The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-04-25
IL NEVER WILLT


IL NEVER WILLT
"I never will" said Madge Roper,
her beautiful brown eyes flashing with
Indignation.
"Forgive me, Miss Roper" said Mr..
Schenck II said it in sort of despera-
ton, for I can not-I could not think
such passion as mine could fail to call
out response sooner or later.
"You are Mistaken" she answered,
haughtily; "and, as you know, this is
not the first time I have assured you of
this fact. I trust it is the last"
II withdraw my plea and myself
finally, Miss Roper. Good morning."
He said it with such dignity that
Madge respected him more than she had
ever done, and her face softened. But
Mr.. Schenck did not see it; he took him.
self and his troubles out of sight, if not
out of mind. But as Madge turned to
leave the parlor, she heard boyish voice
from some hiding-place singing loudly,
CLEAR what Highland Nora said:
The Earie's son will not we'd
"Llttle wretchA" muttered Madge, bit
ing her pretty red lips; ''he must be all
this time in the conservatory. And now
Aunt Phemy will know all about it. l
may as well tell her"
So she trailed the folds of her deep
blue dress slowly up the stairs to Aunt
Phemy's room. Miss Euphemia was ST.
ting in her arm chair by the window, a
tiny old lady, with soft silver white hair,
and quaint black satin wrapper, illls-
trated with delicate laces, and the sparkle
of one great diamond on her little hand.
She was cripple, whose sole change WAS
from her bed to her great chair; but, for
all that, she was the heart of the house,
and her keen and kindly eyes saw every
thing that was to be seen, but her tongue
kept charitable silence.
Madge's mother had died young, and
Aunt Phemy had come to her brothers
house to take care of him and his child
till his wife's place might be filled; but
that had never happened. Mr.. Roper
was grave, reticent man, and when the
one love Of his life futtered away from
him like a weary and storm-spent moth,
his heart shut itself for all time; he even
seemed to have little fatherly lovefor the
wailing baby, whose birth he resented in
his secret soul, as one resents o murder.
But now he was proud of his beautiful
and graceful daughter, proud of her
spirited character, her good-breeding,
her crowd of admirers; and Madge WAS
equally proud of her handsome, high
minded father, though there was little of
the diviner element of love lost between
them.
Many and many an admirer fell at
Madge's feet, and no wonder. The girl
was young, fresh, lovely, and intelli-
gent, and every charm she had WAS illu-
mined by the fittest results of wealth
and taste. A beautiful girl is beautiful
in spite of calico; she is enchanting in
lace and pearls. Madge's profuse red
brown hair, dazzling yet tenderly tinted
complexion, her soft proud eyes, her
slender and exquisitely nodded figure,
her feet, her hands, were all perfect, and
the insipidity Of perfection was removed
by the vivid and variant expression Of
the soul within.
AS she entered Aunt Phemys room
this morning, with the dark blue folds Of
her fine wool dress falling from her deli
cate waist, and her face heightened by
color that shamed the carnations which
fastened the abundant lace scarf about
her throat, the dear old lady looked at
her with adoring eyes, for Madge was
her aunty's idol. But the girl did not
come at once for her daily kiss; she
smiled, and then she walked across the
room to the other window, and began to
NEEDLE with the mignonette and pinch
the rose geraniums. Aunt Phemy wait
ed-she was q woman who could wait
aud presently Madge fitted suddenly
across the floor, and dropped softly, as
little bird folds up into its nest, on to
the brioche beside her aunt's chair, and
laid her head on it's arm.
81 could not come up before, Aunty
Fee. Mr.. Schenck was down stairs. -
Miss Roper said nothing, but laid her
hand tenderly on the rich folds of hair,
and looked at that beautiful head like
benevolent old fairy. She knew when
Madge called her "Aunty Fee" that it
was propitiatory: something had been
done or said that this wayward young
woman was not quite at ease about.
And-aunty, Madge went on, slow
ly, picking carnation to pieces as she
spoke, "I-refused him."
"I thought you had done that long
ago, Madge," said the old lady, with q
certain trouble in her kind eyes.
$50 I have, over and over, but lie
wouldn't stay refused. think he will
now Here her voice rose and rang,
and her eyes flashed. The indignation
returned. 81 never will marry him,
Aunt Phemy-never And 1 think he
understands it at last
Miss Roper's eyes sparkled now she
was old and wise.
"Don't be troubled about it, Madge
dear nobody can harass you on the
matter. If you don't love man, don't
marry him, if he be king or kaiser.
Jacob Schenck is a good man and gen.
tlelnan, but 1 think he is far too old for a
rosebud like you"
Oh, Aunt Euphemia you too had
been girl, and remembered it. A little
spark entered Madge's cool eye.
"He's not so very old, aunty; fifty
isn't really old for man.
"No, it's not decrepit, but it is some
thing more than nineteen besides, Mr..
Schenck is only forty-tve. However,
we can afford to drop him now, since
Miss Positive never will marry him. !"
Madge laughed, but there was an un-
certain ring about her laughter, and Miss
Phemy went on:
care you going to Boston, dears"
"I don't quite know, aunty. I rather
bate Boston but I love Polly"