Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-09-27
in hurry. l shall have to sit up till mid
night every night to finish them."

| y
"Indeed!" said Major TriXOn.
"One is from Miss Ida Hedge and one
from her sister BERTHA" said Agatha; and
now Miss Bruce"
"Miss Bruce, eh ?" said the major. Cant
she make her own shirts without bringing
them here?"
"I don't know" sighed Agatha.
"She is the naughty young woman, sup,
pose, who was domineering over you just
now?" ,.
she means to be unkind, but"
"No, no-of course not" said Major TriX'
on, dryly. "Only she treated you as If you
belonged to an inferior race of creatures"
AS he spoke he stopped over the bed and
lifted the pillows SO as to alter the invalid's
position.
"Is that any easier, my little man ?" said
he. "And now the doctor is here | will
leave you for awhile"
Indeed, SIR" said poor Mrs. Fontaine,
"you are very kindW
'"Kind?" he repeated, brusquely. 'Noth:
ing OF the sort. Kind? Ought we not al!
to be kind to each other? And now good
EVENING""
He paused minute, however, by
Agatha table.
$50" said he, "these are the shirts!"
And with delicate pencil he drew a
tiny cross in blue lead upon each one.
"These are what you call the neck-bind-
ing, aren't they?" said he. "That mark
will do no harm. See, it is so small that no
one would notice it but ourselves. / only
want to identify these articles if | should
ever see them again. Good evening, Miss
Agatha! Mind you don't sit too close at
your needlew
And the major took his brown face and
sturdy, tall figure out of the twilight room.
The shirts came to the Western packing
box in time. Major Trixon eyed them
critically.
"My old mother used to say" said he,
"that well-made shirt was the criterion
of a woman's ability to make a good wife.
These shirts are disgraces to the POrtville
girls-all except three, and each one of the
three is marked with a tiny blue cross on
the inside of the neck binding"
And Major TriXon chuckled as he packed
the shirts into the big, wooden box.
Helmet Miss Bruce on the favorite prom
enade an hour or SO subsequently. She
smiled sweetly into his face.
II hope you were suited with the shirt,
MAJOR" she said.
"It was beautifully made," he answered.
"I can assure you," she simpered, ''that |
worked most diligently upon it,"
His dark eyes seemed for minute to
read her very soul.
Involuntarily she blushed and turned her
face away.
"Can ne know" she thought, ''that
sent it to Miss Fontaine to be made?"
The velvet-eyed Hedge twins were not
far off; they advanced to meet him, with
cherry cheeks and plumed hats to match.
ooh, Major Trixon," said they, "did you
find out that we didn't make 'em at all I:
Mamma would be Mortified if she knew
that we told you. But we couldn't get the
gussets and the cores right, and we prick
ed our fingers, and lost our tempers, and"
"And so you sent them to Miss Fontaine,
eh?" laughingly questioned the major.
"HoW did you knoW?" said Ida, with
wide open eyes.
''But don't tell mamma" added Bertha.
ooh, know q good many things" said
the major, smiling. "And 1 assure, you
that your secret is quite safe with me-"
Agatha Fontaine was walking absently
along, with her face bent downward and
her eyes fixed on the ground. She scarcely
saw the major until he paused in front of
her, then her cheek kindled into sudden
fire.
'N1ajor Trixonv' she cried. ''The very
one wanted to seen
s'Can be Of any service, Miss Fontaine"
"The doctors bill, she said, coloring. ut
is so much more than we expected; and
and if you would lend us a little, Major
Trixon, would be so glad to repay it in
sewing"
81 will lend you the money, Miss Fon-
taine," he said "but as for sewing"
"Your housekeeper may find something
for me to do," said she, wistfully.
He returned.
"Let me walk along by your side" said
he. "IIet me tell you, Miss FOntaine, how
closely have studied your character since
first Rideau took me to your sick brothers
bedside. Let me confess to you how dearly
1 have learned to love you-hOw truly to re-
spect your noble nature. l am rough,
brusque old fellow, know, but believe |
could make you happy if you would but al
low me to hope for your love ?"
"But me !" cried she, breathlessly-"me,
who am but poor sewing..girl y" -,
81 love you, he said, simply. 81 could
do no more than that if you were a crowned
queen"
So he married her, and the once poverty
stricken family lived in the brown house
now opposite the park, where hot-house
flowers scent the rooms, and birds sing to
amuse the crippled boy, while every luxury
smooths his early-saddened path.
And Miss Erminia Bruce never knew
that her deceit about the special unit of the
twelve shirts, which had fallen to her lot,
was the straw which turned the current of
Major TriXon's fancy. He liked and ad-
mired her before; he could never do so
again. And Agatha Fontaine was so good,
and so innocent, and true !!
And, above all things, a wife's nature
must be true At least so reasoned our ma
jor, and he was no mean judge of human
ature-Helen Forest GrureS.