The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-07-04
own rela.lons. She has plenty Of


own relations. She has plenty Of
them.n
Possibly she is afraid said Paula,
languidly. "She Is so alarming..y rich,
she might think It too much Of temp
tation TO her dear relations to stay
with them"
"Paula, you are ridiculous, and you
have such strange notions for 80 young
q girl. 1t is really very impolitic to
talk In the way you do. However, I'm
too busy to scold now"
"For small mercies let us be CRATE
full" murmured Paula.
Mics Price may be here at any mo-
ment, and l must see about her ROOM"
and Mrs. Grenoble hustled out Of the
room.
Half an hour afterward there was a
meek little rap at the street door. In
a few minutes Miss Price and her COM
panion were ushered into the room.
Miss Price was q little thin lady over
sixty years old. She wore her light
hair, which was streaked with gray,
in little curls IN each side of her
cheeks. Her face was little and
shrunken, her figure pinched and small,
her hands and feet small. But the worst
thing about her was the utteoly care
worn and miserable expression of her
face. "A ~listless Indebtedness had, as
1t were, eaten itself into her withered
countenance, and was shown In every
trembling hands and bony neck.
"And yet she has four Thousand q
year." said Palua to herself.
Miss Price appeared in mortal dread
of her companion, and yet totally un-
able to do without her. Mrs. Mount
tyrannized over her in the more bare
faced manner, and poor Miss Price
submitted meekly in the l~istless, hope
less way her face betrayed.
viii there eyer be q time when q
companion will be necessary to my
we'll being ?" thought Paula.
The next morning was fine, and Miss
Price elected to do her shopping. A
carriage was ordered, for Miss Price
noise Of the omnibuses did not agree
with her. But she grumbled at the
expense and feared she was running
herself.
Paula and Mrs. Mount accompanied
her. And what q time they had of it
Miss Price wanted dresses, but nothing
suited her. The'cheap ones we're too
common, and the better ones were too
expensive. Her unhappy face was
bent over the goods, comparing them,
finding fault o with the color, now
with the texture, but generally with
the price. Finally she chose an ex-
pensive silk and some brown cash
mere, and her face looked more mis-
the bill. And then to the milliner's
and the same scene was enacted over
again.
Paula uyofnhnl no fn m 1,aoDo fho
pretty, tasteful bonnets changed, as il
by magic, into dowdy, commonplace
constructions as soon as they surround.
ed Miss Prices discontented old face.
1t seemed to occur to Miss Price also
that 1t did not much matter what she
chose, for she kept her face turned
resolutely from the mirrors, and
deferred at last to Mrs. Mounts judg-
ment. Paula shuddered as she thought
that she might come to just such an
unpleasant old age. To be depen-
dent IN the taste of u companion for the
selection Of ones clothes To look so
woebegone and wretched as to come
to shun tho sight of ones own coun
tenance.
Paula was very thoughtful and silent
all that evening. Mrs. Grenoble told
her 1T was time--full time to answer
no hoo0oio' huid Sdlu Sue Woulu WrlIe
them tomorrow before breakfast.
Her mother said of course there was
no doubt as to her choice. mo child
blessed with such q mother as she had
to advise her would hesitate a moment.
Paula answered gravely that the
advent of Miss Price had left no doubt
In her mind as to which course she
would pursue. Her mother looked at
her doubtfully as she made this re-
mark, lighting her bedroom candle
meanwhile; but Paula gave q pro-
digious yawn, which entirely destroyed
any expression her face might have
had at the time, and then vanished
from the room.
When Paula reached her bedroom
she placed her candle on the dressing
table, and sitting down with her elbows
on the table and her cheeks resting
In her two hands, calmly surveyed her
reflection In the glass. 1t was cer-
piles of chestnut hair browning the
pale, oval face, and it's steady, clear
eyes shining in the dim light. But
as she gazed Paula, as through a mist,
seemed to see the chestnut hair grown
scanty and streaked with gray, the
face thin and lined, the mouth with
it's already too disconnected droop, in
tensitied and hardened by years Of
loneliness n unhappiness.
or what use would fine clothes be
with a face like that? To live alone,
uncared for, unlOved, would soon sour
the young face, and then-she would
grow like Miss Price!
mo-" said Paula, resolutoly, " no {;
l cannot do it. Not for fifty thousand
pounds can | consent to run the risk
OF growing like Miss Price. I dare
say when | am as old as she Is I shall
be fat and have a red face but then
Charlie will be old, too, and probably
lat, so we shan't be able to reproach
each other. And we shall be togeth-
er, and wesh all have got over
all u little quarrels and misunder-
standings, and we shall by that time
understand each others peculiarities.
We shall be horribly poor, beastly
poor as Bella Wilfer used to say
but for all that l would rather be with
Charlie h O with mamma all my life.
And then the fine clothes-what
good are they after one has grown old
and ugly? And as to travelling about
and seeing things-why, I'd rather
stay at home than go about with-a
Miss Price. I wish-I wish 1 could
choose Charlie and the ESQ. 600, too.
L don't suppose that anybody with
more money than Charlie would ask
me to marry him. 1t would not do to
u the risk of waiting. No. 1t is my
fate to be Mrs. Etheridge; and-weli,
It's O. better fate than to be a Miss
Price"