The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-04-02
4 Tale Of Two Continents.
BY MRS. NINA LAWSON.
CHAPTER I.

CHAPTER I. $.
It was lovely spring morning; the
sun shone clear and bright over the
sweet scented hills and valleys of
pretty green rolling portion of Union
County, Illinois.
The low tinkle of the cow-bell and
.ihe gentle bleating of the lambs in the
forest could be heard, while in the
waters of the valley creek could be
seen the tiny fish swimming about in
and out of their many little hiding
places.
"Lina! Lima! Where in the name Of
common sense are you going now?"
The voice rang loud and clear through
the air to stop the fight of little girl
ish figure, clad in short, neat, pink
calico dress, with her long, pale-gold
.silken curls -bobbing up and down as
she lightly tripped over the gravel
walk to the front gate of Farmer Rice's
'ueat little country home.
eyes, Auntie June, here I am. What
Is it you want?"
"You are q good-for-nothing, lazy
girl, Lima, and you know we'll enough
what want. 1 think you might try
and be little useful while you are
here in the short vacation. You know
you haven't done one single thing this
morning, and here have been fussin'
and fumin' over this old dress of yours
Tor the last hour, and I have been
.fussin' and funlin' for the last fourteen
Or fifteen years to make lady of you
and get something decent for you to
wear; but, gracious on me, you are not
worth the salt that put in your bread
that I have to make with my own
hands. And your poor Uncle Cristo
has to work day and night to get the
means to keep you on"
"But, Auntie-"
ayes, yes, but just stop right there,
now; for Ill hear none o your excuses
ct all. You might just as we'll go out
in the fields and talk to an old stump
rs to me, for it'll do just as much good.
You! know you are lazy good-for-
nothing, ard always layin' round in some
corner, or Off in the woods someplace
with an old book in your hands, or
-agatherin' some of those nasty old
weeds! What did I send you off to
that old convent school at Cairo for, if
/ did not expect you to be of some lit
tie help to ME some of these days?"
"Autie, auntie, please listen, just one
moment, only to me. You know love
you as much as you could wish, and
that it is my only will to obey and please
you. I vas not aware that was doing
wrong when I started out, or, most as
-suredly, I should not have gone. You
know that I go to the grove for flowers
every morning, ard was not aware that
{ had forgotten anything"
"Oh! fddle-sticks. Your memory is
fainter thar a cats; there. I told you,
.not more than thirty minutes ago, to
hunt up the eggs.
"Your uncle was going to town, and I
thought that you might find dozen or
Aso, and Cristo might get some sugar for
p'the tea; but, no, there you were, o
jumpin' along over the woods, like the
regular tom-boy that you are, a gather
ing them old weeds to make some dirt,
In the place of your bein' here when you
was needed"
Lima, in her maiden rustic beauty, so
pure, so lovely, and all grliltless as On
angel, stood there with the violets and
dog-wood blossoms in her white, deli
safe, plump little hands, looking pen
sive, q perfect picture of sorrow and
remorse. She stood there by the old
east window, looking at her, with her
large. beautiful, expressive blue eyes,
so rich, 80 dark, they were almost the
eoior of the violets in her hands: the
dark prows, ana long, dark 1asnns only
added deeper hue of beauty apd rich
ness to those great, peerless orbs,
Yet the face, plump, round, and
youthful, was as white as the dogwood
blossoms in her hands, while her checks
were like the wild roses of the woods.
This lovely little face was surrounded
by ringlets Of pale gold silken hair,
while the long, heavy curls flowed over
her shoulders down to her waist.
Lima, like all other girls, did not
enjoy those little private lectures, and,
thinking that perhaps her aunt had one
of her "bad spells" as she called it,
Edn't resume the conversation, but,
gathering up the flowers carefully, as il
they had been hs- rarest Jewels sci
with diamonds, and as if with the
slightest jar the diamonds would fall
from their settings and be lost forever
The flowers were placed in some neat
little vases and set upon the mantel ir
the sitting-room. While this little but
= terhy was busy in arranging and dust
ing the rooms her bright mind wa:
busy. also. She was wandering from
her present surroundings and wonder
ing whether this would always be hel
home and where her parents early
home was and how her mamma had
looked. And, too, whether all she had
read IN books was true or not. As kde