The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1881-10-20

life had been q failure all the way
through.
'-" Charlotte, she said, to the lat
ter. I'm going to sing at a con,
cert next Wednesdays
you = echoed the widow. You ii
fail, for a certainty
.'s- 4 can try said Margaret, with
Auttering sigh.
Your voice is we'll .enou gb,' said
the sister, disparagingIy; 'but it
has no volume. And you never
will have the confidence to sing
before an audience.' sn...
The tears came into Margaret o
eyes. -...... 81. ~:
Il must do something, Char-
lotte,' said she. We cannot live
on as we are living now. We are
in debt everywhere, and since the
doctor bas.prescribed dainties for
pamma | haven't known where
to look for the money to buy them
with .,...
Perhaps / shall get something
to do soop,' said Charlotte.
But, in the meantime? 2 said
Margaret, with q sorrowful up
lifting Of her eyebrows. ....
She was a magnanimous little
tting.this hard-worked, pale-faced
visiting governess, or she would
have reminded her elder sister
that sitting all day with curl pa
pered locks and dog's-eared nov
els was no way to- obtain a4ucra,
tive situation Of any sort.
.!'lt's very hard on me-, said
Mrs. Ashton, who pat with de-
votional book 10 her lap and a
bunch of grapes on q china plate
beside her. If Margaret had been
like any one else. she .wonld: have
made . brilliant match long ago.
Margaret did not remind her
mother how she. had discarded,
Basil Hepburn long ago, because
he was not sufficiently aristocratic
aud wealthy to sHit Mrs. Ashton s
lofty ideas-and how Mr.. Hep.
burn had since become q rich man,
and aman of mark
II. he knew how very poor we
arc,' said Marguerite herself, with
q sigh, 4 think hewould be sorry.
But.i could not tell him; and now
that he has gone to travel in
Egypt and up the Nile, .itisn't
likelyI shallSevere see him again
You haven't any more voice
than a sparrow said Mrs. Ash
ton. 9, s : i
You have. never cultivated
whaE little you have, said Mrs.
Charlotte and the idea of your
standing. up to. sing among those
professional 7ocalists is simply
preposterous! ..
- But Margaret stood valisntly
to her colors, and when the event
full night arrived she stood there
on the velvet-covered platform, in
her weli-worn black silk, .softoned
by lunches Of pale pink rosebuds,
and a drapery of misty black lace,
a spray of rosebuds in her hair,
and an intent look in her soft
brown eyes.
" Now don't fall Mrs. Allenby
had whispered, as the porticrors
of crimson velvet we're lifted jGr
her: to pass out the mimic stage.
: -sNo,' she answered, quietly, i
shall not fail
But, for an instant, as she faced
the brilliant audience, the futter
Of fans, the fash ofdiamonds, the
glitter of the toot-lights seemed to
blind and dazzle her; a suffocatlng
sensation arose in her throat
i am going to fall she thought,
aad the recollection Of Charlotte's
disma! prophesies occurred to her
her mothers representations
ofevil, her own tormenting doubts.
= 4 will not fail!' she said to her
SELF, and advancing boldly into the
little arena, she faced the circle Of
intent eyes, and began to sing.
Sweet and clear, like the liquid
notes of a lark, her voice scared
up, until, forgetting her own
identity in that of Oonizettl's
Swiss heroine, she became almost
inspired and at the close per-
feet shower of bouquets ra'red
down upon the stage at her feet
an ovation of voices rang mp again
and again in deafening applause
But Margaret was conscious only J
of one thing-she had not failed.
i L =.