Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-06-03
stern father was relaxing his opposition
to their happiness?
CHAPTER XI.

Chester Sewall's sessions with h1m'
self as committee on ways and means
grew long and anxious OF course at
tendance at Ima's birthday party was
| imperatively necessary. She would nev.
er forgive him if he absented himself
upon that occasion. And it was posi-
BILE, if not exactly probable, that il
might be the turning point in his for
tunes Suppose her sordid father, in the
expansion Of feeling naturally to be ex.
pected upon such an anniversary, should
say: "Bless you, my children. Your
love has conquered my pride Marry and
be happy"
But that difficulty about dress coat
presented itself anew. He could not dare
to risk hiring one again and perhaps go
about all evening smelling as if he had
been cleaned with the stuff they put IN
lamps IF Ema should get one sniff OF
that odor, identify it with him and
guess at the reason for its presence, she
might be capable Of renouncing him
forever. Yet the more he contemplated
his own as an alternative the more
shabby it appeared to him Would 1t be
q judicious investment under the cir
cumstances for him to buy new one?
The slenderness Of his resources COM
PEELED him to decide against it Why
not wear Johns? It was new, an elegant
garment One nights wear would not
harm it. John would certainly not re-
fuse to lend it If he were at home and
indeed need never know that it had been
borrowed IF it would fit He took 1t
out Of Johns wardrobe and tried 1t on.
It fitted as If it had been made for him.
Lottie Belden said that when he had 1t
ON "there was not better looking wax
figure in the Eden Musee." He wished,
by the way, she would not make re-
marks like that. It was 80 difficult for
him to determine sometimes whether
they were meant to be sarcastic or not.
The coat difficulty thus disposed OF,
another, which at first threatened to be
yet more serious, presented itself. He
would be expected to make a present to
Ema ON the auspicious occasion, one
worthy Of her and of the position he as
sumed as her affianced husband. Very
gladly, indeed, he would have given to
her diamonds as big as pumpkins or
>pailfuls Of pearls If he could, but even
a decent bouquet would have made a
serious draft On his resources, and he
feared that bouquets we're hardly up 70
the occasion anyway. To buy SOB q
piece Of jewelry as he would care to
offer would bankrupt him.
After long cogitation he brought out
Of his trunk little box, enveloped and
sealed as it was when it came into his
possession. In faded ink upon the paper
Unfolding 1t were the words written In
q tremulous hand, "For my SOL"
His eyes were dimmed for moment,
as he tenderly folded the paper and laid
it aside Surely, he thought, If mother
could know she would not disapprove
what he was about to do in his extrem-
ity. She, too, would have loved Irma
had she known her.
IQ6 DO4 COuGdlucu uu1uUCI VI provo
Of jewelry, rings, earrings, brooches
and bracelets, all old fashioned and
generally Of no great value. Mrs Sewan
had cared little for ornament, and her
additions to the accumulation were
those Of least worth financially, though
the only ones that had any sacredness
Of association in the mind Of her son.
Some Of the antique pieces, that had
long been heirlooms in his family, were
much more valuable than Chester i'm.
agined, but they were few. One Of these
he selected for his present to Irma 1t
was nautilus, wrought in gold and
enamel, with setting Of one splendid
ruby, exquisite in design and superb in
execution. He chose it simply because
Of its artistic beauty, thinking nothing
more Of the big ruby than that it looked
well, for he knew practically nothing
of the values Of precious stones
On the evening Of the party he was
more than pleased and not little sur
prised to learn that his present was not
only the most beautiful but by very far