The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-11-05
PALE BLUE.

ers who insist that their daughters shall be-
come practical housewives. and spend part
of each morning in assisting the cook and
housemaid. or learning under her own eye
those details Of domestic economy in which
she herself was an adept; and her pupils
were none the less refined and accomplished
for being able 10 make pudding as well as
their own dresses.
Alma, whose turn it was 10 undertake the
upstairs work, had car0led merriy as she
fitted from chamber TO chamber, fl ling the
vase on her mothers table with the choicest
flowers from her own plot of ground, and
leaving traces of bel presence here and
there-as, for instance, i'll the new bonnet
Cor doll her little sister found pinned to
her pillow, and the lost BOOK for which
school-boy Tom had been hunting slipped
under his. But her song ceased when she
entered Fged'S apartment, for she was in
haste 10 practice Il new piece, and here was
=. occupation for half an hour al least!
How Fred had spent the last twenty-fouT
hours could be easily traced. He had Joined
a shooting party early on the previous day,
and, with his customary carelesSueSS, left
.. his pOwder-iiaSk and carirldge-caSeS on
chair, where both might have been bounced
upon by his younger brothers.
Next, lie had been TO an afternoon con-
cert, for, on the floor, crumpled into ball,
lay the programme, and at the foot OF the
led, with a muddy boot resting Cd ii, was
the wlite-satin tie Alma had made for him
not long since.
On his mantelpiece, with sundry cigar
ends. faded buttOnhele and handkerchief,
there was the menu of the farewell dinner
given 10 one of his fellOw-clerkS and bosom
friends who was leaving England to enter
upOn more TemuneratIve work IN New
Zealand; while on and around the dressing
table there were proofs positive that the
excitement Of the speech making, etc, had
left one at least Of the jewellers too Taketul
TO spend the remainder of the night in sleep.
Fied'S talent for caricatuTe was visible In
the crude but clever sketches made from
memory on the backs of envelopes and other
odds and ends of paper, only to be torn into
fragments and scattered in all directions
with eXaspeTating disregard OF the trouble
some one would have in picking them up
again.
Then there was. when collected, quite
pile OF books brought from their shelf to
while away the hours till dawn; and one OF
the heaviest of these volumes had been
tossed down so carelessly that it had fallen
upon a miniature prOpped up against the
still smoking lamp and shattered The glass
that protected the delicate ivory.
How very careless OF Freil This was the
portrait of his hancee - the gentle, sweet
faced Winnie Bourne whom Alma thought
she loved as well, if not better, than her
own elder sisters and, at the risk OF injury
detach from the frame the few pieces Of
broken glass still remaining, and then
transferred the picture TO a place of safety.
No mention has been made as yet of the
coats and waistcoats, the collars and scarves,
that numbered the chairs and even flOeT
ImpetuOuS, Needless Fred was always in a
hurry, but on this occasion he had sur
passed himself: and his sister, as the min
dtes slipped by, carrying with them all pros
poet of that good practice she rad planned,
prepared for the culprt such a lecture as
she did not often infllct.
Stu, in spite of her vexation. she worked
on steadily. Stray boots and slippers were
routed out of corners and paired on the
rack; faded flowers cgar-ends and scraps
Of paper swept into a heap for removal; and
the last article of masculine attre-a dress
coat-was receiving vigorous shake, pre-
parat0Iy TO folding, When from one of the
pockets there fell at Alma's feet tiny
packet.
The paper in which it was wrapped was
20 careessly fastened that ii came off as
soon as the young girl touched 1t, and ex-
posed the c0ntents-a pair of lady's gloves,
twelye-buttoned pale blue French kid
gloves, finished of with Tuche of lace and
SIlken tasses.
Alma recoied, staring at the dainty
things in dismay. For whom she asked her
self, could they b. intended? Not for Win
ME Bourne, for she was in half-I10urning,
and wore nothing but white, pale gray, or
lavender.
For whom, then, did Fred destine them?
Would the small card that had also fallen
from the paper answer her query?
She picked II up. There was neither
name nor address printed upon it, only a
lew hastlly-penciled lines commencing,
Dearest POlle"
IL may have been very wrong; Alma
knew while she did it that Fred woald pro-
nOunce her conduct objectionable; but
with those quickly enclled, yet perfectly
lines before her eyes, how could she resist
cleaning the sense of them?
Deeply grieved that | could not fulfill
my promise OF seeing You this evening. If
you love me, forgive the apparent neglect
accept this trlting present, and depend
upon me to obey your injunction and meet
YOU al the old trysting place on the twenty
ninth"
If Fred Carton had returned home inst
then he would have found his tavorite sister
crouching on the floor, pale, fearful ard
miserable. The secret she had discovered
filled her with shame and terror for the con-
sequences. In spite of his faults, his par
eEts believed their son to be the soul of
honor; and Winnie-affectionate confiding
Wlnnie-trusted in him implicitly.
He knew this, and yet he was writing
with all the ardor OF lover to an unknown
female, to whom lie had to make atone
ment for some act of neglect with such
gifts as thesel He knew this, and yet he
was betraylng the trust reposed in him.
How could he do so?
Alma spurned the delicately rented gloves
with her foot, and was tempted to trample
on, or even destroy them altogether.
But what she really did was to hurry
them into their wrapper and restore that
TO the pocket Of incautious Fred. lie must
not know that she had learned now false,
how wicked he could be. And then, in her
dismay aud distress, she cried so long and
so bitterly over that dear brothers delin-
quencies that, when Cathie and Jennie
came to look for her, she could with truth
plead headache so violently that She was
incapable Of the smallest exertiOn.
Mrs. Carton sent her white-cheeked.
heavy-eyed daughter to lie down, never
doubling that few hours rest would send
her back to the family sitting-roOm her
merry busy self; but it was not so. Two or
three days went by, and still. though Alma
pronounced herself quite recovered. and
went about her ordinary avocations as
usual. she continued to look harassed and
10 NOPE.
As she avoided her anxious mother as
much as possible, and evipced much agita-
ton when questioned by her sisters. a family
conelave was held. AT this it was decided
that little wholesome neglect should be
tired; Mr. Carton insisting that If anything
beyond mere sentimental grievance allied
MS daughter she was too sensible a girl to
withhold it from her mother.
But 1t was the difficulty of placing conf
dence in that dear mother that troubled
Alma, as much as her conviction that Fred
was acting. dishOnorably by his betrothed.
She longed to tell the story of the tiny
packet, but how could she be the first to
make such disgraceful revelation? Yet
the burden OF this secret was almost more
than she could bear, and when she saw her
mother busy at fine stitching for Feds
wristbands, or Winnie came and nestled by
her side to sing in his sisters ears the
praises OF her lover, Alma's heart ached
with an intolerable aching that he should
not be more worthy such affection.
And where was Fred Carton when she
was undergoing these pangs on his account?
DE had suddenly determined to accom-
pany his friend to Liverpool, where he was
to 20 on board the steamer in which his
passage was taken. Some delay occurring
at the last moment, Fred teegraphed to
town for an extension of his leave of alb
sence; and it was not till week had
elapsed that the young man, sobered by the
recent parting. returned to his own home.
1t was late in the day when he arrived,
and Alma, as she cOldly received his greet
ing kiss, remembered, with a shudder that
1t was the 29th of the month, the date on
ha al hi