The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1896-01-18
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A SISTERS SACRIFICE.


In a small house at Bigham, Surrey,
lived Alice Baines and her sister, Bob.
Both their parents had been dead for some
years, having bequeathed to their daugh-
tiers modest patrimony, upon which they
were able to subsist in comfort. Alice,
the elder, was just on the far side of thir-
ty; Bob, the younger, was now in her
eighteenth year. There was thus con-
siderable difference of age between them.
But the difference did not end here. Two
sisters more dissimilar in looks, in charac-
ter, in disposition, would have been hard
to find. The strength and self reliance Of
Alice made themselves apparent in every
line in her face, in every tone of her voice,
in every motion of her body. Her blue
eyes shone 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 man
ner had the calm ease of perfect assur-
ance. Her beauty was the beauty of a
capable 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 sun
shine, every passing cloud that approached.
In those brown and gentle eyes often a
hundred varying emotions would be born
and die within the hour, and as many
smiles and quiverings would ruffie her
mobile lips. She was pretty, very pretty
and winning, very, very winning. Yet ii
was child nature that gave its life to
her expression; twas child's sweetness
that charmed you in her look and manner.
Before she was well eighteen Bob had
found lover. Some people expressed
surprise that Ronald AFmleigh 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 directed. First
of all, Alice had seemed to attract him the
more. This was what might have been
expected. Armleigh was man of the
world. experienced and mature in judg-
ment. He prided himself, not without
reason, upon bis sound sense and his prac-
teal views. Ia bis then position-that
of barrister Just on the threshold Of pro-
fessional and social success-he bad every
need of clever, capable wife. That was
exactly what Alices qualities fitted her
for. And it was by these qualities in her
that he seemed at first to be attracted.
But after little came change. Ex-
actly what had caused it would be impos-
sible to say. Perhaps Alice had repelled
him by her cold demeanor. Perhaps he
had grown alarmed by the signs of mas
terfulness in her character. Or, perhaps,
love had got the better of prudential con-
siderations. 1t was probably one Of these
three. 1t may have been all combined
At any rate, there it was. And soon it
became apparent that it was Bob, the
winson child, not Alice, the capable wo-
man, who held the key Of Ronald Arm
leigh affections,
This circumstance discovered new side
to the elder sisters character. Till now
Alice had been more than mother to
Bod. Her love for the younger girl had
been a touching thing to see. In further
ing Bob's interests, in promoting Bob s
happiness, in shielding Bob from harm and
annoyance, Alice had never been known
to consider hersalf. She had, in every
thing, yielded to her sister pure and un-
mixed devotion. But from this time for
ward all that was changed. Alice sud
denly began to treat her sister-so the
peiehbors said, and so the poor child her
sslf felt-with positive cruelty.
Perhaps there never yet lived woman
devoid of jealousy. And though some
NAV manage to conceal it better than
others, vet tis seldom indeed that, upon
adequate proyocation arising, they are able
to conceal it altogether No one could
DENY that, in this present case, Alice
Baines had received adequate provocation
To be admired by handsome, fascinating
mana man who, all things considered,
was a distinctly eligible party, was, OF
course, fattering thing. To have that
admiration unaccountably withdrawn, and
then openly transferred to- younger sister,
under her very nose, was equally, of course,
provoking. And Alice Baines might well
have been excused any ordinary exhibition
of jealousy. There was, however, no oc-
cassion for her to behave with such excep-
tional meanness as she did.
Her meanness was twofold- She tried
the effect of one sort inst, and upon that
proving failure she had recourse to the
other. Her first meanness was malicious