The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-04-03
BY HUGH WILSON AND W. G. BENET.

great quandary. 1t was seriously pre-
posed-iudeed it had become law
that in Chepachet, education should b
made compulsory. More than this, d
the vagrant class and for children o
poor parents an industrial school was t.
be provided. The question that con
cerned the board was not so much VIII
had engineered the innovation, as whom
they should appoint as principal.
Properly" said old Mr.. Gallup, VIII.
was the senior member of the board and
very slow OF speech, "the place belong
to Miss Williams -
"But Miss Fairfield is very highly
recommended" put in Deacon Orwig
"She is very young" remarked Mr.
Bushnell, who was himself verging OF
eighty. ... =
"We'l, after ALL" declared Eide,
Knox, "it amounts to about this Den
ike has more interest in this thing thar
anybody else. He wants Miss Penny
feather, and she ought to be appointed.
And that settled it. 80: ~ cz
III all her life Maud Pennyfeather ha6
never passed a happier time than those
three months. Never, indeed, had
months passed SO quickly. In her rela:
tions with Mr.. Denike the industrial
school had, from the very first, been a
topic of absorbing interest. The legis-
lation affecting it was drawn in Mrs.
Pennyfeather's neat little parlor, and
all the details were there arranged from
evening to evening between the two
conspirators. Having secret of this
profound and important character, their
friendship became peculiarly intimate
and Informal. Had it not been for the
picture in Mr.. Denike's pocket-book,
Maud might have imagined there was
some purpose in his attentions. But Of
course the fact of the picture left Maud
no reason to infer anything of the kind.
And, strange to say, while she fancied
she was glad of this, she more than once
found herself entertaining feeling OF
positive resentment against the pretty
original, and vindictive desire to alb
stract the picture and tear it up. It is
only fair, though, to say that Maud,
when she. recognized these improper
sentiments, would blush with shame and
yexation and crowd them down in the
heart. 1t used to annoy the girl; in
deed, she could only hardly account for
it, that when she first knew Mr.. Denike
she was quite unembarrassed in his
presence, but that now, when she went
down stairs to meet him, it would be
with flush upon her cheek, and tremor
in her voice. Try as she might, she
cauld not regain the composure of their
earlier acquaintance, She hoped it
escaped his attention. Perhaps it did.
That she was being urged for the posi-
tion OF principal of the new enterprise,
she was quite unaware. -
The evening of the committees de-
cision, Denike found her in her parlor.
"You remember you told me once, "
he said, when both were seated, =" that
it was your highes; ambition to have
charge Of such school as ours"
Maud nodded, and looked at him
with question in the look.
"The opportunity has fallen to me, "
he went on n gravely, ""of gratifying your
ambition. H.
The color went away all at once from
her face. She did not say word.
."The School Board, Miss Penny
feather, have concluded to offer you the
appointment as principal of the new
school. This letter, and he handed her
the envelope, "contains the, official an
nouncement. IL
The girl took it mechanically, holding
It unopened in her hand.
. ct have great pleasure in congratu-
lating you," he continued. "To attain
ones ambition, Miss Pennyfeather,
ought to be an occasion for congratula-
tion-ought it not ?''-
She looked up at his question-then
dropped her eyes nervously. "Thank
you," she said. It was all she could
say. -
This, then, was the end of it all. To
be sure, it was the end Maud had wished.
Three months ago, she had no dearer
desire. Had anything taken its place :?
Was Maud deceived about herself after
all, and did she have no ambition dear
or than that. = = l...t
And so Maud woke up-to find the
thing that had seemed best to her now
within her reach, but stale and unprofta-
BILE; the thing for which she hadn't
cared out of her reach, but of all things
in the world the most to be desired.
And yet she could not complain. MIR.
Denike had only taken her at her word,
and interested himself in friendly way,
to her to realize her aspirations. Now
he would go off and marry the girl in
the picture, whom, by this time, Maud
absolutely hated ; and she would be left
to teach an industrial school to the end
of her days. But she never would let
Mr.. Denike know How it panied her
never. So she forced back the tears,
and steadied her voice, and said, in a
low, quiet tone:
"Thank you very much, Mr.. Denike;
you have been very kind"
His own voice seemed to tiemble a
little when he spoke.
"But I'm going to offer you an alter
native" he said.
Maud looked up. She was quite in.
different now to what he might say.
"I want to know" he continued, eff
that still remains your highest ambition
Or, if, as people sometimes do, you
may have changed it."
Maud gazed at him with open eyes,
quite uncertain what he meant. Was
he going to offer her some other posi-
ton? It was all one to her which she
took.
"I may be asking you to give up a
good DEAL" he went on, without waiting
for her reply; "indeed, it strikes me as
rather impertinent on my part;' know
ing how strongly you've set your heart
on this thing, but I must take my chance.
I want to ask you, Miss Maud, before
YOU conclude to settle down in life as a
teacher, if you won't consider the idea Of
becoming my wife,"
Mr.. Denike did not get any further
than that. If he intended to, he was
summarily cut short. For Maud making
a vain effort to control herself, at length
gave way, and, leaning back against the
sofa, cried as though her heart would
break. Happily, Mrs. Pennyfeather
was out, and there was no risk of inter-
ruption.
John waited until the tears were
checked, very well persuaded as to their
meaning, and hardly certain what to
say.
"I didn't mean to grieve you he
began.
Rut she put up her hand deprecat-