Rocky Ford enterprise. (Rocky Ford, Colo.) 1887-1950, 1898-09-22
CHAPTER III.


speaking to her in tone of confidence.
II want you to do me a favor this even
Ing"
"All right. dear answers Violet.
coiling up the long plaits of her haxen
hair with artistic precision. How can
I oblige your
well. as you know. the Champleys
are coming In this evening for some
music. and want you to prevent Shell
from putting herself forward In any
way and talking to them. She mas
such a strange blunt way with stran-
gers that l am always afraid OF her
doing or saying something outrageous.
I'm sure you needn't be" responds
vi. looking rather astonished. she
was well named Pearl for she hides
herself In her shell us persistently rs
her namesake. He who finds out her
true value will have to be very per
sistent man."
'Oh. she is n good deal sharper than
you think" says Ruby, with little
sheer: land at the same time she Is so
extremely odd that l never feel safe
as to what she might say! I actually
heard her confiding to the rector's wife
the other day that our stair-carpet had
been turned four times"
well. and II she did. there was no
harm in it," declares Violet. who Is
far more attached to Shell than to the
brilliant Ruby.
"Of course you don't care, because 1t
Is not your own home-you are only
staying here" retorts Ruby bitterly
but for my own part think there is
no need that our poverty should be
exposed to strangers. II she gets in
to conversation with either of the
'Champleys. l shouldn't in the least
wonder at her telling them that our
dinner Is always badly cooked because
we can't afford a new kitchen range"
81 don't think she would" laughed
Violet.
"She is quite capable of it-she Is so
eccentric. What other girl would in
sist upon being called She'll when she
has such pretty name? Nothing
could be sweeter than Pearl; and yet II
one dares to call her by her right name
she flies into one of her tantrums."
"She is of practical turn of mind"
laughs vi; "she thinks Pearl too fanci-
full a name for workaday mortal. l
wonder what induced aunt to name you
three girls after precious stones?"
81 really can't say" returns Ruby
rather coldly; perhaps the same rea-
son that induced yout mother to name
you Violet"
"Oh, l was called Violet because my
surname is Flower!" explains vi. a
shadow stealing over her face as her
thoughts fly back to her lost mother.
at used to be joke of papa's that
even when married should not cease
to be a flower
"You are a flower of which l should
be unccmmonly afraid II you were not
engaged" laughs Ruby.
"Afrald-why?" asks Violet, opening
wide her blue eyes.
Because you are so terribly pretty"
answers Ruby truthfully.
Violet knows full well that she is
pretty-her mirror tells her so, morn
ing, noon and night-yet she likes to
hcar it again. even If only from Ruby.
So she wakes amiable, and gives her
cousin faithful promise that any
show of forwardness on Shells part
shall be instantly suppressed.
AS Violet foresaw, however, there is
little cause to fear any attempt at ia
miIiarity on Shells part. The girl has
CLEANED from Ruby's constant illusions
to the Champleys since their return
home that her elder sister contemplates
with hopeful confidence the possibility
of becoming mistress of Champley
House. So disguised does Shell feel at
her sisters scarcely concealed scheme
30,
of conduct so totally at variance to that
of Ruby that even the most obtuse man
on earth must see at least that she has
no desire to steal from him his free
dom, Even when she hears that Ted
Champley, the boy with whom she used
to go blackberrying and nutting, is
coming down with Robert, she makes
I'M her sensible little mind to be civil
to him-nothing more.
So, as the evening wears away, both
brothers, after Intellectual attempts to
hit on a congenial topic of conversa-
ton, come to the conclusion that the
younger daughter of the house is
either somewhat deficient in intellect
or has developed such an alarming
spirit of contradiction that she is de-
cidedly Young woman to be avoid
ed.
Rubys amiable manner and social
sympathy stand out in startling con-
trast to Shells almost rough brusque-
ness of manner. Violet too does her
utmost to render the evening a pleas
ant one for the brothers, whilst Mrs.
Widen backs them both up, as far as
her natural want of energy will allow.
aDn Won rpmember those iolly times
we used to have out blackberrying, and
what particularly delicious blackberry
jam your cook used to make?" asks the
younger brother. taking seat beside
Shell toward the end of the evening"
L.. Il