New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-07-29

But Sophia, whose impulsive and explosive
heard of her childish escapadee nsw replied by :
most excited outburst OF appeal her exuberans
figure. which no dexterty Of dreesma6ing and no
splendor OF combined satns ana velyets could turn
less unwicldy and cumbrous, bowed and swaycd
till you almost heard the seams OF Its rich garb
crack their stitches under the fcshly disturbance
to which she subjected them.
Claire! Claire % she CALCULATED hdre insuted
you. But you'll forgive mel know you WIZ:
horrid Ada Gerard and her set SO finely years aeo
You were good then-yes, just as good as gold, and
I'm sure y You're lust exactly as good still: Ngw.
about You only few days since. PAS dead. you
know-but suppose you don't Yes, said to Ma
that Pa give anything to find out what had become
Off Poor, Pa left ever so much money. Hes been
dead nearly three years. There's nobody but Me
house. Now. Claire just stop! You shan't go.
Yes, you shalt! III be YOU, frisnd There:
know I was always ayfully fond Of you.
!! never knew any g'rl l was half 70
dreadful dress You came to school first. But that
didn't matter. You were LADY born. and you
IT. no hsoI Ia s 70 aoU
they did / see some of Them quito often. Ada
Gerrards great swell. as they say now. She gives
Park or on the Avenue But you're twice the lady
she is. Yes, Claire, mean It, KISS me. now. won't
Kiss me aud be friends"
Claire had succumbed several minutes before this
eager TRADE was ended. Her anger bad fed. She
let SOPHIA pat both arms abo1t her She returned
Sophia's kiss; Then she leaned her head upon the
another access of tears. But they were quiet tears.
this time The hysteric impulse had wholly
passed. A little later she told Sophia, with as
much placid directness as she could manage, every
important detail Of the hard, dreary life lived since
the two had last met.
while she thus spoke, the extraordinary charm OF
her manner and the distinct loneliness OF her del:
icats yet notable beauty more than once thrilled
her listener. Sophia's old worship, II tho term be
not too strong returned in full force. She had
by Claire as the phrase goes In earlier days
She was prepared to swear by her still The story
OF M Twnings death and the d,soya, depoat
BY the time that Clare had finished her gloomy
recital, the two girls were seated close together
waste was fsryialy clasping Claire's.
sYon did perfectly right" Sophia at length ex-
claimed, after the pause had come, and while her
| lips " Your, poor father! To bury him that way
| 1t was irghtful And You told her you'd do any,
thing on earth for her sue only nt yo nps
| ollect telling about him. one rccess when
gave you half my sarGine- sandwichf You said ho
was gentleman by birth, and had come OF limo
swell looks FROM Claire. Yes, you are swell even
though you've got on clothes that didn all to-
gether az much as one yard of mine Why, Just
look at me- I'm awkward and clumsy. exactly as
| was at Mrs. Arcularius's. III never be any
different. And yet spend loads ana loads OF
money on my things do, really! But gracious
goodness there you sit, with your sweet pure lace
shaped like a heart, and your hair that's got the
same bright sparkle through Its brown that used
TO have and those long eyelashes over those black
blue kind of eyes and that cunning lttle dimPIe
| IN your chin add those long, slender, iadyllke
bands 49,
Here Claire stopped her. with sad smile and o
shake of The head She spread out one hand, hold
ing It mp for scrutiny. at the same moment. .,d
Don't talk of my hands, SOPHIA, she ssid.
They've been doing hard work since you saw
| them last"
| two of her own. She gazed down at their inner
portion for moment. and then suddenly exclaimed.
Work. Why. they're not hard bit. oh, Claire.
you've worn gloves all the time you worked:
Claire smiled in a furtive way But size spoke
with simple fraukness the next instant. Well,
yes SOPHIA she said, hare worn gloves as often
as could wanted TO save my hands. Some OF
| the girls at Mrs Arcuarius's used to call them
manage msng; IT. don't mind telling you so. But
thought they must have lost every trace OF nice
| looks by this time" ,,,
| holding. palm upw ard and she held it so that
every inner detail. from wrist to fnger-tps could
| not possibly escape notice.
| inside there" commented Sophia. Its funny,
| Claire. | never saw it in any other giIPs hand
before. It's Just like the rosecolor at The edge Of
a she'll. Upon my word it is! 1 don't care straw
what work you've been doing; you've got hands
like well, | was going to say like queen BUT
m nanG again ia " " Here's Ma. Don't mind Ma.
She'll be nice. She always is nice when want her
Iady had inst entered the small brilliantly-ap.
pointed room In which Claire and Sophia had thus
far held their rather noteworthy CONVERSE. iho
lady was Mrs. Bergemann.
She was exceedingly stout; both in visage and
form she looked like matured and intenslhed
Sophia. As far as features went she w0nderfully
rese,obled her daughter. Every undue trait OF
plumpness in Sophia's visage was reproduced by
Mrs. Bergemann Win SORT OF iaela Sor r
comic malady. Her good-n atured eyes sparkled
between two creases OF 1t her loose fuil chin re-
yealed more than one fold OF It, She was by no
means alfred like a widow OF recent bereavement.
She wore bonnet IN which there was no violence
of coloring; il was purple and brown, put AZ ihe
game time 50 severely Ia mode that II any symbol
urked behind its decorative fantasies, this must
have ssnided the soothing influences OF resignation
She had heard her daughters last words. She was
devoted TO Sophia; it was an allegiance wed with
pride she bad been a poor German glri. years ago.
aud had drifted, through the chance oil matrimohy,
into her present opuent place. She was by nature
meek and conciliatory all Sophas temper and
temerity had come from her father. who had COM
bined large superficial gOOd-humor with notorious
intolerance of the least fanced wrong: Sophla's
last words had embarrassed her. She had no idea
who Claire was. but the evident cofdiality OF Her
daughters department produced the effect Oh o
II shant go driving Ma" Sophia exclaimed.
after she had made Clare and her mother ac-
qualnted "rll stay at lhome and talk of old times
with Claire Twnng. Poor Claire's IN trouble. Ma.
| won't tell you about 1t YET You go on IN the
carriage-that is, if IL ever comes but I'm AFRAID
we'll have to discharge Thomas; he's always be-
hind time" A. p
mann She spoke without the slightest German
accent; this had persisted long ago; She was look
inc nj Clare with the manner of one who has
hasn deeolv attracted. "Pve often heard you
m.ntion Miss Twining,n she went on. You was
talking of her only the lother day. wasn't you,
aYes.n said Sophia. rising. She went to her
mother and spoke few low words which Clare
quite failed to hear The prompt result OF this IN
tercourse was Mrs. Bergemann's exit from the
room. Sophia followed hsr to the door. with ono
hand laid upon her shoulder.
SAL right Ma she said pausing moment on
the threshold. "You go and take your drive. III
stay and chat with Claire" .