The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-12-13

his shoulders :impatiently, and then
! settled himself to another thirty MIN
utes of endurance.
"She wants to watch him, Thought
Miss Gaye, keeping an attentive gaze
on Madame Celestine. Eyes, there is
certainly mystery here, and must
get the clue to it. Bertha, DEAR" she
said aloud, but without removing her
watchful gaze from the beautiful face
of the unknown Frenchwoman, "what
did you NJ can, little while ago, when
you said that you had seen the most
intimate friend of Polly Hamilton?
You haven't quarreled, have you?"
"Quarreled! Oh, my, no! I never
quarrel" said Bertha, placidly. "But
Polly has a new friend now, and
sometimes felt q little bit hurt to feel
myself almost set aside, though
have really no cause for complaint.
At the best, our intimacy was only an
&C.: occidental one; there was no deep
friendship about it. And Polly ls
lust az sweet as ever she can be; but
she loves this new girl. She's down
right silly about her."
"You good little thingl I should
be awfully jealous!" exclaimed Olive.
"But who is this new girl? Don't
you hate herr"
mot in the least. I'm never jeal'
GUS, and she is a lovely girl. He1
name is Dolores Mendoza"
At the sound of this name Madame
Celestine gave an almost convulsive
start. It was so sudden that she
could not Immediately control the ef-
feet produced on her feelings, and her
gaze, which had been concentrated on
the occupants Of the box, was turned
with startling suddenness on Bertha.
Her face, which was very pale, imme-
diately became suffused with color on
meeting Olives gaze, for she felt in.
stinctively that she was being watched:
She leaned back in her chair and
made ridiculous feint of using her
broken fan with the air OF a petulant
child. Olive Gaye continued her
talk with her companion.
GLOW very singular! Quite like
the things that happen in story
books, Bertha, because that is
name associated with the
Windermere family! I don't
exactly know how, except that the
heir-at-law, if the Honorable Clarence
and his brother and nephew should
die, happens to be a Mendoza-ow'
ing to the marriage of another branch
of the Stanleys with Spanish family
of that name. They are 80 mixed up,
these old-country aristocratic families,
one has to study the 'Peerage' sever.
al hours day in order to know all
about them
Olive knew now that her neighbot
was watching and listening even more
intently than she herself has been DO
ing; and it was disappointment tc
both when the curtain again rolled uE
and the last act of the'opers began.
"The plot ,thickens," she said to
herself with the slow, child-like
smiles that had captivated the old
Earl of Windermere, though it had
not deceived him, ''and the mystery
is becoming decidedly interesting.
The name of Mendoza has some very
unusual association for the lady OF
the broken fan; the Honorable Clar.
ence has peculiar associations with
that name, too, and she has known and
loved him-and, apparently, loves
him still-but, evidently, under diff
ferent name. But, to her, rose by
any other name is just the same.
Now, what does all this mean, I won
der? Well, it will give me something
to do to unravel this pretty tangle,
and I enjoy it more than a play
Life is very dramatic and so une1'
pected!"
TO BE CONTINUED.