Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-07-26

blind. 1t was a lovely evening toward the
end of May, and she was enjoying lazy
half-hOur after tea. "He is writing articles
for some paper-a series of social notes-and
he is justnoW at the Trafalgar Square stage
Marian accepted the account of the young
mans appearance upon the stage of her sis
ter's life in the same spirit of simple faith
in which Penelope offered it. To both Of
them, and to most of their friends, the idea
that any ulterior motive must exist would
never have presented itself, and if fsuggested
by others, would have been rejected as alb
surd.
Tom listened patiently to the lectures on
art, quite unconscious that Penelope was
addressing through him the average news.
paper reader, and thus educating the mass
es AS he never volunteered any remarka
to his profession or means OF livelihood, II
was obviously unnecessary for her to make
any suggestion concerning the one or the
other but having framed her theory, she
found no difficulty in fitting in with it alike
his actions and his words. 1t would be diff
ficult to overrate the peculiar charm Which
Penelope's quick, active spirit eXerted over
the slower, calmer mind thus brought into
frequent contact with hers but tits not her
intellectual superiority which attracted him
but rather her attitude towards life. He
had never before, among allthe comfortable
rich people who were his daily associates,
met with anything like the keen apprecla-
ton of the simplest pleasure, the intense
endowment of the most ordinary beauties,
which he found in this girl, whom a sunset
sky, waltz played by German band, Or a
few lines of poetry, seemed to move to sud;
den, unaffected happiness. If she worked
hard, the light of intense earnestness made de
the hours of toll bright with hope, and filled
the playtime with the sunshine of glad.
ness too real to be for an instant conscious
or obtrusive.
''I wonder if there is anything you don't
like, Miss Thursby," he. said, one hot day
in June, when she had laid aside her work
for a few minutes.
''Thousands of things" she answered
quickly "but why think Of them? Three
years ago, when my sister and [ first began
to consider life seriously, we decided that
the best way Of being useful was to work
lust as hard as we could, and to be as happy
between whiles as life would allow us, and
besides," she stopped suddenly, 81 am 60
ing to dance on the 28th, and I do love
dancing"
"I did not know you cared for it,"
"It is a fancy dress ball have never
seen one, and l am so glad Mrs. Burlington
asked u.s."
"Mrs. Burlington-oh, shall be there"
"I am glad" her eyes danced with de:
light. "Shall you be in fancy dress: What
do you mean to be 2"
"I think shall go as fool" said Tom
grimly. His sister was not yet forgiven for
insisting upon his presence. Il shall proDa-
bly, be the only man there who can look the
part he has undertaken"
Penelope remembered this speech when,
a fortnight later, she saw the uneasy aspect
of the men who, decked in strange array,
asked her to dance, or solemnly paraded
past her, some with complete consciousness
and open defiance of public opinion as to
their absurdity, some with unconcealed
shamefacedness, and some with jaunty self
confidence. The women, who were in the
majority, enjoyed the situation amazingly
and contrived, apparently at least, to lose
the sense of their own absurd and incon-
gruous costumes in the contemplation OF
their neighbors. Toms eyes scanned the
motley crowd eagerly for the tall figure
and stately repose, and it was consequent
shock to him to discover Penelope, dressed
in short silk skirt and fiOWered chintz,
and Waltzing with avery unnautical-lOoklng
sailor. He had plenty of opportunity Tor
watching her face, across which dozen
smiles were fitting, some of them lingering
and deepening into laughter, as her com.
panion talked energetically and Waltzed
Ianguidly. Tom felt an unwarrantable de-
gree of anger at the good understanding be.
tween the two, and almost came to the con-
clusion that keen enjoyment of life, when
displayed in the society of other people,
may have its drawbacks.
When the waltz was over, and Penelope
had smiled at him, he made his way across
the room to her, and asked her for a dance,
in a way which made the sailor feel, as it was
probably intended to do, that his presence
was unnecessary, and caused him rapidly tc
disappear. :,
"Do you call that a fancy dress ?" said
Penelope, pointing to row or two OF gold
braid on TOMS dress-clotheS. "lt is mere
sham all the same | am glad," with re-
membrance as to his sensitiveness about
money, "that you are not dressed up like
some of the Others"
ment of responsibility for his doings in this
speech, which went to Toms heart and
gratified it; but Penelope was only actuated
by a desire to what she felt to be IL false
move.
"May ask what you are?"
She looked at him with affected surprise.
"Don't you see am Mary, Mary, quite
contrary? You ought to have recognized
my silver bells and cockle-shells," as she
pointed to the ornaments Of her costume
nor was the pretty maid wanting to com
plete the rhyme, as the smiles brought Out
the dimples in her rosy cheeks, and her eyes
danced to the music.
81 am afraid / was very stupid, but eX
pected to see you in classical dress"
'"To draw the attention of the world tt
my un-Greek profle,"' turning her face SC
that he saw the outline of an. unclassical
but most charming nose. "The power o.
recognizing and submitting to the inevita
BILE is the mark of the true artist. How
well you Dance" she said, after they had
Joined the crowd, and paused for the want
of space. "It is nice, isn't 2"
Tom agreed cordially, but dances were
hardly the sources of keen enjoyment tC
him that they were to his partner.
81 wonder if you ever did anything very
wicked" she went on after pause, "anC
if you found it successful. There are some
roses in the refreshment-room that | an
dying to steal ; but if take them | an
afraid they will be dead before tomorrow
"Why are those special roses SO charm
ing?"
"Just the color for my picture. / an
painting in the cloisters at Westminster
and l must have some bits of color on tht
grey stone, and these are too perfect"
Toms interest in the roses faded as M
heard of the Westminster cloisters. If sh'
was painting there it was obviously impos
sible that she should also be in the Nationa
Gallery, whence he had missed her durin!
the last fortnight.
"Marian," said Penelope, as they drove
home in a hanson in the early dawn o
June, "my converted Journalist was there