Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-02-24
LOVE FINDS A WAY.
BY JEANETTE H. WALWORTH.
Copyright, 1899, by Jeannette H. Walworth.

| crooked stick. and settling his account
with heaven instead Of worrying with
the lawyers at such time"
Mrs. Spillman could afford to put her
own estimate upon the new preacher
She spoke as one who had been in au.
thority. Vaudeville had but one church.
and for years her husband had filled Its
pulpit. She knew every foot Of the
ground between BroXton Hall and the
little church over which the crooked
stick" now presided. to her austere dis
satisfaction.
The window in which her big arm
chair was immovably planted gave her
a glimpse Of the tiny white steeple In
one direction and the wistaria wrap
ped walls Of Broxton Hall In the other.
Honeysuckle and clematis vines clam
bered over her window sill. She loved
the scent Of them. Bees hummed
about the double petunlas and gay
phloxes around her doorsteps. She
could not hear them. but she knew
they were there. so she lost nothing.
The front of the Spillman cottage
was pierced by one door and two win
dows. Miss Malvina's sewing machine
occupied one Of these. Evidently
events were not moving rapidly enough
for the older woman. She interrupted
the resumed whir of the sewing ma.
chine querulously.
,irb Srft
ing a white petticoat when a neigh
boris soul is passing, Malvina, and that
neighbor Rufus BroXton. 1t Is sorry
day for u.s."
Miss Malvina looked penitent and put
the lid on her machine as softly as If
the sick man had been In the spare
room Of the little cottage instead Of In
his own stately four poster a half mile
away.
81 meant no disrespect. mother. No
body thinks more Of Colonel Broxton
than do or will miss him worse. It's
just my way to keep busy"
"Ah. ah. We'll miss him. Malvina!
You'll miss him. I'll miss him. and all
Vaudeville will miss him. But what
does he want with Horace Matthews
at such a time? Oh. If your own dear
father was only here now!'
81 guess he wants the lawyer to get
Toms affairs well in hand. Colonel
BroXton is rich. mother. and Tom Is
young-so young and helpless
"Only IA years old. poor lad!'
"And suppose the colonel is trying
to arrange everything for Toms best
interests. guess he never once
thought. being so we'll and strong just
a week ago, hut what he would be here
himself to look after Tom for many a
long year yet .Iessy says Mr.. Mat
thews and the colonel are just like
brothers..
Mother Spillman jerked her trum-
pet away srom Miss Malvina's lips
! with fierce petulance.
.'Jessy is gossiping simpleton
Brothers. indeed. Don't speak Of them
IN the same breath know Horac,
Matthews Then. with shrill. risil':;
voice. 81 know. more about Horace
Matthews and Rufus BroXton than
.;essy could ever find out if her mother
cooked al RroXton Hall till kingdom
come"
~ know my father prepared them
10th for college" said Malvina proudly
Then quietly she seated herself on
hassock near her mother and possessed
herself of the pile Of gray wool the Old
lady worked up into articles Of doubt
full beauty and undoubted inutility,
just as the whim seized her. In OH
| moments Miss Malvina would seize the
| needle and hasten the hour Of compile,
| ton.
Confident of a food Of familiar rem
iniscence, she settled resignedly 70
crocheting. 1t was her way to keep
busy. Once fairly launched on the
backward flowing tide. she could trust
her mother to entertain herself for an
indefinite period Of time.
81 have known Horace Matthews
and Rufus BroXton since they were
both BOYS in knickerbockers and roun,l.
abouts coming to Mr. Spillman for
| Latin and mathematics. That was be
fore YOU ever saw the light. Malvina
They were always together as boys
and marveled at it then. Rufus
was n handsome. high spirited, clean
soulcd lad who would have cut off his
right hand if he detected II doing q
dishonest thing. Matthews was just
everything that Rufus wasn't. never
/ understood the liking BroXton had fol
| him."
Malvina put in word for the ma
licned. Mr.. Matthews must have been
very winning in his young days. moth
er He's got such friendly manners
and he is so drcadfully good looking
even now"
"Oh. there's no gainsaying his GOOD
looks. They came pretty near landing
him on the topmoSt round Of his ambi'
ton once upon time. He just missed
being Rufus BroXton's brother-in-law
and coming in for half Of old Marsdcn
RroXton's estate. When Lucetta BroX'
ton came home from boarding school
my. but she was something to look ut.
Horace Matthews did not let the
grass grow on the road from Mande'
vile to BroXton Hall.
"He was struggling young lawyer
| tbap u-nitipu fo,. hic fret rliaDt She