The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1885-11-11
A SPRING CLEANING.

For whole week Number two Bred
gar Villas, Camberwell Now Road, had
been turned "upside down and inside
OUT as poor MIR. Clayton declared,
"till there was no rest for the sole of
ones foot" and each morning ss ho
started to catch his train Mt Kenning-
ton Church with his son, he vowed
that mover again would he undergo the
agonies of "a spring clean" But the
afternoon of the last day ut length mr.
rived, and Mrs. Clayton and Wini-
fred, her daughter, with their ono
servant, were busy as bees putting the
finishing touches 10 the household ar
rangements, though it must bo said
that Winnie, who had just finished her
last term at boarding-scho and who
Yves not yet fairly domesticatcd, was a
more ornamental than useful element.
However. she had not been idle, and
at last all was finished, and rather tir-
ed and flushed with her eycrtions,
Winnie went upstairs after somewhat
makcshift dinner with the best intcn-
tions possible of clearing out tho closet
in her room.
If it had been linen-closct, or a
chna-closot, or preserve closet, or
anything but tho closet it was, there is
no telling what Winnie might have ac-
complished.
But those four rows of dresses.
hanging smoothly down from their re-
spectiyo pegs, proved fatal. They
were dresses of her ante-boarding-
school period, and she had had hardly
aglimpse OF them for two years or
more.
Trying them on came next, in tho
natural course of affairs.
1t was an amusing process. They
were wocfully out OF style, most Of
them buttoncd bolind, nouc of them
reached below the tops of her shoes ;
but it was very absorbing, and she
could hardly believe her ears when she
heard her mother calling to her up the
stairs to como down TO tea.
She was arrayed at that moment in
white spotted muslin. which she re-
memScrcd 10 havo worn for the first
time on her fourteenth birthday.
1t had q sash which tied in an impos-
ing bow behind; it had n row of whito
pearl buttons down tho back; and it
was several inches shorter than-sup-
posing there had been anybody to OBJ
would have been strictly desir-
able.
Winnie giggled. A sudden idea had
struck her. She pulled out her hair
pins hastily, braided her hair in q long
taH, and tied it with blue ribbon;
che had discovered string Of coral
beads in her drawer-sho had worn it
at the ago of six-and put it on; and
then she gigglcd again delightcdly, and
went downstairs.
Her little plan was, to n certain OK
tent, highly successful.
Her father looked at her with cXact-
ly tho degree of bcwildermcnt she had
anticipated; her mother set down tho
teapot and guzcd ut her in just tho as
tonishcd, half-rcmonstrating way she
had known she would do; her brother
George emitted the explosive chucklo
she had expected. But there her tri-
umph ended.
For next her own vacant place,
spreading his napkin across his knee,
and regarding her calmly from pair
Of handsome blue eyes, there sat
young man whom she had never seon
before
Undor ordinary circumstances Win
nio would have been rather gratiiicd
than otherwise at the unexpected APP
pearance Of nice looking young
man.
But now the blood ruehed to her
face In torrents. her breath camo in
gasps; the light fairly danced before
lcr eyes.
Thro was nothing to DC done. She
was halfway across the room; they
were all looking at her; the precipi-
tate flight which she had mcditatod
for n wild moment was not to be
thought of.
She clutched friendly chair to
steady herself, darted fierce glance
at George, who was stufling his napkin
into his mouth, and advanced as ma
jestcally as hor limited skirts would
allow.
"My friend, Tom Bradley. You've
heard me speak OF him, Winnie. My
sister," said George from behind his
napkin.
Mr.. Bradley turned his blue eyes up
on the figure Mt his side.
1t had twisted its chair away from
him as far as possible; 1t was bending
low over its plate; 1t was evidently
bashful
The young man smiled patcrnally
"Do you go to, SCHOOL," he began, In
the patronizing tone young men as
sumo toward small girls.
WinHIc HlUtUlUTcu SOuucthiuy iuhuui@
blyj--Georgo gave q violent snicker,
and covered 1t hastily with cough.
Tom Bradley, being kind-hoarted
fellow, and unwilling TO SEQ anybody
uncomfortable, talked industriously to
his titnid neighbor. Ia tho hope Of re-
lieying her embarrassment though she
was certainly tho most dillident child
he had ever seen. But ho Observed
and II was an unusual thing, he said
to himself, Ia girls at that Interesting
ago--thet she was decidedly pretty.
well, we're very good friends ale
ready, aren't woPn ho said oncourag-
ingly, as they arose from the table.
There was no response other than q
sudden swish through tho air of
brown braid tied With blns ribbon,
and glimpse OF short, wbitr akirt
t,sJysfs0 through the door.
WhaE pecntIav llttle glsl ehe wasl
n ke had ecen her at thel rlonqiss.