The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-08-06

instead OF salt, she says. Ierllaps
you will be kind enough to evolve Iii
tie good luck out of this also"
"No," say, decidedly. "It is beyond
my power to see any good luck in haying
your breakfast spoiled"
Il thought so," says Nell, laughing
cit is easy enough to be PHILOSOPHERS
over other peoples woes. but when il
comes to your own it is different mat
ter. Suppose you see how you like il
yourself?" / prophesy that somebody
will invite you to lunch at Delmonico's
and you will have all the more appetite
for not having had any breakfast. Oh
I forgot, though. You can't lunch al
Delmonico's. for you must come home
early to 60 to the picnic. You won't
forget?"
l promise: and then, as the whistle
sounds, catch up my hat, and rush of
to the station, which is only five minutes
walk or three minutes run from oul
house.
Nell and I, as you may judge from the
above conversation, are brother and
sister, and we live alone together, the
jolliest, coziest couple that ever was seen
So every one says, and if there is little
private worm gnawing at the heart OF
one of us, it is never confessed to any
one, least of all to the other. The state
of the case is this: / am a lawyer, with
a tolerable practice for a young man,
Nell is a "tocherless lass" and the in
come which l make just avails, with
care and economy, for the support OF
two. With no amount of figuring OF
calculating can force myself to believe
that it will avail for more. Nell has
never guessed my secret, never shall
guess it until the day comes when it
need be secret no longer. But though
she has never guessed mine, have di-
vined hers long ago. know that the
pearl ring which Nell treasures so fondly
is the gift of young DR.. CASTOR, and
know that Nelrs eyes are brighter and
her smiles shyer and sweeUer when he
is here. He does not come very often,
for the town where he is striving to
build up practice is ten miles away,
and a young doctor must be always upon
the spot. The prospect before him and
Nell is vague-indeed, rs vague as my
own. There is just one possible spot oi
light in our future. Aunt Jane-Aunt
Jane Rumsey-is an old, a very old lady
She is infirm, she is irritable. she is ca
PRECIOUS, but she is rich. We scarcely
know her, for she has never manifested
any affection for us, hardly betrayed a
consciousness of our existence, and Nell
and are no toadies. We are her only
living relations, though, and everybody
says that sooner or later her money must
come to us. We never talk about it.
never build upon it, never mention the
possibility to any one. Why should we
talk of what may come to nothing:
Only-if it ever does!
lapse into thoughts of the little girl
who is waiting patiently up among the
New England hills, in the old college
town where studied-the little girl nj
whose existence Nell has never guessed
Nell, at home, is dreaming Of Miles
CASTOR, whom she is to meet at the pic
mic this afternoon. l must not be late
for the picnic, by-the-way, so l rouse
myself, shake of my dreaming, and &C
to work with will.
When I reach home again, tired in
mind and body from the effects of crowd
ing long days work into less than hall
a day, Nell is not watching for me, as
fully expect to find her. Vainly do ]
search every room of our tiny domicile
vainly do I shout Nell's name from the
top to the bottom of the house; silence
and echo alone answer. It is very
strange, for l had made sure that Mel
would be ready and waiting for me
worrying herself, after her habit, with
vain fears that I had missed the train
We are to start for the picnic at half past
three o'clock, and it now lacks only 8
quarter of three. I am just about tc
Start out on a wild search through the
neighborhood when, from the window
I see her hurrying up to the door. She
has come, evidently, from one of the
neighbors' houses, and her face has s
flushed, frightened look, which for the
moment alarms me.
"Oh, Cyril" she cries, at sight Of me
"I had no idea that it was so late, but
couldn't help it. Oh, Cyril After all
it was the luckiest thing. Those poor
children! If Bridget had not made thai
mistake, we should have eaten them
and there would have been no picnic mol
anything else for u.s."
"Children? Bridget" | exclaim, ir
utter bewilderment is Bridget one O.
the children you are talking about:
And why on earth should we eat her?"
mot Bridgct-Mrs. Lcunsbury's chill
dren. They have been so sick! And
just think, only for Bridget's blunder WE
should have taken them, and then"
my dear Nell, do consider what yor
are saying" cry, aghast. 81 never eat
babies s-never, I do assure you. And il
you are in the habit of doing so pri
vately, pray don't expose yourselfin thi:
way. Public opinion will never sustain
you" :,
"Now let me tell you straight ahead
and without any more nonsense, what
mean, and then must run up and dress
About eleven o'clock I saw the doctor
going into Mrs. Lounsbury's, and O.
course | ran over to see what was thu
matter. found that Teddy and Mamie
had both been taken suddenly and vio
lentlv i'll. When the doctor came HI
asked what they had been eating. i
seems that Mrs. Lounsbury bought al
that left of the lot of mushrooms which
a man brought to our doors yesterday
You know how delighted I was to ge
them, and how vexed we both were tha
Bridget spoiled the steak by her stupi(
blunder."
Neli's face is quite white as she ends
and for Newell, there are pleasantcl
ways OF departing this life, even if yol
are ready to do so, than by means O
toad-stools.
How are the children?" ask, aftel
rejecting for few minutes upon our es
cape:
'Oh, they are out of danger now,
says Nell. Il left Bridget over there tt
help them, for they have all been NOR.
or less sick. Now I must 60 up an(
dress. I'm going to dazzle you when
come down; but you need not be alarmed
splendor. You will be dazzled, but no
ruined"
Perhaps some one else may be ever
more dazzled than l." say; and Mel
laughs and runs away, blushing very
prettily.
Ten minutes afterward there is q crasf
and 4 shrek overhead. I fly up, fou
steps at time, to find Nell lying on tn,
floor beneath the ruins of wardrobe
which she had somehow managed II
pull over upon herself. The war!rob
is in such state of universal smash tina
it is very easy to clear away the wrecl
and raise Nell in my arms. She open
her eyes as I lay her upon her bed, ant
asks, family: "What is it? Has tn
world come to an end?"
Not just yet" I reply; "but wha
have You been doing?"
Then her senses came back to her. ant
she raises herself upon her right elbow
1T was the wardrobe" she says. g.