The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-05-08

CQOuGQ SuueTluS ueu SudI peutu uel AooI
lures and wasted her figure. Miss Rhoda
took off the wet and ragged hood, and
masses of dark curly hair uncoiled them
selves and feel to the woman's waist.
As she brought the cup OF tea and
plate of toast to the side of the sofa she
said kindly:
"Eat and drink, my dear-so provi-
dental that these were all ready, you see
then tell me your trouble, and how L
can help you out of it"
The sympathetic voice brought tears to
the dry eyes.
"No one can help me. I am not
wicked, but heart-broken, and there is
no rest or comfort this side the grave"
She told her story in the intervals of
eating and drinking, and. her listener felt
that she was speaking the truth.
She had been a wife and mother, but
one day her husband, in a fit of drunken
fury, had struck her senseless to the floor,
and when she came to herself she found
that he had gore, taking their child, her
very idol, little girl three years old.
For two years she had wandered vainly
from city to village, from village to city,
in search of her little Elsie. Sometimes
she nearly starved. Often she grew so
hopeless as to almost yield to the tempta-
ton to take her own life, but the thought
of little Elsie left to her fate in the hands
of a brutal father nerved her to more
desperate efforts.
While her strange guest slept that night
on. the chintz sofa, Miss Rhoda was re-
volving plans in her wakeful brain. She
went down stairs early next morning to
hold conference with Savilla, and dis
covered that the pilgrim Gnstead of max
ing off in the night with the spoons) had
found her way to the kitchen, and was
helping with the breakfast preparations.
Savilla had provided her with toilet ia
cilities, and her dark hair was neatly
brushed and braided around her we'll
shaped head.
"When Cousin Palmyra Henderson and
little Love come next week we shall want
extra help, Savilla, eh?" said Miss Rhoda,
when the woman had gone into the next
room to fold the quilts under which she
had slept.
eyes, Miss Rhody," said the plump,
rosy handmaiden, briskly stirring her
batter cakes.
"Shc seems handy-and neat, too,
Savilla."
"That's true, Miss Rhody-and anxious
to help"
When Miss Rhoda proposed to the
woman to stay with them few weeks,
and get properly nourished and clothed,
besides earning small sum of money,
the grateful creature could only weep
her thanks. Palmyra Henderson and her
little daughter came few days later, ,and
Louise Morgan Gor so the stranger called
herself attached herself from the first to
little Love with a clinging, passionate
tenderness.
Love Henderson was one of those
angelic children, beautiful to behold, and
still more beautiful to know. Her large
blue eyes mirrored only sweet and lovely
thoughts, and the gold of her long,
heavy curls was not more precious and
shining than the golden impulses of her
pure, true little heart.
She returned Louise devotion ardently,
and when the day of parting came, sobbed
and would not be comforted.
"My Weesie must do wiv us, mamma.
I tant live wivout my Wcesic, and she
clung to Louise, whose tears fell fast on
on the golden head nesting within her
arms. The journey was delayed an hour
that Louise might prepare to accompany
them. The two kindly women, Rhoda
and Palmyra, ached with sympathy for
this robbed and agonized mother, and
would not grudge her the one drop of
comfort in her bitter cup. Moreover,
the Hendersons lived in a thriving town
on the line of travel, and fate might
throw some stray crumb of information
in Louisc's way, even before she was
ready to 60 upon her search again.
She had been with the Hendersons
several weeks-spring had come, and she
felt anxious to be looking for Elsie again.
The chance to show maternal care and
tenderness to little Love had made new
creature of her, and Palmyra found her
ga perfect treasure" in all the depart
ments of her well ordered housekeeping.
eff fate would only bring herShild to
our door, Louise need never leave us,
said Palmyra to her husband. ''She re-
lieves me of so much care that I am ac
tually growing year younger every day,
Gilbert"
"And so," said Gilbert, with a humor-
Gus twinkle in his kindly eyes, "as you
are now thirty, at the end of the year
you will be three hundred and thirty
five years less than zero. I don't know
that I care to have you quite such "a
vanishing quantity!"
One beautiful day, Love was standing
at the garden-gate, enjoying the early
flowers and piece of gingerbread at the
same time. Even angelic children must
lunch on something more substantial than
ia lily in a glass of water" or their
beatifc qualities would exhale like dew
before the sun.
A woman, accompanied by child
somewhat older than Love, was saunter-
ing along the sidewalk. A professional
beggar, her eyes rested hungrily on
Loves dainty shoes and garments, the
blue ribbons on her hat. and the tiny