The Opelousas courier., 1896-01-25
BOB'S SISTER.

In a small house at BigharA, Surrey,
lived Alice Baipes and her sister Bob.
Both their parents had been dead for
sqhe years, having bequeathed to theif
daughters a modest patrimony, upon
which they were able to subsist in Sim
pie comfort. Alice, the elder, was just
on the far side of 30; Bob, the younger,
was now in her 18th year. There was
thus a considerable difference OF age be-
tween them. But the difference did not
end here. Two sisters more dissimilar
in looks, in character, in disposition,
would have been hard to find. The
strength and self-reliance of Alice made
themselves appear i'll every line OF her
face, in every tone u her voice, in every
motion of her body. Her blue eyes
shonc with a steady, fearless light. The
carriage of her mouth was firm and
stanch. The squareness of her WELL
formed chin was full of power. Her
manner had the calm case of perfect
assurance. Her beauty was the beauty
OF n capable woman.
With Bob it was different. Bob had
little strength, and no self-reliance.
Such a tender, anxious, appealing face
was Bob's. 1t reflected every ray of
sunshine, every passing cloud that APP
preached. In those brown and gentle
eyes often a hundred varying emotions
would be born and die within the hour,
and a many smiles and quiverings
would rufle her mobile lips. She was
pretty, very pretty; and winning, very,
very winning. Yet it was a child's ma
ture that gave it's life to her expression;
twas a child's sweetness that charmed
you in her look and manner
Before shedwas we'll IS Bob had found
a lover. Some people expressed sur
prise that Ronald Armleigh had chosen
Bob in preference to her sister Alice.
And, indeed, it had appeared for some
time doubtful toward which of the
two girls his real attention was direct
ed. First of all, Alice had seemed to
attract him the more. This was what
might have been expected. Armleigh
was a man of the world, experienced,
and mature in judgment. He priaed
himself, not without reason, upon his
sound sense and his practical views.
In his then position-that of a bur-
rister just ON the threshold Of profess
sional and social SUCCESSIVE had every
need of q clever, capable wife. That
was exactly what Alice's qualities fitted
her for. And it was by these qualities
in her that he seemed at first to be at
tracted.
But after a little came a change. Ex-
to say. Perhaps Alice had repealed him
by her cold demeanor. Perhaps he had
grown alarmed by the signs of master
fulness in her character. Or, perhaps,
love had got the better of prudential
considerations. 1t was probably one of
these three. Itmay have been all COM
bined. At any rate, there it was. And
soon it became apparent that it was
Bob, the winsome child, not Alice, The
capable woman, who held the key of
Ronald Armleigh's affections.
This circumstance discovered a new
6lOC W IN CldCA oIStC1 LID StCtCIs ILL
now Alice had been more than a mother
to Bob. Her love for the younger girl
had been a touching thing to see. In
turthering Bob's interests, in promot-
ing Bob's happiness, in shielding Bob
from harm and annoyance, Alice had
never been known to consider herself.
She had, in everything, yielded to her
a pure and unmixed devotion.
But from this time forward all this wa
changed. Alice suddenly began to treat
her sister-so the neighbors said, and so
the poor child herself felt-with posi-
tive cruelty.
Perhaps there never yet lived n wom-
IN devoid of jealousy. And though
may manage to conceal it better |
than others, yet It's seldom, indeed, that, |
upon adequate provocation arising, |
they are able to conceal it altogether.
Nc one could deny that, in this present
case, Alice Baines had received ade-
quate proyocation. 10 be admired by a
fascinating mana man
who, all things considered, wasa dis
eligible parti, was, of course, a
fiattering thing. ohave thatadmira-
ton u~naccountably withdrawn, and
then openly transferred to ayoungers sis
ter, under her very nose, was equally, of
course, provoking. And Alice Eaines
might have been excused any ordinary
of jealousy. There was, how
ever, no occasion for her to behave with
such exceptional meanness as she did.
Her was twofold. She
tried the effect of one kind first, and
upon that proving a failure, she had re-
course to the other. Her first meanness
was a malicious attempt, worked by an
insidious process of suggestions and
to blacken Armleigh's
character in her sisters eyes. Arm
Ieigh had not yet actually proposed to
Bob, and Alice wished to bring it about
hat when he did propose to her. as he
sure to do, her sister would refuse
him.
But this plan-very d~eservedly, the
aeighbors snid, considering its spitefuI
md d~og-in-the manger character-al-
together failed. Bob began by indig-
repelling all in~sinuations
her lover, and went on by re-
to listen to them at all. Alice
then took . holder course. She stopped
q design Of unparalleled meanness
She strained every nerve, used every
every charm, every ~subterfuge
10 win Ronald Armleigh back from her
lister to herself. Now, nobody had ever
J