The Penn's Grove record., 1889-01-26

BarDara, you Know very
than I am, if you would only give your
self a chance. I could make a first
class beauty of you! And it's only the
evenings, you see, with an hour or so
at morning rehearsal, and a matinee
once a week-and it's such fun. There's
one young man in the audience who
has thrown abouquet to me every night
for eight nights running. And there
are suppers and breakfasts, and all that
sort Of thing"
Involuntary Barbara drew back.
"But, Clara-is it right to-
"Rightl Oh, you silly. little goose,
why not? There's Mrs. Dowdin, the
band-master's wife, to chaperon us,
isn't therep And she's an old woman
of fifty. Oh, 1 assure you it's a very
select company indeed. Sixty dollars
a month, and your salary raised, if you
do well. And when 1 heard that there
was a vacancy, 1 thought of you the
very first thing. L knew you had a
nice mezzo. soprano voice, but, as l said
before, that don't matter so much, as
long as you are so pretty. A brunette,
too-we have an overplus of blondes al
ready. And I knew, also, that you
were only getting fourteen dollars here,
with an old martinez for q command
ing officer. Come, am I not a good
friend to you?"
Still Barbara looked with question:
ing eyes at the handsome voluble gill.
Could it be possible that this self-pos-
sessed, beautifully-dressed woman was
Clara Belden, her, classmate at school,
and only a month older than herself?
Sixty dollars! Yes, it was kind of
Clara-it would indeed be an outlet of
escape from this wretched, grinding
bondage of her daily life. Sixty dol
lars, with suppers, bouquets, admira-
ton unlimited. Barbara drew her
breath with a gasp. 1t seemed almost
too much to realize.
just then Mary, the housmaid, tip
toed into the loom, with her finger on
her lips.
"Miss Blake" said she, with a side
long glance of admiration at the snowy
visitor in her silks, bangles and "Breath
of Roses" ''the old lady is afther wax
in up as cross as two sticks. AM she
says you've forgot her morning tonic,
and Bijou's collar is too tight, and
this way, miss. Place" as Clara rose
precipitately. Its rs much as me
place is worth for Mrs. Dickinson to
know that Miss Blake had company
unbeknown to her! Run, pl'aze, Miss
Blake-I can hear her scolding now!"
"Never mind, dear!' encouragingly
whispered Clara, as she rushed by, leav-
ing an odor of frangipanni in her wake;
'sthe odious shackles will soon drop off.
Send me a line at once. Mr.. Dowdin
can't wait!''
Mrs. Dickinson had never been so
irritable, so hard to please, as she was
to-day. Or, at least, so it seemed to
Barbara.
But there was an eyultant thrill in
the girls heart.
SIT need not be for long," she told
herself. 81 will write Immediately and
accept Clara's kind Offer"
But nevertheless a certain regretfuI
feeling kept pulling at her heart,strings.
She remembered how her gentle, soft
voiced mother in her lifetime, had al
ways distrusted Clara Belden's assured
manners and dashing ways. She re-
called to herself that mothers efforts to
keep her in the modest retirement of
the home circle, her constant precepts
against brushing off the soft bloom of
true womanhood, and consclenc told
her to reject the tempting offer.
"But L Am so youngl" she pleaded
with herself. "And 1 have seen so lit
tie of pleasure and variety. 1 anu such
a drudge! No n cares for me here;
and, perhaps, if l went to the Cecilian,
l might attract some true heart. Even
if Eugene Dickinson were to see me
dressed as Clara dresses But, no!
Eugene never would 60 to q place like
the CeciliaEl OF course it must be re-
spectacle, or Clara would not belong to
it. Butch, no! Eugene would never
60 there!"
In an instant she comprehended. She
would be lowering herself in her own
estimation by accepting the tempting
bride. She would be cutting loose from
all the traditions of her youth. And
yet
She sprang suddenly up, and threw
back the masses of soft, chestnut
brown hair from her forehead, with
both hands.
"Nov" she uttered aloud. Uerne!''
Almost at the same moment, she
heard Eugene Dickinson's voice in the
next room, talking to his aunt.
YES" said lie, quietly, II think
you are right. Think she deserves it
at your hands,"
''She has worked very hard" sa'
the old lady. "She is very patient an.
sweet tempered. I've seea the tears
come into her eyes, once in awhile, but
l can't call to mind that she has even
lost her temper, or spoken a word of
complaint"
'Thc patient Griseldat'' said Eu-
gene softly.
"Yes, exactly that. The patient Girl
selda. So I've made up my mind to
adopt her as my daughter, and get
some one else to do the work. Wen
travel and go everywhere. 1 want her
to sec the world. 1 somehow feel con-
! science-stricken that a young thing
like Barbara should have grown up so
much in the shade"
81 don't think, though" slowly al
ded Eugene's gentle, leisurely voice,
THAT your plan is quite feasible"
"Not feaslblel Why not?"
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