The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1875-07-28
CHAPTER III.
THE TWO LETTERS.

was the forenoon III the second day after
The min owners death, x ~ =:
Eugene had two letters, held closely to-
gether, when be frst;saw is.sister stand
Ing blythe gate, but when he stood by her,
side, ameug the neat rows Of flower beds
which lined the walk, and held his hand
out to her, it contained only one. Handing
her this, be stopped only long enough to
see that she had not noticed the deception.
and went up stairs to his own room.
Once there, he dropped his careless man
ner and paced up and down excitedly.
Had that letter been the only mail that
morning, instead Of walking the floor With
that troubled face, he would have been
reading it aloud down stairs with his sister
reading too, over lis shoulder, and both
making dozens Of plans for the future
which it opened to them
Perhaps he thought of this, for he took
the second letter from his pocket, read it
carefully for the third time, and then
destroyed it.
"The girl shall not know until it is set
tied, he thought, ~ did wrong in giving
Bertha that letter. She will wonder if I,don't
accept the offer at once, and will worry
over the matter, while my tongue is tied.
L Gull ucCclfc lleL, ttiiu eo Sttn Guy
nothing at all.
"Whcn he went down stairs, it was to
find Bertha glowing over the letter he had
given her, and reading it aloud to a young
lady who seemed equally well pleased
with its contents.
After few words of greeting TO the
young girl, whom he addressed as Fanny,
Eugene purposcly sought his sisters side,
.o,o1 ,,oJ 20 f,on tl, ttnr opca
"I'm so glad, Eugene" Bertha said, as
she finished reading the ,nissive. "It
couldn't have happened better. Just think,
Fanny, of our Eugene, being superinten-
dent of the Blakeslee Mills, and having the
superintendent's house to live in and ever
so many people under him. We shan't
know him in about two weeks, he will put
on so many airs Please Mr.. Superin-
tcndent," she added, lowing low with much
humility, "won't You give poor girl
iob?"
Seeing that neither Eugene nor Fanny
had fallon into her merry mood, Bertha
became grAYe again.
"Ail't you glad, Eugene" she said i'm
patiently" and you, Fanny, why don't you
say something - Of course you will go,
Eugene9"
can s:ly.
Two pair OF bright eyes looked at the
the young man in astonishment when he
said that the dark eyes of his sister, and
the blue ones Of the girl who was to be his
wife
"While they both waited for some ex-
PLANTATION, Eugene walked up and down the
little sitting-room and tried to make very
ordinary matter out of his indecision by his
manner.
"What do you mean, Eugene?"
It wis Bertha who asked the question,
but it would have been hard to have told
which of the two girls awaited his answer
the most anXiousy,
"I will tell you prescntly-perhaps to-
night" he said, moodily, never stopping in
his restless pacing of the room,
"What makes you act so, Eugene?"
Bertha asked. az heard you walking just
in that way over our heads 4 minute ago.
and now you are at it again. l never saw
you do that before. Sit down here, like a
good brother, and TIL Fanny and / why
sou arc n 10, b. tLo1t accepting this . tTt;,
81 really can't DO that girls, said hu,
gene. 81 have been true to you, havehI
/, Bertha, ever since our parents died ana
left us working in the mill here tosetherF
l never have deceived you-neither you
nor Fanny-and don't want to begin now:
I want you to trust ME just this once,
and he went out Of the house with some
garden tools under his arm, and making q
great show of having business there.
"It seems so strange said Bertha, after
he had gone. He didn't want to settle
here and marry on the pay he was getting
and now, when the mills have shut down
for no one knows how long, he wants time
to think about accepting place where he
can be his own master, and get three thou
sand dollars a year. l can't bear to see
him act so, when the offer lies there, in
black and white. Ono would think that
because the name is the same, this brother
of mine expects to got sharco OF Mr. wall
ingiord's money" -,
"It is strange about the name,' said
Fanny Clayson, seeing all opportunity to
attract Bertha's attention, and thus save
her lover from hasty criticism. Are
you certain that the families are in no way
conncctedY'
"Thcy might have been a long time
ngo," replied Bertha, but the relationship
is very distant now, if any exists at all.
"Didn't your father come here with Mr..
Robert Wallingford2''
"No; he came two years later. l think
he hunted the matter mp one winter, but 1
guess it came to nothing, although he
would never have claimed kinship with his
employer, even if he had discovered some.
thing important. He was Tery proud
man, YOU remember"
II don't rccolect much about him. |
was quite small when he diel-fourteen,
Think
"And was fifteen and Eugene twenty.
wonder what makes Eugene act so,' she
added, stepping to the window overlooking
the garden. He took out the garden
tools as though his life depended on cut
ting weeds, and there they are, lying on
one Of my flower beds. and he is going up
and down the walk, just rs he went in here
just now. ! never saw him act so before"
Never mind Eugene, now" said Fanny,
bent on attracting Bertha's attention from
her brother. He will DO well enough.
Tell he about your father. Didn't he get
along pretty smoothly with Mr.. Robert
Wallinyford--in the mills I mean?'
"He was man who would 60 on any.
where" said Bertha, proudly. He would
have been superintendent, instead OF assist
ant, if he had lived another year. Shan't
90 and call Eugene in? lie will make
himself sick out there"
Don't, Bertha; ho wants to be alone
He will tell you tonight"
"Why couldn't he have told u.e before
he went out? twill he an age untilnight
time, and he only said perhaps: no would
tell us them
"Woman's curiosity - slid Fanny, with
bright little laugh. 1t was evident,
however, that sh., too. wac rancd by the
seeming want Of trust exhibited by her
lover.
"lf come over tonight, do you think
you will knowa" Fanny asked, rs she
made ready to depart, q few minutes later
"But please don't hurry him, Bertha;
know as well rs you, that 4 great deal
depends on the answer to that letter, but