The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-08-16

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The Greytons
lived in a pretty old manor house on
the Bloomingdale road, just a pleas
ant drive out of town.
They liked pretty draperies, and
cultivated rare roses, and painted
lovely little amateur pictures. and
basked, in q sort of unthinking way,
in life's sunshine.
They didn't know quite how much
income they had, nor exactly where it
came from. They only knew that
everything was in the bands of ''poor
papa's lawyer-a darling, white
haired old philanthropist, who was
devoted to the heather, and who Of
ficiated as Secretary to half dozen
foreign missionary associations EAnd
whenever they wanted money they
went to him for it.
And one day, when Mrs. Greyton
and her daughter Lila went to the
city Office with a bundle of unpaid
bills to get Mr.. Framingham to write
q check for them, the door was pad.
locked, and little paper notice ''To
Let" was tackled upon it.
Where had Mr.. Framingham gone
Nobody knew.
When would he return? The public
was densely ignorant on that subject.
Why had he gone? And in answer
to this question there was very uni
versal Struggling of shoulders, and a
whisper about general ":smash.up. "
Poor Mrs. Greyton! She and Lila
were both as ignorant and inexperi-
enced of the world as a pair of white
kittens, and it was some time before
she could comprehend that Mr.. Franz
ingham was thorough faced villain,
and that she and her little flock were
penniless.
"What shall we do?" murmured
Mrs. Greyton, after she had wept
through her whole supply Of pocket
handkerchiefs.
"Couldn't We sell our band.painted
china?" said Clarice, q swarthy
browed girl of eighteen. 81 de-.
signed every piece myself. And Mr..
Favalli said"
"Pshaw!" eurtly interrupted Fen
ella. "Just look at the china stores,
crowded full of far finer work. Poor
Clarie! they wouldn't ;pay you the
price of the mineral paint it took to
do them for your plaques and vases"
81 can do art embroidery very nice
ly," suggested Mona, tall, shy girl
with liquid black eyes. and ietty hair
growing low on her forehead.
"The embroidery market is over
FULL" said Fenella, who was the incar-
nation of common sense for the fami-
ly. elf you could do housework now.
Mona"
Mona looked down at her slim,
white hands, all sparkling with rings,
and shuddered.
But Bess, the youngest, came bravely
to the rescue.
''The first thing" said she, sis to
send all the servants off except Ann.
We can't afford to pay four girls and
q man any longer"
"But who is to keep the garden in
ORDER" cried Clarie, "if we discharge
the MANI"
cit must 60 without being kept in
order" said Bess, "or else We must do
it ourselves. "
"My poor roses!" sighed Mrs. Grey
ton.
"Mamma's roses shall not suffer, -
said Lila. 81 will look after them
myself"
"And old Mrs. Playford, who spends
a month with us every summer" said
Mona. "And the Bldg ood girls, who
always invite their frienes here to the
midsummer picnics-and all the peo-
pie who drive out from the city to
lunches and teas"
"We must make clearance of the
whole of 'em !" said Fenella, crisply-
"unless, indeed, they would like to
make business matter of it and pay
their board"
"Oh, Fenella!" cried Mrs. Grey.
ton.
"Well, why not, mamma? So fa1
as can see, we haven't got money to
buy our own bread and butter-sc
how can we afford to order ices, and
frozen puddings, and pates de foie
gras for other people? But if we had
a regular income, I am almost sure,
with AIMS help, that we could set O
very nice table for boarders.
Lila looked terrified.
''Mamma," said she, ''has it come
to this?'
Bess frowned savagely.
"Lilla," said she, ''don't be fool |!
unless you think you would like to
starve."
And while the family were still in
committee 'of-the-whole, old Mrs.
Playford's huge, old-fashioned ba'
rouche rumbled up to the door, with
Leaning Tower of Pisa strapped on
behind in the shape of trunks!
'I'm little earlier than usual, my
sweet girls" said she, with a smile
that revealed the golden hinges OF he1
false teeth after a most ghastly
fashion. "But the season is in
tolerably hot, and my doctor declares
it would be suicide for me to remain