Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1896-01-31

just on the far side of thirty; Bob,
tho younger, was now IN her eight.
eenth year. There was thus q consid-
cradle difference of age between
them. But the difference did rot 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 apparent in every
line OF her face, IN every tono of her
voice, IN every smotion of her body.
Her blue eyes shone with a steady.
fearless light. The carriace 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 besuty OF capa-
bic woman.
With Bob it was different. Bob had
little strength and no self reliance.
Such tender, anxious, appealing face
was BOb's. 1t reflected every ray Of
sunshine, every passing cloud that
approached. In those brown and
gentle eyes often hundred varying
emotions would be born and die
within the hour, and as many smiles
and quiverings would rufilo her mobile
lips. She was pretty, very pretty;
and winning, very, very winning. Yet
1T was child's nature that gave It's
life to her expression; twas child's
sweetness that charmed hcr In youi
/ look and manner
Before she was we'll eighteen Bob
had found lover. Some people ox-
pressed surprise that Ronald Arm
leigh had chosen Rob in preference to
her sister Alice. And, indeed, ID hal
| appeared for some time doubtful
toward which Of the two girls LEGAL
attention was directed ~ ~
Alice had SEQ ~ 49,
more. ~ eNM
world rcrIenced aud mature in
Judgment. He prided himself, not
without reason, upon his sound sense
and his practical views. In his thou
posltion-that of n barrister lust on
the threshold of professional and
social success-he had every need OF a
clever, capable wife. That was exact.
ly what Ahce's qualities fitted her
for. And it was by these qualities in
her that he seemed at first to be Mt.
tracted.
But after little came a change.
Exactly what had caused it would be
be impossible to say. Perhaps Alice
had repealed him by her cold demean-
or. Perhaps he had grown alarmed
by the signs of masterfulness in her
character. Or, perhaps, love had got
the better of prudential codsidera-
tons. 1t was probably one of these
three. il may have been all COM
blned. At any rate, there Il was. And
soon 1t became apparent that it was
Bob, the winsome child, not Alice, the
capable woman, who held the kew of
Ronald Armleigh's affections.
This circumstance discovered a new
side to the elder sisters character.
Till now Alice had been more than n
mother to Bob. Her love for the
younger girl had been touching
thing to see. In fnrthering Bob's in
terests, in promoting Bob's happiness.
IN shielding Bob from harm and an
noyance, Alice had never been known
to consider herself. She had, IN
everything, yielded to her sister pure
and unmixed devotion. But from this
time forward ali that was changed.
Alice suddenly began to treat her sis
ter-so the neighbors said, and so the
poor child herself felt-with positive
cruelty.
Perhaps there never yet lived n wo-
man devoid of jealousy. And though
some may manage to conceal it better
than others. yet It's seldom indeed
that, upon adequate provocation aris-
ing, they are able to conceal it alto
gether. No one could deny that. in
this present case, Alice Baines had
received adequate provocation. To be
admired by u handsome, fascinating
mana man who, all things consider
ed. was distinctly eligible parti, was.
OF course, flattering thing. To have
that admiration unaccountablv with
drawn, and then openly transferred
TO younger sister, under her very
nose, was, equally. of course, provok-
ing. And Alice Baines might we'll
have been excused any ordinary exhi-
bition Of jealousy There was, how
ever, no occasion for her to behave
with such exceptional meanness as she
did.
Her meanness was twofold. She
tried the effect of one sort first, and
upon that proving failure she had
recourse to the other. Her first mean
ness was a malicious attempt, worked
by an insidious process of suggestions
and lnnuendos, to blacken ArInleigh's
character IN her sisters eyes. Arm
leigh had no. yet actually proposed TO
Bob and Alice wished to bring it
about that when he did propose to
her, as he was sure soon to DO, her Sis
ter should refuse him.
But this plan-very deservedly, the
neighbors said, considering its spite.
ful and dog-in-the manager character
altogether failed. Bob began by
Indignantly repelling all insinuations
against her lover, and went on by re-
fusing to listen to them at all. Alice
then took bolder course. She
stopped to q design of unparalleled
-