The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-02-15
contrived to look provokingly detached


with lingering expression which would.
under other circumstances, have filled
me with happiness. The Princess
frowned, Withdrew the striped column
from her lips, and said, eco way " in
| unmistaka6le accents to the lady who
proposed to do her the honor of stop
ping to look at her.
"Prav don't notice her ill-humor," |
urged, terribly abashed for Pm. D. and
club man. "She hasn't learned to
make distinctions yet. She regards all
Young ladies as her natural enemies.
Would you believe me, Miss Reardon,
she is friyhtfully jealous of me?"
Miss Reardon smiled. "Of you' How
singularm
eyes. And she absolutely will have
me gadding about with her. You can't
fancy the Kind of machine am reduced
to. I've heard-l've read about the
tyranny of woman, but shouldn't have
| believed that it commenced at the age OF
eighteen months"
I turned to the maid. "Here, Grad
grind, take my sister over to Violet
Patch, and tell my aunt"
Moo! n-o-ow shrieked the Prin-
cess.
"-That my mother looks for her at
lunch to-day, and"
But the coach was lurching violently
back and forth. swayed by NIolls angry
objections "N- 90! moo! n-o-o!'
You have-got-to CO." l said, in
tensely, catching her hands, and holding
them in the "tirm grasp of which have
read. ''Gradgrind is going to take you
to Aunt Mellicent's, and am going to
walk with Mss iieardon."
At this she rcdoubicd her screams, and
hcaped such terms of infant obloquy
upon Miss Reardon that I blushed for
my family.
t'She doesn't always behave so," I ex-
planned weakly. 1T is an absurd fancy
she has that my time is exclusively hers.
The sooner she is broken of it the
better;" and so saying, threw the tiny
hands back into her lap, and walked
resolutely away with Miss Reardon. But
l did not enjoy one moment of that
walk. The tones of my companions
voice echoed in my ears as baby lamen.
tations. The imploring anguish OF
Moll's eyes pursued me over every inch
of the way. Whether justly or not, |
suffered the remorse of criminal.
1T is very pretty" Miss Reardon re-
marked, with a touch of irony, one day,
syour devotion to that child"
"Pretty" reiterated, bitterly.
eyes" I suppose it is your choice of
a fad. Some run to moose-skin CATERS,
and some TO terra-cotta Derbys. Yours
took this FORM"
''Good heaYensm I protested, "you
don't for moment fancy that it is
matter of choice with me, my dangling
after the Princess Moll"
"Oh. they all make virtue of their
folly. I suppose it is martyrdom to
wear salmon-colored gloves, or bangle,
for dear Marbro's sake"
fairly groaned. ooh, that you should
80 misinterpret me! swear to you, on
my honor, that have suffered more from
the importantly of that child than tongue
can tell. She froze to me from the
minute first committed the fatal mis-
take OF noticing her at all. and to this
day she never once let up on it. What
is a fellow to do2 She has blue eyes;
she has the sweetest mouth in the
world; she frowns; she smiles; she
wheedles me like woman of thirty.
If she were not my sister should give
her poison, or bury her under the
doorstep, Or. But can't"
"You might get married." suggested
my companion. "She would never
speak to you again. They never do"
$50 you really suppose it would work
that way?' I inquired, skeptically. "l'm
afraid she would murder me instead.
The Princess is dreadfully afraid of get
ting married. have discovered that.
She thinks she is deep, but she isn't.
No, can see through her. She has the
straugest antipathy to the bridal parties
that She sees going in St. Pauls. She
commands Gradgrind and me to get
past them as quickly as possible. She
turns that plush cap of hers square away
from the bride. Yes, I have discovered
that she wouid seriously object to my
getting married"
$50 you propose to be tied to her cap
strings all your life" demanded my COM
panion. eff were you, should break
away from this bondage before the cord
becomes cable"
1T was never cord; it has always
been a cable" 1 said, hopelessly. "Be-
sides, | am not sure that l could get
married, even if Moll were willing"
mo. You should consider that"
Miss Rcardon was charming in Redfern
gown-one of those pastorally simple.
looking things which cost the fortune of
a sultan. "To be able to marry involves
two things-love and money"
81 should not have said that; but since
you have, why didn't you say money and
lovel"
"Because love has tendency to make
money-for it's object; whereas l have
never observed that love of the genuine
sort was ever evolved out of mere
money"
"Oh, if you put it that way! Then
you mean-for prefer plain arithmetic
to algcbraic symbois-that if man
wished to marry ne would contrive to
earn the money to Go it,"
THAT IS what mean. He might have
to give up the moose skin gaiters. He
probably would Very few married men
belong to the leisure class; merely to
love is an occupation. But then my
hypothesis was, If a man wishes to
marry"
by love" I eS loimed, 'you know
haven't the CATERS to give up. Do you
think we might venture2"
Miss Reardon looked comical. "You
mean to ask whether would advise you
to marry without me Princess MolFs con-