The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-08-07

been very well pleased with the open in
gratitude for his bequest, took heart and
frightened up when ha sew inc giving
on air Of smartness to his goods. He
extricated himself from a bevy of young
and fair ones, and came generously over
to help me. In sheer gratitude [ began
to praise his young colt that was pastur-
ing in a field adjoining our garden, and
he remained with me. Shortly after,
when he found that a queer feeling in
his head agreed with the same discom-
fort in my poor Uranium, he brought a
chair behind the counter, and in o low,
tender voice he detailed tie me the inter-
esting diagnosis of his pet malady.
On the other side of me the minister's
son, who was home from college, and suf-
fering from that period of egotism which
comes to young men of his kind, re-
NAMED during the entire evening, to
show his contempt for the young, the
fair, the frivolous. A few old married
friends, whose wives were sick or away,
lowered about the grocery counter, so
that it really did happen that I was sur
rounded by men. The evening was
passing pleasantly enough. My dark
corner was well patronized. and every
woman who hes to do with church en-
tertainments will understand my graft
fcation and relief when I found it was
nearly ten o'clock and all was well. at
this time a letter was put into my hand
by one of the post-oAice Messengers
we always made q feature of the post
Office at our festivals, where pink and
parti- colored missives, with doves and
other doting designs upon the envelopes,
were distributed at ~extravagant rates OF
postage. had just been favored with
a liberal offer from a customer, and,
elated with my bargain, proceeded to
put up my bundles. not giving much
heed to the love-letter from the neigh
boring booth. Truth to say, I felt a
little tingling of the blood at the idea OF
the mockery that might be concealed
therein by one of those witty village
youths, and the letter lay there for q full
half hour, when somebody said, in the
most commonplace way.
$50 Jack Hunter is back from
China"
In a moment every thing was black
before me-. I dropped my hands and
my eyes to the counter, and when this
sudden dizziness was gone, I saw upon
the little tawdry envelope Jacks scrawl-
ing handwriting. Here was the little
line I had coveted all these years, and
this is what my half-blinded eyes made
out:
81 came home because I was mad to
see you-because all these years, and
YOUR old perfdy couldn't kill my love
for you. find you just IS I expected
to, in a space small enough to be filed
outside and inside with-men. You are
as beautiful and fascinating as ever, and
as fond of admiration. I hear that you
are about to be married to the grocer at
your elbow, who so engrosses your atten-
ton that you do not care to look ct the
passers-by. God help him, and God
bless you'll I have had my lesson. Now
1 shall, perhaps, be satisfied. Good-by."
. Five minutes after that I was running
home. Without my hat, and with his note
crumpled up in highland. The people
at the festival no doubt theHght that
mamma was taken suddenly i'll. They
could notr-have fancied I was running
sitter Jack, because he had been there at
the church for an hour, and I had been
totally unconscious of his presence.
Dea- heaven! how could it be that [
didn't know, that something didn't tell
me, that I didn't feel he was near me?
But I didn't. I went on talking 10
the grocer about a remarkable operator
for an ulcer that he had undergone,
when Jack must have been only q few
rods away! I ran down the road, my
heart in my throat. Fortunately the
village street was deserted. Every man,
woman, and child were at the festival,
except those who could not be out at all;
so I ran on unchecked, a dim fear gain
ing weight with me that Jack had not
unpacked his trunk, and was off to
China again within the hour. But when
I reached his house, which was next
door to my own, T saw him sitting out
on the balcony smoking a cigar, with his
feet perched upon the railing. But his
face grew very pale in the moonlight,
and his feet clattered quickly dow
upon the porch when he saw me run in
at the gate. The cigar fell from his lips,
the ashes tumbling over his broad white
waistcoat.
"Why thank God," he said, "this
must be my own dear little girl. Now,
see here, Jenny" he began, scolding,
a minute after: but he kept tight hold
of me, and trembled fully as much with
happiness as l did.
Nothing can persuade him that I am
not a desperate firt, as beautiful as an
angel, and irresistibly fascinating. I
have not the least doubt that half the
village are laughing at Jacks ridiculous
devotion and jealousy; but the we'll
meant endeavors of his friends and fam
ily to convince him that I am a pain,
faded, unattractive, and neglected old
maid he laughs to scorn as q conspiracy
of envy or jealousy. And how can l
wonder at his delusion? Mamma says
Jack has terribly aged during these
years of loneliness and exile, and looks
older and not so comely as u neighbor
the grocer; but to me he is still tho
handsome, alluring, in every way adora-
BILE Jack. He is walking up and down
the little balcony next door at this pres
ent moment, and hidden by our odorous
h~oneysuck!e vine, I am listening to him
trill out the last words of his favorite
ballad:
$50 girls be true while your lovers away,
For a cloudy morning, for a cloudy m-o-orn-
ing
Oft proves a pleasant day"
-Harper's Weekly.
T.oJoecoI GnoEa SfOrv