The morning call., 1891-11-15

pretty girl who WAS on the outside so quiet
aud modest invariably needed watching.
| That night Dolly went to the mirror in her
| room and looked at herself, with hatIei
! glazing from her lovely eyes.
IF you were plain and homely," she said,
| addressing the reflected image. you
| could do anything and not be suspected.
/ But because you are pretty, everybody
| thinks you must be deceitful, giddy, tiirtish
| and devoid of sense. Oh, | wonder If
! pretty woman ever can succeed in a life
time In proving to the world that she is
| anything except pretty ?"
| She heard her roommate a Manufactured
| but fascinating girl. boast OF her conquests,
| and saw her receive boxes of candies and
| flowers surreptitiously. which she showed
| and shared with other girls. and these
| events seemed TO be the main source of
| amusement for the girls outside school
| hours. Dolly was called the ''old maid" by
| her schoOimates, or proud and stuck up"
because she would not participate in any of
| tins fun, and she was soon subj act of ridi-
| Guile among hall her mates for her rigid be-
| havlor. Many night she wept herself to
| sleep, while her roommate had stolen out
| unseen and gone to join a merry party at the
| house Of day scholar, Belle Parker, who
| was the belle and beauty of the village
| where the school was Stua ted.
| Belle was as beautiful as Dolly in ner
! way, many thought her more so. The
| two girls were called the rival goddesses
! by tie young men Of the town who
/
! Belle was a pale blonde OF the purest
| type, her hair like spun gold. her eyes china
! blue, her features perfect and her form di-
! vinely nodded; while Dolly's eyes and hair
| were chestnut and the wonderful color in
! her cheeks and lips rendered her quite I'M
| like Belle, whose skin was like creamy
| magnolia blossom.
Dolly was just entering on her seventeenth
| year Wien she was called home by her
! mothers Illness The dear mother died
! n n IN Of lUfc
| 9" want you to take charge of the home
| and Of your father and brother" her mother
had said to her during the last days of her
| illness. 1t is great responsibility to I'M
| pose upon young girl, but ii will be better
| for you then to leave you Idle ana subject
| TO the temptation OF youth and beauty 1t
! VIII compel you to learn Industrious habits
which VIII be OF use TO you in later life.
| Your fathers sister will remain with you
| few weeks, but after she goes | want you to
| install yourself as housekeeper, and remem-
| Der, no matter what flat.ery ana praise you
/ near from strangers, remember your Aunt
! Edith story and your dead mothers love
| and anxiety over you"
Dolly prayed to die with her dear moth er
! and get away from world which seemed so
| full of trouble for a pretty girl. But, of
! course, she did not die She lived. and
| turned to the housekeeping with all her
| mind bent upon succeeding in the arduous
| duty laid upon her young shoulders.
1t Was absurd for your mother to expect
| you to become a good housekeeper." said
! her aunt, Mrs. Preston. as she looked at the
! young gTl one day, bending over her
! French lesson, for Dolly had determined to
! use every spare moment in keeping up her
! studies. She feared TO be called an igno-
| ramus with a pretty face. "YoI are not
| the kind OF GIRL continued her aunt who
m kes a good hOuSekeeper You are the
| kind to know a smsttering of French,
| smattering OF music, a little fancy work,
| aud to marry young and be taken care of.
| cure young, and you can't always be in
| deep mourning, and as soon as you are out
! OF tue weeds you'll be head over heels in
| society. That's what you are made for
/ an ornament, not an article OF use. Ii is
! queer that your poor mother could not see
| II. GU are the picture Of your mothers
! sister. Edith, and niee time they had in
| trying TO make her useful. When girl is
made With that sort of face it's no use
expecting her to be worker. If you are
kept out OF mischief and let marry young, to
some sensible man, that Will be the best
thing to do with you, and your father ought
To get good practical hOusekeeper here at
once TO take charge OF things"
POor Dolly burst into passion Of tears.
On, was there no amount Of industry, good
behavior and prudence on her part, she
| thought, that would take away the curse of
her pretty face2 Would no one believe
that she was good for anything? And to be
told that she was like her Aunt Edith, after
all her caution and desire to be unlike her,
1t seemed so cruel.
- shall do as my mamma asked me to do
on her deathbed-tJke charge of the house
myself. she sobbed, and ran weeping from
the ROOM
Mrs. Preston went away, and Dolly as
sumed her new duties, and performed them
nobly in spite of her nunfs predictions.
she used every spare moment OF time in
keeping up her music and studies, so that
she was constantly occupied, but for all that
she was very lonely and depressed. She
n th4 of a
the pleasures of youth, but she was morbid
upon the subject of her duty. Her father
aud brother, after the manner of fathers
and brothers, knew nothing Of the workings
of her mind and fancied that she led her
rigid, secluded life from natural tastes.
There was church fair in the town
under preparation, and it was to be the
most elaborate affair ever known in the
place. Dolly was asked to sell flowers in
pretty booth, and she accepted with great
deal of pleasant anticipation. Her mother
had been dead two years, and this was the
first time her thoughts had ever gone out to
any pleasure since that sad event She was
10 wear simple white gown, and she felt
real thrill OF giriish happiness as she noticed
how becoming II was TO her, when she tried
it-On. But the day before the fair began
her brother told her that he heard four
young men IN the pOstOffice, who did not
know that he was her brother, congratulate
ing themselves that they would have
chance to see and talk to 'the proud little
beauty. Miss Sumner" One of them said
he would willingly expend $40 in flowers
Tor the pleasure OF looking at her FIVE min
utes, and the others declared they would
give him no chance to speak to her, but
would mOnODOlize her.
Dolly was SO frightened at this public dis
cussion of her beauty that she refused TO
act, and would assign no reason. and was
censured and blamed by all who took part
IN the fair. so, again, Dolly suffered the
pangs OF miscOnstruction for her best and
noblest motives. And after three years of
this life OF seclusion, so unnatural at her
age, she fell i'll of a morbid fever.
1t was three months before she was able
to be out, and then she learned, to her con-
sternatioD, that her father was about to
marry again. II gu are leading too solitary
life, Dolly" he said to her Il was
wrong to impose the care OF house upon
your young shoulders. l am going 10 marry
again. and | hope you will be reasonable
about it. Your new mother is stranger to
you, but she Is an elegant society woman,
who brings me a comfortable fortune, aud
who will make me good wife and you a
good mother, besides Frightening up ths
old house for us. A man told me to-day
that would not find my handsome daugh-
ter submitting to the rule of stepmother,
but told him he did not know my Dolly"
Dolly choked back her tears and sorrow
and resolved to belle this cynical mans
calumny as she had belied many others in
her brief life She welcomed the new
IHDlueI, WHO WAS Dul Il uOZ'n years her Sc
Nor, with brave smiles, and hid her sorrow
in her heart and in a few months her quirt
life was transformed through the influence
Of this stepmother. who was fond Of enter
tanning, and who was determined to launch
her stepdaughter as the belle Of the season.
Dolly was induced to d0f the black gar
ments she had worn for three years and to
appear in colors- And Mrs. Sumner gave
her coming out party" to which all the
leaders of fashion were invited in that and
neighboTing towns
Dolly, dressed simply in white, with apple
blossoms for her decorations, was marvel
of beautiful maidenhood, and her success
socially was at once established. She be-
came the rage. and almost before she could
realize what had happened she found Eer-
self caught in q Whirlpool of pleasures
which were bewilderiBg She was enjoying
her beauty for tue first time. and the delight
OF being a popular belle made her forget her
morbid IDEAS Of the misfortune which had
been en,aied to her by her git of beauty.
But even this brief respite was not to last