The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-11-22

good angel that drew me after you
Yes, yes, life would now be heaven
here, and with you, if-if only my
mother could be with me-"
The large, soft eyes filed with tears,
and though she grieved to see them,
Mrs. Hamilton could not wish Dolores
to be less conscious Of the loss she had
so lately known.
81 can never fill her place, dear"
she said, "but try to feel that I love
you as would wish to have her love
my little Polly"
"Come. Lorita; here is the carriage" "
And Mary led the way, with ..her Gus
tomary airy, light-hearted manner that
covered depth of feeling she was not
willing to display ct all times.
eff she supposes that you have run
away" continued Miss Hamilton, as
the two girls were driving downtown
toward the wretched place that had
been for more than year the home OF
Dolores and her mother, ''perhaps
your landlady has taken possession of
your things to pay the debt you owe
her."
Dolores laughed outright, with some
thing more like merriment than Mary
had yet heard from her.
call own in the world, Maruia,
would not bring dollar if sold to the
highest bidder, with the single excep-
ton of my mothers picture. can
but hope that Mrs. Brown has not
burned the lot rs rubbish; a few let
ters and manuscript containing the
legend of the Mendoza family and
other trifes valuable only as keep
sakes; for if they could have been ex-
changed for money, they, too, would
have gone long ago. The manuscript
is curiosity; mamma found it among
my poor fathers papers after his death.
It might interest you, dear, because
YOU care for me; it could not interest
any any one else, except for antiquar-
ian reasons"
81 hope the woman has not de-
stroyed it," exclaimed Mary. "What
q girl you are! The heroine Of I don't
know how many romances, or, if not
the actual heroine, something even
better-the heir to whole centuries of
romance. Some great artist shall
paint you as an allegorical figure rep
resenting the genius of the New World.
It would be suitable for the Colum-
bian Exposition to celebrate the great
anniversary.
"What a fanciful idea! But don't
be uneasy about the manuscript. l
don't think Mrs. Brown would burn
it,"
"No," said Mary, "for women at
tach sort of superstitious value to
anything like documents.
Dolores only smiled in answer, and
Mary saw that her face had taken on
strange, rapt: expression, while her
eyes deepened and glowed as if they
saw into some far away, unknown
realm, beyond the reach of other eyes.
It was look that Mary had seen once
or twice before on the face OF her new
friend; and though it had startled her,
she understood already that while it
continued it was useless to speak to
Dolores.
The carriage had proceeded rapidly,
and they had now reached q part OF
the town known only by description
to the child of luxury, who, although
her hand was at oil times open
to the cause OF charity, dis.
pensed her bounty by means OF
various kindly messengers. The
squalid children that thronged the
streets and lanes, the dirty and reel
ing men and women collected in
groups on the sidewalks and on the
street corners, would now have been
alarming but for the presence on the
carriage box of the faithful James,
who, with many misgivings and
strange questionings in his perplexed
mind, drove with exceeding care
through this vile neighborhood. AT
last the carriage stopped in front of
tenement few degrees less squalid
than it's general surroundings, and at
the same moment Dolores started, or
as her companion would have said,
"came back to earth again.
"This is the place." she said, pre-
pairing to descend from the carriage
as James opened the door.
"No, Maruja; cannot let you come
into this place. Your mother would
not wish it." And the words were
spoken with emphasis that left no
room for argument.
TO BE CONTINUED.