The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-11-12

Zephyr turned scarlet, but she held the
silver dollar tight in her hand, without
offering to return it to the donor. Mr..
Croft shrank before his wife's words, as
if they had been keen northeast
gale.
"Gently, mother; gently" said he.
But Mrs. Croft's wrath was not so easily
stemmed. When the avalanche of words
was over, and honest Daniel looked
around for his niece, Zephyr was gone.
Gone for good and all. When days
and weeks passed by, and she did not re-
turn, Daniel Croft slowly anchored his
faith to the theory (Which was the true
one) that the money had been spent to
take Zephyr away from the farm. She
had not been happy there, and she had
left the place.
"And good riddance to bad rubbish"
Mrs. Croft had said, with certain grim
exultation, which was fully seconded by
her daughter, while the poor farmer sat
with forlorn look on his face, as if
zephyr's going had somehow left va
cuum III his heart.
Zephyr Lorell's career was not excep-
tional. She went to New York, and,
after sundry unsuccessful endeavors to
obtain employment, got place as atten-
dant in a photograph gallery. The wages
were small, but it was home, and the
proprietor and his wife were kind to her.
And, one day an invalid lady came in to
be photographed, who took a fancy to
the pretty young girl with the sweet
voice and the dove-like blue eyes. So
Miss Lowell was promoted to the rank of
companion, and when Mrs. Ingraham
died, she became the wife Of the wealthy
widower, after suitable period of time
had elapsed. Here YVES our poor little
chrysalis blossomed out into brilliant but
teray- hood at last.
81 must 60 down to Drysart Point and
see my Uncle Croft" said Zephyr, one
day. And, Mr.. Ingraham, who was the
humblest of all slaves to his beautiful
young wife, asscuted to her plans.
II ought to have gone before, said
Zephyr, rehectively. "Well, I did not
like to go until could pay my dear old
uncle the dollar that I owe him-the dol
lar upon which the hinges of my destiny
turned"
Farmer Croft was sitting alone on the
veranda, when the carriage drove up to
the door. The old house was unpainted,
the fences had tumbled down, the shut.
ters hung loose and the pin was lost out
of the gate. The old man himself was
shabbily clothed, and the locks, once so
raven black, were now winter than the
sea foam. He listened intently to the
sound of wheels and footsteps.
eff it's Squire Leferts,' said he, 'it
amt no use. I can't pay no interest,
and he'll hev' to foreclose. Ny wife is
just up from sick-bed, and we haven't
got dollar in the house. I've wrote to
my darter Miranda Jane, aud her hus-
band has wrote back that he hasn't no
money to spare, nor he can't fool away
his time comm to Drysart Point. So ye
can see for yourself that it amt no use,
SQUIRE" But with one hand behind his
ear, and dim anxious eyes upraised,
"Why don't you say something's I've
been blind since last summers fever,
and"
"Blind! Oh, Uncle Daniel!-blind!
Dou't start back; it is I, your own
Zephyr, come to pay you back what
owe you"
And in second her arms were about
the old mans neck, her sunny trcsses
with his snow white hair.
Mrs. Croft had hobbled out by this time,
leaning on a cane, and staring IN amaze
ment.
That evening, when Zephyr and her
husband were gone, old Daniel cried tri-
to his wife:
miranda Jane, the da1ter that we
sacrificed everything to, has gone back
on US, and so has the man she married;
but Zephyr has come between US aud the
poorhouse-little quiet Zephyr, that you
never had no patience with; and the
dollar gave her has been paid back with
golden interest, eh, mother"
And Mrs. Croft answered, meekly:
81 dunno but what you're right, Dan
el."-1He Ledger.