Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1891-02-14

don't signify Tia. Tie Cecilian takes
pride IN is chorus being the handsom.
est girls IA tun,. 4 Il soa are pretty,
Barbara. you know wei =. r-tiir than
l ann, il you would only give yourself
chance l could make a first class
leauty Of you'll And il's only the even
inss yon sce, with an hour or so at
moraing rehearsal. and matinee once
a We, k-and lis such fun. There's one
young nan in .he audience who has
thrown Bouquet to me every night for
eight nights running And there are
snppers aud breakfasts. aud all that rt
of thiag.
laSolaniariiy Barbara drew back.
But. Clara--is it right [, ----n
Rght Oh, you silly little goose.
why not. There's Mis-. Dowdin. the
bandmaster's wife. to chaperon us. isn't
there. Aud she's an old woman of 30.
Oh. assure you. it's very select COM
pany iadeed. S xty dollars a month,
and yoGr IA AIRY raised if you 10 we'll.
And vi en / heard That there Was
vacancy. thought of you the very first
& & l knew you had nice mezzo
'prano voice, but as l said before, that
don't matter so much. as long as you
are So p city. A brunette, too--we have
an overplus of blondes already. And
knew, also, that you were only getting
$l4 here, with AN old martinez for a
commanding officer. Come, am not a
COED friend to youG
Still Barbara looked with questioning
eyes at the handsome, voluble girl.
Could it lie possible that this self pos
sessed, leautifully dressed Woman was
Cara Belden, her classmate at school,
AMI only u month older than herself?
Sixts dollars Yes. it was kind of
Clafa--it y otIid indeed be an outlet OF
escape from lhs uretched, grinding
bondage of ller daily life Sixty dollars,
with suppers, bouquets. admiration un-
limited Barbara drew her breath with
gasp. 1t seemed almost too much TO
real ~.
just then Mary. the housemaid, tip
toed into the roosi, itll her finger ON
her lips
Miss Blake, said she, with side
long glance of admiration at the snowy
visitor in her silks, bangles, and "Bleath
of Roses, @tle oulI 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. mss. pIaze, as Clara 70 e precip-
italely. It's as much as me place is
worth for Mrs. Dickinson to know that
Miss Blake had company unbeknown to
herl r IN quick, pl'az', Miss Blake-I
can hear her scolding nowl"
Never mind, dearl' encouragingly
whispered Clara. as she rustled by, leav-
ing an olor of franggipanni in her
wake; "the odious shackits will soon
drop off. Send me line at once. Nj
Dowdin can't waill"
Mrs. Dickinson had never been so ir-
ritable. SO hard TO please. as she was to.
day. Or, a least, SO il seemed to Bar.
bara
But there was an exulti Il thrill in the
girls heart
1t need not lie for long" she told
herself Il will write Immediately and
accept Cara kind off 4.
ut nevertheless a certain regretful
feeling kept pulling at her heart strings.
She remembered how her gentle, soft
voiced mother, in her lifetime. had al
ways distrusted Clara Beldcn's assured
manners aud dashing ways She re-
called to herself that mothers efforts TO
keep her in the modest retirement OF
the home circle, her constant precepts
against brushing Off the soft bloc II Of
true wONanhood, and conscience to d
her 10 reject the tempting offer
But / am so youngl" she III AIDED
with herself And have seen so little
Of pleasure and variety. am such
drudgel No one cares for me here; and
perhaps If / went to the Cecilian, /
might attract some true heart. Even il
Eugene Dickinson We're to to see me
dressed as Clara dresses-But no! Eu-
gene never would go to place like the
CeciIian. OF course it must he respect
able, or Clara would not belong to it.
But-ob, no? Eigene would never go
there
In an instant she comprehended. She
would he lowering hersellf in her own
estimation by accepting tile tempting
bribe. She would he cutting loose from
all the traditions Of her youth. And
yet
She sprang slsa lenly up and threw
back the niasse, of soft, chestnut brown
hair fro ~ hes Forehead it'll both hands.
mol" sl.s altered aloud--neveri"
Almost at the same moment she heard
Eugene Dickinson's voice ia the next
rOoni, talking to lsis aunt.
Yes. said he quietly. Il think you
are right / think she de eryes it at
your lands
She has worked very hard. said the
old lady. S'le is very patient and sweet
tempered. I've seen tears come into her
eyes, once in a while. but can call to
mind that she has ever lost her temper,
or spoken a word Of complaint.
The patient Griseldai" said Eugene
softly.
Yes. ex.clly that The patient Girls
elda- So l have made up my mind to
adopt her as my daughter. and get some
one else to do the work. Well travel and
60 everywhere. want her to see the
word somehow feel conscience
stricken that a young thing like Barbara
should have grown up 50 much in the
sliasie.
II don't think. though. slowly added
Eugene's gentle, leisurely voice, -tliat
your Han i quite fea sible.
Not +, asiblei Why not?S
Perhaps because it conflicts with a
plan If my own
= A plan yonr own? NY dear boy.