The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-12-20
TT 1T IL: IT it IT !:
CHAPTER VII.

and all her pretty color gone.
"Too many long walks, too much VIC
lent riding and that sort OF thing. I'VE
overdone It," she explained 10 Mrs.
Morris. But she added seeing the look
Of distress on that lady's face, "I'll
soon frcshcn up-~you'll sce"'
She did. And when the season open.
ed she became most popular: she was |
here and there and everywhere. The |
plqu0ncy OF her foreign flavor gave her |
an additional atlractiveness. Her 50.
clal triumphS now for the first time |
fully awakened the important DE |
WNte to her charms, and he wondered |
Ut his former comparative apathy.
As to Llama, the awakening distress. |
ed her greatly. lie was his mothers |
idolized son; she, l.inna, was her pen,
niless protcEcr. When her happlncs.
came 10 he weighed IN the balance
against his IT VAS nn open question
which would tip the scales. And she
was beginning to feel something nj.
most like rcpulslon for the man, i'm.
maculately gruumcd and tailored as hr
was. His continual low whispers and
gazing eyes, the dulcet tctc.a.tetcs
when the family were out, the tnnta-
lizing passages as ne waylaid her on
the stairs Of an evening all these
brought her trouble and unrest. All.
were all men self seeking?
Margaret Maitland and Llama had
become fast friends. as their first meet
Ing promised. The experiences Of the
summer had brought them closely to-
gether. 1t was the day after Anna
Abbotts wedding, at which both the
girls had been bridesmaids, and Mar
saret, who WAS not feeling well, was
lying down in her boudoir, propprd up
with cushions. Llama had dropped In
FOR few moments chat, but, finding
her friend indisposcd, had taken of
her wraps and decided to pass the aft.
ernoon with her.
Anna looked every inch the BRIDE
didn't shct' said Margaret; ''prctty,
flushed and trcmulous. hope she'll
be good little wife to Charles, he's SO
desperately fond OF her. .\nd shes
such spoiled, pcttrd creature"
Llama acQuirSccd In all these things,
playing idly with her big mum, which
lay on n chair beside her. Somehow
her heart was heavy today. 1t was
Lohcngvh's WvH,iiig March" which
had fetched the hravincSS, she said to
herself Yesterday when the strains
had reached her ears I'm her usual
senSrleSs fashion she had felt her lips
tremhlr. and great foolish sob nearly
had broken up from her throat.
But OF this she said no word. She
began to talk Instead Of the guests
who had been 1T the wedding, OF the
stream OF men and women. old and
young, people with a great deal OF
manner and not much else. 1t amused
her to see the faultlcssly dressed men
SareSsing their hats. grinning vacuoua.
ly and clncking out set phrases and TO
hear the women gossip lurbulcntly
about such things rs the shop windows
could bring to view amy day, from
Alaskan senl garments 1T one end to
Jeweled harbartlcs IN buckles ut the
other With turquoise blue fantasies IN
millinery coming somewhere In be.
tween.
They talked OF these people for
awhile until Margaret, rising impetu-
ously and letting an unrcgnrlicd cush
Ion fall to the floor beside her, said:
Llama, I'm sick OF It nll-this thinp
they call society. It's only the click.
clacking OF griStless mill. whosc
noise more than anything else pro-
claims Its own emptiness"
One must imagine TO like IT," put In
Llama. smiling archly. "rhnt Is how
one learns. This Is how one could
wish things to be. and this Is how they
are. She crossed one slim finger over
another as she laid out the case But
w0 must imagine to like them all.
No?"
Margaret watched her silently. Then
she reached over TO Il table at tho head
OF her couch and picked ND nm opcu
pamphlet 1t was little essay writ
ten In the preraphnelite vein and nr.
Gued against the prosaic outward fur
niture OF modern life and the spread
Ing OF the hideous town. She found
the place che wanted and read:
Say what you Will. we are lost chu.
dren. and when alone and the dark.
ness begins to gather we long for the
close relationship or the brothers and
sisters we knew In our childhood and
cry for the gentle arms that once rock.
ed US to sleep. We are homesick amid
this sad, mad rush for wealth and
place and power. The calm OF the
country invites and we faIn would do
with less things and 60 back to sim
plicity and rest
Child OF nature" cried Margaret
suddenly turning on Llama, how can
you be satishedY"
Perhaps l am not" answered the
girl.
"WellT' said Margaret.
WELL" echoed Llama. and the shad.
ow of the dear old peaks Of the Cor
dtllera crept over her face.
But Margaret had never seen the
Cordillera and did not observe It's shad.
ow. She went on:
$50 1t came about, around the year
20O1. that men began to think, and
they said: Let us go home. All is SO
quiet there They found. having taken
a little time, that there was beauty
In the country they had quite forgot
ten. and the melody Of the water run