The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-03-13
either, but of a dull unhappiuess such

He looked down at his clothes with
faint shame; they were not his best
ones. He had ready made suit at
homo, but these his mother had made.
He wished they looked better. The
light in Bissel's window cast his long
shadow on the whole ground. 1t
wavered there, shrinking and lingering;
then it pushed on and up to the door.
1t was not the custom in Fence Cor
ners to rap; it would have been looked
upon as useless forlnality. He stepped
into Bisscls large, scantily furnished,
rag -carpetcd best room.
lie gasped as he stood there. TIe had
vaguely hoped for little reprieve, but
she sat there by the lamp, alone, bend
ing over some work. She rose at his en-
trance, and came forward little to offer
her hand; but he did not see it, and she
dropped it back in awkward haste.
"Wont you take chair - she said.
She brought one forward. Thornton
sat down. He dropped his hat as he did
so, aud picked it up with a rcd face.
Then he sat still. He would have tried
to speak, but he knew he could not; his
tongue fell thick and immovable.
ITS showing, amt 2" said the
school teacher; she bore the marks OF
difidence herself in her timorous voice
and look.
Thornton NODDED; it was all he could
do. lie stared at her tixedly, almost
vacuously. His mind wandered back
and strove to anchor itself on something.
Once he had spent an evening at Blssel's,
on the occasion of party and taken her
hand in one of the game; once he had
ovcrtaken her, in wagon, on her way
TO school, and given her a lift. That
was all. lie thought it might have been
less hard for him if there had been some.
thing more, but that was all his morbid
self-distrustfulness had allowed him.
The ticking of the clock on a corner
stand filled the silence. 1t was round,
nickel clock, and it tlcked so loudly ;;s
to fo &C itself upon them.
"That's my school clock" said the
teacher. 81 am all ready for to- morrow.
There arc my books over there with 1T,
and the regi-ter."
The school director dropped his mis-
cradle eyes to the faded stripe in the
carEet at his feet, but he did not see it;
lis hat shook with the trembling of his
hands.
'lve ben thinking how many I'll
have. likely" the school teacher went
on. His misery impaired itself to
her in degree of nervousness, and she
let her work drop. 81 had twenty-five
this summer; there's always more win
ters, amt there2'
He managed to say yes. His eyes
were wandering about the room now, his
lips parted as if for air. He saw new
pane in the window, clumsly puttied-a
camphor bottle left on the me!odeon-a
break in the cane seat of a chair-a
small tub filed with white asters still In
bloom. He continued looking at these.
"They're real late, amt theys" said
the girl. They're mine. I potted EN-
myself, and 1 guess they'll last best part
O. tho winter; I've heard they will, took
care of. 10 you want one?"
She put down her work and went and
picked one. Then, with shy laugh, she
took her scissors and went back to them.
"Maybe your mother'd like few; she
h'ain't got 'em, has she2" she said.
She made a bunch, and tied it with her
blac thread. Thornton watched her;a
slight girl in cheap and we'll worn
dress, her dark hair in girish braid,
and her eyes mild. This she was, but
who shall tell what he saw His agony
rose, eliminated as she turned to him;
he clutchcd his hat ii its stiff brim
cracked. She was coming toward him
with the flowers.
There, maybe she'd like few" she
reEeated, faint hcar,cdly; but he did
not hear her. lie felt his face afame
like fire, and a choking in his throat.
He struggled to speak, and did make an
inarticulatc sound, at which she looked
at him in wonder. lie looked up at her
pitifully-and then fell stumblingly on
his knees at her feet and buried hls face
in her skirt, and cropping for her hands,
pulled them down till they pressed his
throbbing head and rested the'e, her
happy, wondering tears falling upon
them.
"Bashful?" said Have Kinney to
Hanks, the storckeeper. sTd like to
know what's your idec O. bashfulness.
Wy, jim Thornton walked out O. this
store that night and up to Bissel's
straight as string, and told that school
teacher that. own to circumstances
that he didn't have nc control over, she
couldn't have the school this winter, neI
likely there couldn't nobody ese neither,
but if it d be any consideration to her,
she could have him: tod her that right
up and down, and didn't make no bones
OF it. If Jim Thornton's bashful, wy,
the feller that amt what I'd like to
"-trant Lesli!s.