The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-02-03

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It plaves among the reeds and tail
grasses or the bank and ran lightly up
the slope toward the white mansion on
the hillside, fiuttering the vines TIA;
fringed the wide piazza where . group
of Young girls sat chatting. resting. or
buSying themselves with dainty needle
work.
..Whss a delicious breeze exclaimed
Florenca Freeman. rising rs she spoke.
The slender. thoughtful-looking yo&Hg
man reclining unseen in the depths OF I
large easy chair Just within one OF the
long windows glanced up from the
pages OF book in which he had been
absorbed, and his dark eyes followed
her'graceful figure adulirlnglv.
1T sets me wild to be doing some
thing" she continued, pacing up ami
down the long porch. DO you know,
girls" pausing abruptly. were set
ot slaveS:?"
20. Fiorrye" exclaimed a laughing
~ &c, .snow don't give us 4 lecture on
romsn's rights"
Never fear: that isn't what | was
x,inking OF. We are hindered by cir
cun,stances from being and doing what
We feel is within us to be and 90.
Listen, girls" interrupted another
oice, "Florry is on her high horse.
Now we shall see some prancing.
Laugh away" returned Florence.
I'm in earnest. Why must We. be-
cause we happen to have drifted into .
sertain channel, or because particular
-. -,l 10, N,- f,-InnHs
drift on down the stream or keep on IN
the same course to the bitter end. even
though we must smother the best there
is in our natures in doing so?
Intense feeling emphasized her words,
and her unseen listener found himself
wondering what personal experience
had prompted them. Amy Gray lifted
her eyes.
DUTY is often unpleasant, she said,
''but it is best, after all. to have a settled
plan and purpose and cling to them
through everything. Think what chaos
would result if we al followed our own
inclinations and, worse than that,
whatever might for the moment be our
ruling passion.
Florence did not answer for q mo-
ment; her eyes We're rowing across the
wide sweep of the river, where 1 white
sail glimmered in the afternoon sun
shine.
20, yes; there must be pl&ns, OF
course, and they mus be carried out. or
nothing would be accomplished. But
take special cases. There is cousin Dora,
for instance. Why must she give up
her painting to marry Fred Long mere
" because she promised to when L mere
child, and didn't know what she want
ed2 OF course l don't say &nything
against Fred He is good as god, but
he can't appreciate her talents. Why,
he has begun TO interfere with her plans
already. Says she works too steadily,
and wants her to give up some work
she had undertaken ID order TO be mar
ried sooner. She only laughed over It.
OF course she wouldn't say anything,
but we can all see she GocSn love him.
How can she, when he has no sympathy
with her on that subject: Now, why
can't she say so. and be free?
She feels her responsibility. SAID
Amy's soft voice. She knows how de-
voted Mr.. Long is to her. -
"Sh-h! here she comes whispered
Edith Stanley as bright-taced girl tlut-
tered up from the garden, Ike 4 dainty
white butterfly. and perched herself on
the steps. a dead silence fell on the
group for moment, AID then Dora
turned her laughing face toward her
cousin: go on, FloIry. You were Civ
ing a lecture, weren't YOU? l could hear
you Grating, but couldn't catch 4 word
of the discourse"
Its ended now" said Florence cool
", mentally resolving never TO be 50
careless again in mentioning special
cases. ID unless some op:>-n:s taken
notes you can never hcpe to know any
thing about it. ior it WAS quite III
pronen:t.:.. And, taking her cousin ;
arm, She marched her up ard down the
piazza humming a gay ali.
Meanwhile. within the windows the
Young man sat motionleSs, his tlnger !
still between the pages that only few
mom>nts ago held him >pcllbound. IL
though his world had fallen in ruin
around him since Florence began her
lecture" Outside the breeze rang
among the tree-tops and rltlled the
shining bosom of the river. The August
sunshine lay mellow on the grass. but
he heard nothing, saw nothing.
The tea bell rang suddenly and start
ed him out of his meditations. The
girls disappeared with much chatter and
CAV laughter. and he rose mechanically
and walked like one in q dream down
through the garden and on into 4 little
grove beyond, his one thought to be
alone where no human eve could add
to his torment with its questioning
glance. There, under the trees, where
be and Dora played in childhood. he
walked to and fro, one sentence ring
inc in his ears Ike sentence Of doom:
1--WE can all see she doesn't love him.
1t was hard to come down from the pin
nacle where he had imagined himself
crowned king Of one heart
When Dora, only Is then. had given
him her hand so confdingly As they
walked together in this very grove
only it was morning then, and spring
time, and the air was filled with the
scent of wild crab-apple blooms. and She
wore them at her throat; how plainly he
could see her now, all in white, and the
pink of her cheek so like the dainty
blossoms-he had taken the gift IN
ouestioningly, and no doubts had ever
assailed him. He knew her devotion
to art and was proud Of her success, but
he had never dreamed that it would be
his rival in her affections.