The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-11-27
Pearl colored vivi6iv.


No. 60 Caravan square. She'll be iurl-
ous because it wasn't sent last night"
Sixty Caravan square was a stately
brown. stone house. with vestibule doors
of gorgeous stained glass and floor OF
mosaic marble, covered with rich Per
sian rugs.
Miss Dcnsel was not in, but Paula and
Florine, her younger sisters, ran to re-
| ceive the hat.
Audrey will be so angry because it
didn't come in time for Mrs. Jay S musical
breakfastl" cried Paula.
These two pretty young maids, In their
pink and blue cashmere tea-gowns, their
flowing gold hair and dainty, red-hceled
slippers encircled with gold embroid
ery-how wisttully Pearl looked at them
as she crept quietly away in her patched
boots, her faded cloth jacket. which had
come down to her from Katie, and her
poor little knitted Tam O'Shanter cap!
How nice it must be to be rich!'
thought she.
Lets have a look at the hat, Flo,
said Paula-"right here in the dining
room, where the beveled miro. is. Au-
drey never lets us see her pretty things.
Florine opened the box.
son, isn't it exquisite!' she cried.
"All roscbuds, with strings of pink
faille, and the sweetest jeweled poniard
stuck through the side! Are they real
diamonds, Paula, or only Rhine stones"
"Rhiue-stones, of course" SAID sage
Paula. "Who ever heard of real dia,
monds with a thirty dollar bonnetf But
isn't it beauty3 Let us try it on, Flo.
Oh, take care"
For, in handing it across the table,
Florine had dropped 1t. The effort to
recover it only succeeded in overturning
a tall flask of Bordeaux sadad oil upon
the rosebuds and pink faile.
Flo and Paula looked aghast at each
other.
"Hush!" cried the former. "somc
one is coming. Put it back into the
box, Paula. Take it up to Audrey's
room. She'll think it was an accident.
Oh, how could you be so careless3"
81 wasn't careless sputtered iudig-
nant Paula. 'It was your fault as much
as it was mine. What will Audrey
say7'
Two hours later the reception bonnet
was brought back to Miss Thorburn by
Audrey Densel herself in an olive plush
lined carriage, attended by French
maid, and Pearl Payfair was summoned
at once.
She came, innocent and eager, only to
be angrily dismissed from tie establish
ment. In vain were her protestations
and entreaties.
"If you didn't do it, stopping at some
of your grocer and baker friends places, !"
cried Miss Thorburn, "who did? Do
you suppose Miss Densel poured grease
over her own reception hat2 Silence, l
say! Leave the house at once, ana do
not presume to ask for either wages or
reference from me- l consider that l
am treating you with extreme kindness in
not sending for policeman"
Pearl went home, feeling as if she were
in dreadful dream. Her situation was
gone, and without references aow could
she expect to get auother2 And who
would find wood or fire for Katie2
The elder sister listened to Pearls
piteous tale with dismay, but she put the
bravest possible front upon it.
ssDon't sob so, PEARL" she soothed.
"We shall not starve; something will
happen to protect us, dear, don't be
afraid. Who is that Mrs. Nippett is
talking to outside9"
ats me-Janie VAIL" said CHEEKY,
cordial voice, "with some apples and
home made jelly. Joe, my brother, says
you are his friends. may come in,
mayn't II"
And jamie entered, rosy and smiling,
with refreshing air of the country
about her.
"Oh, yes," said she, nodding her
head and glancing about the room, so
cold, so cherries, so neat, "nobody can
expect to get we'll boxed up in the city
like this! That good woman outside
tells me that the doctor recommends
country air. think, Miss Playfair, that
if you will visit my mother at the old
farm for a month we shan't know you
when you come back. 1 hope you like
the country Joe does. It's Joe's
highest ambition some time to buy a
nice farm of his own. AS for the little
girl there" nodding her head at Pearl,
"she can come and stay with me while
you are gone, if she don't want to lose
her place at the bonnet store.
Pearl hung her head.
~ have no place now to lose," said
she. IL was discharged to-day3"
Just then there was the sound of solid
footsteps on the stairs and hard breath
inc, as if the steep locomotion were de-
cided efort-and in trudged Miss Thorn
burn.
SIS this Pearl Playfair's place?" painted
she. "Do people hereabouts live at the
top of all creation. Bless me, where's
the fire? Is this sick girl your sister.
Pearl? Why didn't you tell me you had
a sick sister?n
Pearl shrank back, growing very pale.
"Have YOU come to-to arrest me-
she gasped.
"My dear, it's all right" said the
obese milliner, beginning to recover her
breath. "Miss Densel's two little sisters
came right back in the carriage, crying
rs hard as ever they could. They had
heard what hard luck you had, and they
confessed-dear little things s!-that it
was all their fault. 1t seems they were
looking at the bonnet in the dining room