American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-05-13

one who struggles to repress sudden
terror. 1t was minute, perhaps, dur
ing which neither responded to the in
PRODUCTION, and then Philip Abinger
stepped forward and took her hand,
muttering some commonplace words.
Neither of them understood the phrases,
nor cared to, and he turned away with
a strange air of troubled constraint.
Poor Cecile's face discovered her disap-
pointment. 1t was hard to think that
these two should dislike each other, even
from the very first, as it was too plainly
evident they did-these two, upon whose
affection for each other she had builded
SO many cloud castles that must now
fall, like the rest of them!
But before long Philips saUoir: faire
and Cecile's pretty attempts to enter
tain him warmed the first frosty air in
to one of pleasant freedom. Madeleine
joined in the talk after while, which
soon became animated enough, yet with
still an indescribable shadow in the
midst of all the causerie
When he had gone away, Cecile curl
ed herself on the floor at her sisters
feet, with her warm, bright hair shining
down her shoulders.
"He is not, is he, quite what you fan
cied he would be, Madeleine dear?'
half whispering the tender words.
"What fanciedP" said Madeleine,
with odd impotence. "But what has
that to do with ftp He is not my fairy
prince, Cecile." But she added, with
a quick change of expression that COW
cred the former one, "Stil1 he will do
very well for one, considering the days
he lives in. I like him-yes, Cecile."
"But you are disappointed, Made
leineP" said Cecile, raising her eyes
doubtfully.
Gam II" Madeleine held her head
on one side in characteristic fashion,
looking fixedly at the Goals dying in the
CRATE. "No, Cecile, do not think 1
am. You surely would not have me
value him quite so highly as you doP"
Two great tears had gathered slowly
in Cecile's violet eyes and rolled unno-
ticed down her cheeks while her sister
was speaking. She made no answer,
for her voice was untrustworthy.
Madeleine rose and went to the dress
ing glass, beginning to take down and
braid her hair. She looked into the
mirror at the pale, handsome face be-
fore her. with uneasy, Swallowed eyes
beneath the contracted brows. What
her thoughts were it would be hard to
guess, but they surely were not pleasant
A long-repressed sigh, stifled painfully
on the lips, caught her ear presently,
and with a sudden horror of herself she
turned from the glass and walked i'm
pulsively to her sister. She leaned over
her, with both hands on her shoulders,
hating herself for the SILVER of repul-
sion that accompanied the act, and
kissed her tenderly twice on the fore
head.
Philip Abinger wondered at himself
no more as he walked down in front of
the block of clearinghouse. 1t was
the path that his feet were most accus-
toned to tread nowadays, and he sell
dom came thither without some rare
token from the upper world, some fruit
or flower which had hitherto been but
a name to these jewellers in the barren
shadows of poverty.
Yet Cecile was not quite happy.
There was no open enmity between
Philip and Madeleine, but far less the
quiet agreement and affection she had
once hoped for. There was an avoid
ance, restlessness, in their eyes, land Of
ten an unaccountable bitterness in their
words, Yet Philip, she knew, came
when he was aware that her
duties took her from home. So she
still, vaguely and without reason, prom
ised herself the time would, come when
they would forget their strange antipa-
thy.
A less trusting heart than that of Ce-
Gle might have suspected there was
another reason than that of dislike to-
ward Philip to account for Madeleine's
unquiet manner and evident unhappi-
ness when her sisters lover was near;
but TO Cecile the explanation came with
the force of calamity whose approach
could never have been Imagined.
One lovely afternoon in the spring,
when the earth was fragrant with the
breath of the budding flowers, the ill
ness of pupil gave the little teacher
an unexpected holiday, and fully two
hours earlier than usual she turned her
sfeDa toward the old hoar,1iuOh ouse
As she turned the corner nearest home,
she saw Madeleine and Philip walking
slowly down on the other side of the
street. Philips head was bent down,
perhaps no closer than the need of talk |
in the midst of the roar of the |
city streets. Medicines face was
turned aside and dropping. There was
surely nothing strange in it that she
,lung closely to Philips arm in acrowd
ike this; nothing SO strange in SO mere
IN act of friendship that it should make
Cecile's heart thrill with such sick,
1eadly pain. What was she afraid of
Cecile walked homeward with an ever
agging foot-step, pallid half-smile on
,ef lips, and putting out her hand in
Itinctively to aid herself, for her eyes
hardly guided her, saying over and over
o herself, whether aloud or silently she
NEW not: F" Madeleine is right. am
Tery foolish. Maddie is always right.
} God! what terrible thing it is to be
70 Uery foolish!"
She went straight to her own room