The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-07-24
soon forgot the incident, and were as

closed. I wish you would come AM
spend the day with us. We are goinl
to drive out On the Wissahickon in th
afternoon, and have tea and o dance i
the Sybl boat-house In the evening
The boys are members Of the club, yol
know, and it is their plan. They hay
been busy decorating the ,boat-house al
The week. Augustine is to furnish tn
supper, and mamma is to chaperone us
Yon positively must come, Nell"
-; HThere viii not be more than
dozen" began Jenny, eagerly, Sand n
mo dressing" ~hesitating; "inst plail
Malking'aresses. Say you will come
Nelly was only eighteen. And
drive all the afternoon In the park, Will
Q dance, and perhaps Dora's handsoml
cadet brother as o pastnerl 1t was LON
since she had had any glimpse Of pleas
ure. And then-it would not cost any
thing. How could she resist?
IT think I can Co." she said, her eye
sparkling. ct will determine this even
ing, and send You o note by mail"
Asthe girls left her, she noticed hoV
people glanced Of them with o smile o
pleasure, With their airy dresses
sweet, innocent faces and hghtsheartet
voices, the dull. street frightened o!
Ethey passed. Nelly was young and
pretty as they, jet nobody looked aftel
her with pleasure.
"Is give nothing away-not ever
smiles" she thought, as she walket
wearity home. In her purse was hel
quarters salary. There was mot o penn.
of it which was NOT approprioted-st
much for groceries, so much for thu
boys clothes and shoes, not o penny LEFT
10 give away.
The Bigelows were wholly Dependent
ON Nellys earnings and her father
SALARY as book-keeper, and the supply
was scant. She saw many o poor erea'
ture in need Of help, and il CALLED hel
intolerably that she had nothing to give.
"Whatw was it that Dora had saidf'
she unused, IS she walked along. "No'
body SO poor that they cannot giys
something il they choose"
The words rung IN her. ears as she
went into the bare little dining=room
where the family were seated q tsup'
per. It was. not q hilarious assem-.
blage. Mr.. Bigelow was q thin old
man, who talked in monosyllables to his
children. His shabby coat was but.
toned with an air Of impregnable dignity.
Nelly remembered as in o dream, that
when her mother was alive she had seen
him joke and laugh heartily. But since
her mother. had gone, he had grown life.
less, silent and old. His children, even
Nelly, shrank from his cold blue eye.
When her mother lived the tea-table
has been; bright and merry-no matter
how.poor the fare. Now Thad and Joe
were squabbling in whispers over the
ry.bread and stewed apples, while Alice
grumbled outright.
You got your pay to-day, Nell. We
might have something better than star
vationi diet"
l. Nelly. WINGED as if, she had been
struck. How hopelessly rough and
vulgar Alice and the boys we're growing :!
Surely it was not her fault. She worked
hard for. them all day, and when she
came home in the evening with her
nervous headache, they betook them
selves to the street for companions.
"Where are You going tomorrow,
boys? 2" she said, gently. sits a holi-
day, you know"
aYou bet we known They nudged
each other and giggled. "Big goings-
on tomorrow. Never you mind"
"What will you do, Alice?"
"Follow the parades, 7 reckon" toss
ing her head.
Her mothers daughter tramping about
the streets in q crowd Of half drunken
menI Nelly looked at the boys with o
searching gaze. They had honest, man
II faces, but hard and defiant lines were
already coming into them.
She sat silent o long time. The drive
on the Wissahiekon and the dance ! II
was net easy to shut the door on that
dream Of delight. At lastsh looked up
cheerfuIly.
"What do you say. children, TO q pic
mic? Early start, big. besket, boat to
Rockland, ishing,-M kinds Of fun"
"Nellyp
"Do You mean it,"
The children started mp. "Wenever
did such o thingw cried Alice. st
never was farther out Of town than the
water-works in my life"
"Oh, Ally, that cannot be truel"
nYes, il is true. You don't take any
care Of me, Or you would know. no
body does-since mamma died." The
child's lips trembled.
ST will take care of you now, little
sister," said Nelly, putting her arm
around her. Swell, what do You say,
boys?r
Thad and Joe looked at each other.
" We made o sort Of engagement" said
Thad; "but we'd rather go with You,
and-we will Co." he added, resolntely.
MI. Bigelow had left the table and
wandered aim1essly to the window. Mel
" ran after him and caught his hand. II
was like earessing Q wooden statue.
ePapa,-you will go with us?"
ct, Nelly. on O party Of pleasure !"
He stared down at her. The color
actually rose into his withered cheek.
"You don't think I could, my child
You do not want q poor old man like
meP"
Something in his look revealed to Mel"
" the truth,-the utter loneliness Of the
old mans life, the hungry craving for
love and companionship, which she had
never given him. She held his hand in
hers q moment, stroking it, and then
kissed it. She could not speak.
civil go, my child"
Her fathers voice was strangely alter
ed. he went into his own room, and
did NOT come out again.
Nelly was busy until late in the night.
There was q tongue to boil, and q Ger.
tain kind of cookies to bake. The boys
lowered over her, happy, meddling al
every turn, but singularly gentle and
a~tfectionate.
aMother used to make this kind oi
cakes. Amt they nicer"
Alice had her sleeves rolled mp and hel
apron on. Never was anybody more
4 busy or more important. Nelly jokei
and laughed, and made more fun ont o
the packing Of o basket than WA eve
made since, time began. But her hear
was sore within her. What o trife wa
needed to make these children happy
ana to bind them 10 home ! How %solitar.
and cheerless her fathers life had beef
these many years A little outsspokel
love, q little cheerfulness, was oil tina
was needed, and she had been blind Il
il all these years
The picnic was q very simple matter
People who can afford pleasure ever,
day would have laughed Of u. The,