The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1894-08-14
KEEPING UP APPEARANCES.

KEEPING UP APPEARANCES.
81 declaren said Miss Millicent Les
ter, drawing back the lace-and-velvet
curtains and peeping out into the fash
, ionable street, 'sif anybody in the
AForld looking at this house would i'm
gine that I, Millicent Lester, hadn't
# # ad good, square dinner for a month!
S hope to have one Thanksgiving,
5 hough."
& Estelle, stately and beautiful, who
ke uncomplainingly the scraggy NUT
IN served on silver plate, and drank
be weak tea poured into Sevres cups,
owned at her sister.
Mrs. Lester, resting on luxurious
laughed somewhat feebly at Mil
vicious emphasis.
nix you are a little glutton,
aald she.
Sn'tW remarked Miss Milli-
scally. "But look at me!
girl who could live on
|sG Ss we have?"
her shapely shoulders,
her strong yet delicate
is that I don't grow
ind haggard over the
&! to keep up appear
d :" she said, examin-
81 fresh face in the
enough to eat and
giving to make both
: Swe,gh two hundred
ought not to long for
!s' bee apparently so salts
;sent appearance, and
3; 4 any change would
aid Estelle, sharp
tongue and tenn
4 Ellie. Perhaps both
ened by the eternal
4 RI llars and cents.
fe, it's telling on you,
remarked, with feminine
sIt distresses me to see
& holIows under your eyes,
thin cheeks
ge's face flushed angrily.
mother came to the rescue.
II leave it to you, Millicent. With
our income as small as it is, in little
house in back street we could live
comfortably enough. Would you be
willing to make the change?"
It was now Milly's turn to color up.
"No-o-on' she said after a pause.
II can't. was brought up to love
appearances. I couldn't be happy
without at least the outward appear
ance of wealth. No; it is hard as it :.
I hate this perpetual running away
from bills, and scarcely daring to look
your old servants in the face. 1t is
dreadful, I admit. At the german last
week gentleman, Mr.. Blogden-''
There was pause, and a kind of
electric thrill ran around the little
circle.
Millicent bit her lip and continued
bravely:
"Mr. Blogden, I thought, was going
to take one of my gloves as keepsake.
felt perfectly sick at the idea. We
had no money to buy any more, and
the thought of facing those clerks at
SINNERS, and having another pair
charged on that awful bill that he has
been dunning US Tor the last four years
positively mad. me ILL"
s'Do you think, Milly," said her
mother, calmly, ':that if we gave up
our present system and went to live in
q back street, you would be invited to
any more germans by Mr.. Blogden?'
It was cruel home-thurst. Milli-
cent turned pale and gave kind of
gasp.
.tNol" she cried. II am forced to
acknowledge myself wrong to-day in
everything" she said with sob. 'I'll
tell you all-yes, even you, Estelle,
who will be certain to remind me of it.
! love Harry Blogden, but ! don't be-
lieve in him; ! can't trust him.
know he loves me- know he wants
to marry me; feel it. But something
holds him back. I think he is dubi-
ous about my money. He knows we
are thought rich, and yet he suspects
we are poor. If I had the nerve-I
am such a poor, weak, cowardly crea-
ture--I would tell him point blank
that I am poor 1t would be better to
know if he is mercenary. But I can't
II can't. Oh, mamma and Estelle,
why don't you have the nerve to face
the world as we are? I am the young
est-make allowances for me-but
force me to agree to some change i'll
our l,ves!"
Mrs. Lester groaned out aloud. Even
Estelle seemed as if she could stand but
little more of the make believe life
they had led for so long.
Just then there was pull at the bell.
They never heard the bell-pull without
apprehension. They sat quite still and
pale, as the liv,ried servant ushered
gentleman into IL, room.
He bowed respectfully and took the
seat offered him.
Mrs. Lester felt grateful to him fo-
that, at least while the servant was in
hearing. She little suspected that the
servant knew her visitor as we'll as she
did, and by that time had retaiied the
fact in the kitchen that the man from
SINNERS had come to levy on the fur