversation on
himself. What did he not touch
upon? Opera, arts, nature, city,
country-all derived new beauty
from the glamour Of his tongue.
! yVoc r. ctrono,o that Fanny ionn1