The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1890-05-08

q
see, with an hour or so at morning re-
6earsal, and matinee once week-and
it's such fun. There's one Young man in
the audience who has thrown bouquet
to me every night tor eight nights run
ming, And there are suppers and break
faSts, and all that sort of thing
Involuntarily Barbara drew back.
"But, Clara is it right to --.-..
"Right. oh, you silly, little goosa,
why not? There's Mrs. Dowdin, the
band masters wife, to chaperon us, isn't
there? And shc'san old woman of fifty.
Oh, assure you, it's very select com
pany indeed. Sixty dollars a month, and
your salary raised, if you do well. And
when heard that there was vacancy,
thought of you the very first thing. |
knew YOU had nice emezzo-soprano voice,
but, as | said before, that don't matter
so much, as long as you arc so pretty. A
brunette, too-we have an overplus of
blondes already And | knew, also, that
you were only getting fourteen dollars
here. with an old martinez for a com
manding officer. Come, am l not good
friend to you?'
Still Barbara looked with questioning
ewes at the handsome, volubIe girl. Could
il be possible that this self-possessed,
beautifully dressed woman was Clara Bel
den, her classmate at school, and only a
month older than herselfs
Sixty dollars. Yes, it was kind of
Clara-it would indeed be IN outlet of
escape from this wretched, grinding bond
age of her daily life. Sixty dollars. with
suppers, bouquets, admiration unlimited.
Barbara drew her breath with gasp. 1t
seemed almost too much to realize.
Just then Mary. the housemaid, tip
toed into the room, with her finger on
her lips.
Miss Blake" said she, with side
long glance of admiration at the snowy
visitor in her silks, bangles and Breath of
Roses" 1.-THE ould lady is afther wakin
up as cross as two sticks. An she says
you've forgot her morning tonic, and
Bijou's collar is too tight, and-this way,
miss, pl'aze, as Clara rose precipitately.
"It's as much as Inc place is worth for
Mrs. Dickinson to know that Miss Blake
had company unbeknown to her. Run,
pl'aze, Miss Bake-I can hear her scold-
ing now"
."Never MUD, dear!" encouragingly
whispered Clara. as she rustled by, leav-
ing an odor of fraugipauni in her wake;
1.-THE odious shackles will soon drop off.
Send me line at once. Mr.. Dowdin
can't watt"
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 exlltant thrill in the
girls heart.
''It need not be for long she told
herself. 81 will write Immediately and
accept Clara's kind offer"
But nevertheless certain rcgretful
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 recalled
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 wo.
and conscience told her to re-
ject the tempting offer.
"But am so young" she pleaded
with herself "And l have seen so little
of pleasure and variety. l am such
drudge! No one cares for me here; and
perhaps, if / went to the Ceciliau, l
might attract some true heart. Even if
Eugene Dickinson were to see me dressed
rs Clara dresses But no. Eugene
never would 60 to place like the Cecil
ian! Of course it must be respectable,
or Clara would not belong to it. But
oh, no! Eugene would never go there!"
In an instant she comprehended. She
would be lowering herself in her own es-
timation by accepting the tempting
bribe. She would be cutting loose from
MI the traditions Of her youth. And
YETI
She sprang suddenly up, and threw
back the masses of soft, chestnut brown
hair from her forehead, with both hands.
Mo- she uttered aloud-''never!"
Almost at the same moment she heard
Eugene Dickinson's voice in the next
room, talking to his aunt.
"Yes," said he, quietly, 81 think you
are right. think she deserves it at
your hands"
"She has worked very hard," said the
old lady. "She is very patient and
sweet tempered I've seen tears come
into her eyes, once in while, but can't
call to mind that she has ever lost her
temper, or spoken a word of complaint"
"The patient Griselda?' said Eugene,
softly.
Eyes, exactly that. The patient
Griseda. SO I've made up my mind to
adopt her as my daughter, and
get some one else to do the work. Well
travel and go everywhere. want her to
see the world. l somehow feel con-
science -stricked that young thing like
Barbara should have grown up so much
in the shade"
II don't think, though" slowly added
Eugene's gentle, leisurely voice, "that
your plan is quite feasible"
"Not feasible. Why not?"
'Perhaps because it conflicts with a
plan of my own"
GA plan OF your own? My dear boy,
do explain"
"Thc fact is, Anrt Adrana," said Eu-
gene, II have lost my heart to this
sweet-voiced, sweet-natured companion
of yours. | want to ask her to be my