The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-11-05
IN THE ORGAN-LOFT.

The light of a September suuset lay
full on the elm-tree boughs. and check
cred the pavement below with soft rosy
elooms, when cab from the station
stopped in front of the quaint brick
building which did duty as seminary u y
to the Bracey theological students. and
a young girl got out Of it. Even-song
was in progress. From the ornate little
Gothic chapel which stood at right an
gles with the long wing where the stu
dents housed, sounded Gregorian
chant, rendered by chorus of fresh
manly voices. A little strip of closely
shayen lawn divided the chapel from the
street. It's smooth green was broken
now by long bars of pink light, and here
and there q Redeemed leaf on the ivy
above glowed like a carbuncle in the
sunset fire. 1t was pretty and peace
full scene. not at all resembling her pre-
conceived ideas of what America was
going to be, thought Aimee Trcnchard,
as, after dismissing her cabman, she
paused a moment on the doorstep be-
fore ringing the bell. A bird; shadow
fitted across the illuminated grass; the
chant softened and died; sleepy twit-
ter was audible in the trce-tops. From
the far distance came the soft Ginning OF
a bell. The sweet bell note and the
dewy silence won her attention SO long
that black -gowned figures began to pour
out of the chapel before sheremembered
what she had to do. Then she rang, and
entered, but not SO soon rs to be unob-
served, and young Chasuble poked his
,chum in the rios and whispered, Hey!
What's that? A visitor 10 the doctor!
It must be that girl from Nova Scotia.
the deans daughter, you know, I'll tell
you what, she's pretty
Faith rather than vision prompted this
statement, but Frank Chasub BILE was jus
titled in making it. nevertheless. Aimee
was pretty, very pretty. With the slen-
der swaying figure which. with her
rame, she had inherited from her Cana
dian mother, she combined that beauty
so especially the dover of English girls,
a complexion Of unequaled fairness
true roses and cream-and lips rs fresh
and red as; a dewy clove-pink. Her hair
had golden glints in it, and waved ma
turally back from a white forehead,
beneath whose pencilled brows looked
out pair of clear eyes, as blue and fear
less as child's, in whose regard limo
ccnce and ignorance were charmingly
combined. For Amiee had been brought
up in solitude by shy bookworm of q
father, and a gentle rectangular old aunt
and this was absolutely her first peer
into the wider world which Law beyond
her guarded school-room bound. DIR
Bracey, an old college friend Of Canor
Trenehard's, had taken Nova Scotia, tn
wear before, as the objective point of hi:
summer vacation, and had then anC
there fallen in love in q fatherly wa!
with his friends daughter. Poor dea
little thing, "he called her in his thoughts
for she seemed to him cooped up ant
lonely, quite unlike the girls he was il
the habit Of seeing al home, and he plie'
her father with entreaties and arguments
till at length he won reluctant consen
for visit to ",the States" during the en-
suing year. This visit. for one reasol
and another, had been postponed til
now, so here was Aimee just arrived
with three months of delightful novelt
and adventure before her, and bringin
a heart as unhackneyed rs baby's t
meet them, whatever they might prov
TO hold.
AS may we'll be imagined, her adver
created a tumult among the brace
Bows" Absorbed as these young gentle
men were supposed to be in devotions
observance and theological lore, intcl
vals more or less existed during which
was both possible and natural to motto
the propinquity of a pretty glrl' an
when both prettiness and propinqult
were so unusual, these intervals becam
more rather than less. Aimee ha
hardly been there a week, had attende
maths and even-song not more than
dozen times under the wing of demul
Mrs. Bracey, before half the seminar
were her a7owked slaves, and the 9th
half showed symptoms ofyielding. Ol
and all, in greater or less degree, we
charmed with the fresh beauty Of Il
Young English girl and expressed 1t ::
their different ways, by action, or
silence, which is sometimes as eloquel
a thing as action.
Aimee enjoyed her honors modest
and meekly. A little consciousne
crept gradually into the frank eyes,
shade'of innocent coquetry, perhaps, IN
the manner-that was all and no har
either, pronounced DR.. Bracey. as
watched this gradual unfolding of t
womanly instinct. He loved the 81
and it pleased him to see her havi
"a good Time" after the fashion OF b
age and sex. "It will do her all sorts
good" meditated this worldly-wise 9
theoiogue. with q chuckle, and
rubbed his hands approvingly.
Simple DR.. Bracey! The momenta
amusement of his protege was all ne q
in his mind. 1t did not occur to h
that happiness, most happiness; has
be paid for in one shape or another. a
that the settling day, when it comes,
rarely pleasant one. Among the cro'
of admirers is always one who star
pre-eminent in girls fancy: In Aime
this one was Frank Chasuble. He v
the flandsomest young fellow in the Sc
mary, for one thing. His views y
"high," but thatwas no objection to
church. loving girl; and as the only s
of a rich man. he had it in his power
express and adorn these views with
the ornamental touches with VIII
modern arts essays to decorate an q
tere faith. Nobody wore such wal
coats as he; bis bands were miracles
fneness; the little Cross at bis butte