The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-06-04
"And I'm sure it's just like picnicking,"

| ana m sure II 3 Just llko plCnlCklHS,
said Marcia. "You ought to be obliged tc
me for making such pleasant occasion
And am awfully sorry that we're almost
through" And as she uttered the last
sentence, Philip happening to glance down
at her in that moment from the ladder
where he was standing, her face suddenly
famed up as if torch had been held before
it, and she turned and hid its color over q
box of old nails that she and Tom an age
ago that seemed now-had taken at school
in exchange for pins, meaning to sell them
to the junk-man, but diverted from their
purpose by one of Mrs. Thurston's methods
of persuasion.
"Mamma was always the enemy of enter
prise" said Tom, when they found the box.
al suppose it, the oil of birch that has kept
these nails frcn getting rusty"
But as soon as Marcia could slip away
from all that merry racket she flew down
to the foot of the orchard, and cast herself
into the deep grass there in the shadow,
and cried to break her heart. That one
glance in Philips face, that swift instant,
had served to turn the whole earth on a
pivot to another issue of life. II had, in
deed, held up a torch before her, it had
showed her that of which she was uncon-
scious before, and now she knew that she
loved Philip Masters, and she knew that he
loved Bessie, and the world was one dead
blank.
The hens were not fed that night, and
nobody carried the eggs in; it was only
when the moon set that, her skirts dripping
with dew, Marcia stole in herself, with her
dogs, and crept away to bed.
It was long fight that Marcia had with
her heart on that September night She
rose early in the morning, and gave the
hens into Bridget's charge, looked into her
mothers room, and told her she was going
to see Aunt Brown; and as that good lady,
now that she could no longer whip her
children, generally allowed them their way,
no objection was made; and Marcia found
herself, after a couple of hours, in the arms
of her old counselor and friend, to whom,
albeit, she never breathed word OF her
trouble. 4 day of Aunt Brown. Marcia
used to say, set her up in virture for half a
wear, and now she took aeven OF them.
"Seven days counsel with an old angel
ought to make an angel of me. But nothing
will ever do that"
Yet when she went home there was some
thing different in Marcia's face frop any
thing that had ever been there before; and
if nobody paid enough heed to observe it,
nevertheless the fact that the hoyden girl
had vanished, and grave and active wo-
man had taken her place-a wonan who
never allowed herself to be still long enough
10 think. She asked for no more dresses !;
she never put ribbon near her; she brush
ed the kink out of her hair as we'll as she
could, and said to herself that it was OF no
use for her to try and look any thing but Il
fright, with one eye hunting up the other
the way hers was-an allusion to slight
cast in her eye that was not all unbecoming
on the whole; of course nobody would think
of falling in love with Cyclops, and Of
course nobody could help loving such 4
rose and lily piece OF beauty as Bess. She
was sure, she thought, she was glnd that
Bess was happy; but, for all that, she cried
sadly about it. Yet after any of these secre,
crying spells she fought her battle with her
self all the more furiously; and although it
wrung her heart, she would insist upon
talking about Philip, and suffer Bessie to
sing his praises on every OCCASION that of.
fered, in fear and trembling all the while
lest voice or face surrendered, and took all
his small kindnesses as a matter OF course.
The winter wore away at last, and Marcia
might have felt her trouble in their behalf,
her self-denial, and the money, or rather
the eggs, that she had spent, all repaid in
the glossy look of her hens, with their red
combs and their nests full of eggs. Those
who are in search of anything can always
find it, and she had secured, in one way and
another, eggs of many Of the choicest breeds,
the hatchings had all turned out well, and
the result was great flock of some of the
fnest-looking birds in the country, among
which troop of black Polanders went
about shaking their full white cresls, and
hardly able to see out OF their eyes. "I'm
sure they're fine" said Marcia. "And as
I'm never going to marry, and shall have to
earn my living in some way, Pll earn ii
this way" And she then announced that
she was going to contribute to. the poultry
show in the city, and waited for snme oppo-
sition.
But they had done with opposing Marcia,
in the matter of hens, in that house. "They
treat me with the silent contempt | de-
serve" she said, lightly. But she bribed
Tom to lp her manufacture Sc; OF coops,
bribed him with a promise that Bessie
should make him box of cookies to take
away with him; for he had begun his study
of medicine, while Phil, who thought the
learned professions already full, was look
ing in vain for something to do in which to
start himself in life. Poor fellow !" thought
Marcia over and over again, "if he only
could get something to do, then tn" engage
ment could be announced, and by-and-bye
they could he married. 1t seemed as
though she herself would be easier when i;
was all over. But there was no prospect OF
it, and Pills outlook was dark enough at
present. She meant to ask him. at some
favorable time, why he didn't 60 out to
Colorado, and, after he had made IL home
there, send for Bessie. She fancied that,
after all, the best thing for her would he not
to be obliged to witness their happiness at
last.
But when Marcia had emptied the better
part of her hennery into the great poultry
show, she felt it necessary to 60 and look
after her interests there, and she sold enougl,
of the common stock at home to pay the ex-
penses of herself and Bessie in the city. Her
mother burst into tears with the thought
of the vulgar pursuits of her daughters
and they left Emily wiping her mothers
eyes.
1t was fine thing, that show, as Marcia
said, trusting Bessie could make out what
she said in the riot of the chanticleers, each
rivalling his unseen opponent. "Just hear
the rumpus those roosters keep up" she
cried. And what with the cackling of the
geese, the quacking of the ducks, the gob-
bling of the turkeys. the clatter Of the
guinea-fowl,' the cooling of the pigeons, and
the screams of the peacocks, the rumpus
was that of Pandemonium itself. But, ex-
cept for the unsightly coops, it was rather a
beautiful Pandemonium-the huge Brah-
mas with their fluff of snowy feathers like
30 many arctic owls, the jet and shining
Creve-ceurs, the silver-spangled Hamburgs
| fine as silk-clad court ladies, the Cochins
with the gloss of dark green enamel on the
blackness OF their plumes, the superb red
Game, the crested, ruffed and bearded Sui.
tans and the little Bantams more important
than the whole Marcia felt all the glory
| of connoisseur and the wealth of pro-
ducer, as she moved through the place, and
recognized her own, and listened to the
clarion calls about her.
She found seat for Bessie at last, and
then went to see the secretary. Phil will
be sure to be here" she said to herself, Csc
long as he knew Bess was coming. He Il
find her, and keep her from being lonely
As she came back with radiant face after
a half hours interview, she saw that hel
prophecy was fulfilled-Phil was there sit.