Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-09-23
SOPHIE'S ORDEAL.

w llte. " SAID Eleanor holSeY, witt
broad, blue sashes, and iorget-me-not
in our hair. Every graduate to wear {
turquoise locket around her neck, and tt
have six-buttone1 white kid gloves
stitched with pale blue on the backs
Madam Imogene herself showed me the
design
s'Won't it he exquisiteP" said Fanny
Wi.loughby, clasping her plump hands
Tie seven young girls who were that
day mcnth to graduate from Clarendon
under the bowery beeches on the lawn
seven fair, human pearls, happily un.
conscious of all the pitfalls and trials oi
the life that lay before them seven half
opened blossoms, basking in the sun.
haunting shadow had followed them.
While on the shores of the calm river
below, the other children played and
shouted, care Vi not to disturb the pri-
vacy of the graduating class"
"But," said cautious Rosa Hillgrove,
&c will it be expensive ?'
ssNot at all," said Eleanor, loftily
"Imogene " will furnish them for hun
dred dollars each, as there are seven oi
us. And"
been absorbed in a letter which the
blue-ribboned parlor-maid had brought
her. looked gravely up.
"Wait a minnie, Eleanor" said she.
ell am afraid | cannot afford 80 ex-
peDsive a Dress
What nonsense, Sophie!" called out
Miss Kesley. You, the heiress, to
talk about not afording q paltry hun
dred-dollar costume"
"But | am an heiress no longer"
said Sophie, with a curious quiver in
her voice. "This letter is from my
guardian, Colonel Moody. 1t seems
something is wrong about some invest
ments that have been made, and-and j
am as poor as any factory-girli / must
go out as governess, suppose, or com
panion, or something of that sort. ]
don't know that / can even stay here
long enough to GRADUATED"
She burst into tears. with her fair
face hidden in her hands.
For a second or two the other six
members of the graduating class sat
looking at one another in dire dismay.
Then Eleanor Kelsey sprang up and
, threw her arms impetuously about
Sophie's dropping neck.
"You shall do nothing of the sort,
darlingw she cried. You shall come
and live always with me. l never had
q sister, and l shall treasure you with
the fondest Affection
But Sophie shook her head.
No, Eleanor" she said; 6 I must go
home at once"
And she went; and Mrs. Clarendon s
graduating class only numbered six that
year.
4 )Colonel Moody was grim and uncom-
hunicative. The loss of the invest
ments, he stoutly maintained, was no.
body 8 fault. No one could have fore
seen the shrinkage of stock; no human
provision could have guarded against
the calamity. It was the fortune OF
war, neither more nor less.
Sophie Seyton went to her aunt, a
Mrs. Medbury Moore, who had always
declared that she loved her darling
niece as ii she we're her-own child.
Dear aunt" she said, you will at
least give me a homep'
I'm very sorry, my DEAR" said Mrs
Medbury Moore, but your uncle has
been unfortunate in business, and We
are com PEELED to retrench ia every pos.
sible way. An additional member o.
our family, just at this time, would be
an absolute impossibility."
"But what shall dof" appealed pool
Sophie.
"Oh, get situation somewhere, my
dear,n said Mis-. Medbury Moore, smil
ing sweetly. Amy girl who has re-
ceived SO expensive an education a
yours ought to be Independent of thu
world"
"Shall advertiser" said Sophie.
"My dear, really know nothing o
the way people do such things" sait
Mrs. Medbury Moore, beginning t,
grow impatient.
So Sophie advertised, but apparentl,
no one wanted either governess or
-s'well- 8 qualified ladies' companion"
Her little stock of money began T.
dwindle. Her earnings failed her. No
one of her relatives cared to assume th
burden of her support. No one els
took the responsibility of advising her
One day she timidly entered the plate
glass doors of mammoth fancy store
and asked Tor the proprietor.
" Miss Seyton, isn't itp'' said MI
Makemoney, who had sold many bi
OF goods to the heiress. "Pray, wins
can | do for you this evening, Miss Sey
tori"
. Perhaps" besitated poor, shrinkin
Sophie, +" you can help me 10 situation
Il there should bea vacancy among yol
lady clerks :"
How--har said Mr.. Makemone
feeling Of his lank check, thoughtful