The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-11-13
Ais Well That Ends Well,
BY HELEN FORREST GRAVES.

BY HELEN FORREST GRAVES.
"Old folks will be old folks" said
Myra Manton. land the best plan is to
let 'em have their own way"
"Oh, yes, 1 know" said Leona, clasp
ing her hands. s'But that old Leghorn
hat, with the crown like stove-pipe and
the front like wash-hands basin! Who
could tolerate that? And everybody
laughs when she comes into church"
'sLet 'em laugh" shrewdly remarked
Myra. ''I'd be willing folks should
laugh at me if I was worth thirty thousand
dollars and owned the Bliven Mills into
the bargain"
Myra Manton was "hired help at the
Bliven Farm-a stout New Englander of
fifty summers, with hair cut short, no
visible waist, and swapping black eyes.
Leona was old Mrs. Bliven's niece-a
slim girl of eighteen, with balsam- pink
complexion, dreamy gray eyes, and teeth
white and even rs small pearls.
In the eyes of James Bliven, the old
lady's son, Leona was fairest of all created
beings. Even Myra Manton allowed
.'that she was sorter nice to look att" As
for Mrs. Bliven herself, she expressed no
opinion whatever; Mrs. Bliven was not a
person who talked much.
ssShe's come to make me visit, " said
Mrs. Bliven one day to Myra. ~ sup
pose. if she suits me, I shall ask her to
stay for good and ALL"
eff you don't, I suppose jim will, "
said Myra, with shrewd twinkle of her
eyes.
GAS it happens, I'm the mistress of
this house," said Mrs. Bliven. "Well,
we'll see how she suits"
And neither Myra the solid, nor Leona
the sylphllke, knew, as they sat on the
sunshiny doorstep, slicing great, red
hearted peaches to dry for winter use,
that Mrs. Bliven, from the garret window
above, where she was looking over her
balls of carpet-rags, could distinctly hear
every word they uttered.
'Myra," said Leona, as she replenished
her pan from the great bushel basket,
'I'm going to tell you something"
"Tell ahead" succinctly retorted
Myra.
"I've got such an ideal"
What is it,"
"Well, one of my schoolmates at Han
over Hall had grandmother. And her
grandmother had just such Noah's Ark
of bonnet as Aunt Bliven."
"Humphl" said Myra, peeling dill
gently away.
"And she and her sister took pair of
big shears and shipped it up into little
bits and made the grandmother believe
that the rats did it,"
''lIust have been a credulous old cree
tur," observed Myra.
"Oh, no; but it was really such neat
job. Don'ty you think, Myra, we might
dispose of the old Leghorn hat in some
such way?"
'No, 1 don't!" said Myra, spearing
peach on the end of her knife and begin
ming artistically to remove its pink-velvet
jacket.
Leona sighed, and went on with her
work. Myra Manton paused to call her
frolicsome little terrier off from brood
Of half-groTn turkey poults who were
foraging around the barn door.
II do WISH" she said, curtly, "that
Cappen John Jackson hadn't sent me that
plaguey beast to take care on till he come
back from that voyage to Fayal. If he
hurts any Of the fowls, I expect Mrs.
Bliven'll murder me-"
"Myra," said Lcona, care you really
engaged to Captain John Jackson?"
sect QUIT" said Myra, with shcepish
smile. II dunno whether be or not"
The next day Leona came into her
aunt's room with pretty black-and-
white straw bonnet, trimmed with a jet
dagger and loops innumerable of black
ribbon.
"Look, Aunt Bliven" said she.
"What's that?" said the old woman,
turning her spectacle glasses full on the
girl.
'I've been trimming a bonnet for
you"
"You might have saved yourself the
trouole, Sharply spoke the matron.
But don't you like it2" pleaded
Leona, who was beginning to tremble all
over,
"It's very nice, I dare say, but I'm
very well suited already with what I've
got"
"But, Aunt Bliven-"
"'Tain't worth while to discuss the
matter" said Mrs. Bliven, drily. 81
calculate I'm old enough to choose for
myself what I'll wear and what won'tn'
Leona shrank into herself like the
leaves of sensitive plant; she crept
back to her bedroom with the rejected
triumph of home made millinery, and
had good cry over it.
Presently she heard her aunt calling:
"Myra! Myra!"