The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-10-29


respectability demand of you. If you
must marry and make a fool of yourself,
why not marry Colonel Powell?"
Because + do not like Colonel
Powell, and because Like some one
else, Aunt Ethel"
"I never heard of such a thing. Do
you know what you are saying, miss?
Such talk, can tell you, is highly i'm
proper; and as for not liking Colonel
Powell, that is nonsense. Colonel Pow
ell has everything necessary to win any
woman's approbation-very old family,
very fine manners, elegant residence,
servants. carriage, money, and men,
ber of Congress besides. Don't you
know that you would spend the winters
in Washington"
81 declare it does not tempt me a
BIT" lt# Al =. -.
"And I don't believe that he is day
more than fifty"
"He is seventy-fve if he is an hour,
and he hobbies and coughs, and is alto
gether dreadful. I never never, never
will marry him." y,
MAY I ask who, then, is to have the
honor of becoming my nephew" and
Miss Ethel sat stiffly down, and began
to carefully re-arrange the pink satin
bows on her white morning dress.
Eoise sat down opposite her. and
fin gered nervously the rose-buds and
ivy leaves that trimmed her garden hat.
Tie two women were strangely alike,
on! j one face was forty years old, white,
and proud; and the other was, only
twenty, flushing and paling ,and answer
4, of< M
For some moments Eloise did not
speak, and Miss Ethel Bruce did not urge
her. She sas patiently looking in her
nicce's face. until that young lady. find
ing courage in her desperation, said.
with bland defiance, "The gentleman
who is to have that honor, dear aunt, is
Mr. Henry Torrens."
Impossible! You would not do such
foolish thing"
"Oh yes, I would"
''Doy you know who he is?"
'.He is-Harry." %
Ridiculous! Do you know who his
father is?"
Nor I don't want to know him par
tiepla5ly. EeSd7 r; Do you know him. Aunt
mo. Idare say it would be very i'm
proper for me to know such. person.
When we first met him last summer in
the North, I don't remember that he
ever named his family" Ss&
Nor l."
THAT looks very bad Eloise. If a
man has respectable relations, Of course
he talks about them" .. ( . .'I.
II don't see that it makes any great
difference to me. do not intend to
marry IIarry's relations. lido not care
much about them, anyway. Once he
told. that his mother was dead, and I
said mine was too; and of course we felt
sorry for each other, and all that. But I
am afraid I am little jealous about
Harry; I would just as lief be the only
person in the world who had any right
to love him as not.
"You make me feel hopeless about
you. Pray what do you intend to live
upon"
." Harry has two thousand dollars a
year."
1.-Two thousand dollars year! What
q magnificent incomew
Don't make fun Of Us. aunt. I can
not allow that; indeed cannot. We
love each other, and shall be very
happy" ~. '....->
Torrens is employede"
"In West & Green's law Office"
II thought he lived in New York.
What brought him here?"
"How should I know?" said Eloise,
blushing, and involuntarily dropping
her voice.
Her aunt watched her curiously. and
shook her head for answer. "Where
have you seen him-for / hope you have
not dared to bring him within the pre-
cincts of Bruce Place" i.... -
He has never touched a paling of it.
/ met him at Aunt Kezia's; and am
sure she would have let Cousin Lizzie
marry him very willingly. She thinks
great deal of Harry"
''Lizzie Bruce is different. She has
five little sisters, and my brother Jake
always spends twenty out of an income
of nineteen. You have expectations-or
at least had. Ialways intended, if you
remained unmarried, to leave you the
Bruce Place"
Dear aunt, thank you for the inten.
ton; but would rather have Harry
have little bit OF money of my own
have not?"
About four thousand dollars; just
enough to buy your wedding things, and
marry you decently. For thoug gh yor
are going to make such a fool of your.
self, I shall not show the white feather
about it. must pretend to be happy
when am wretched, and receive con
gratulations that will nearly choke me
but such trials are part and parcel OF {
woman's lot; / dare say l shall ge
creditably through them"
Miss Ethel rose with proud air, bu
a pitifully sad face, and attempted K
leave the room, but Eloise, with gentl
force and many tender kisses, made he
sit down again. -.
"Auntie," she said, coaxingly, yo,
have asked me good many questions
and have answered them truly now
am going to ask you some, and know
YOU wilLbe fair with me about them
First, were you ever in lover" L-..
Half smiling and half sighing, Mis-
Ethel sat thinking over the bold ques
tion. At length she answered, slowly
"Yes, 'Eloise !; 1 once loved as ] do no
think you have the power to love.
is twenty-five years ago."
Will you tell me about it?" ~,
cannot. Yes-1 will try; perhap
it may show you what waste of life is
Wait here few moments"
She then left the room, but soon re
turned with little tortoise-sEell box
her hand. 1t opened with a spring. an
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