The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-02-14

Tne chair you have
IN. 1t ia positively too
u could not keep awake in
gnly hear great strike of
6ck l lump up and find l have
~ q little five minutes to dress IN
An! dear, patient Mary, forgive the
foreigner and her abominable ways"
"Never mind about our apologizlng,
child. button your boots and put your
"My boots v'Estelle looks down at
them in despair, and then dropping on
her knees in the hall, tries to button
them up with her weak little fingers.
y Mary Cotterell pulls her up, orders
81 her permptorily into hall chair,
drawing button-hook from her own
pocket proceeds to do up the high for
aThere! Now turn slowly round,
and let me see that you are all right"
Estelle obeyed submissively. II
had not time to do my hair again."
she explains.
$50 t see ; but as it is always rough,
that makes very little difference. l
suppose you must do now. Put on
your gloves and where's your para
sol ?"
"Up.stairs. don't want it."
eyes, you do. I'll get it for you"
Estelie doesn't object at all; but
when Mary comes down again she
filings both arms around her, and calls
4 her her best beloved cabbage.
"Tell me, Mary" she asked, as they
walked down the garden on their way
to Mrs. Charlesworth's tennis party,
twill that dreadful red-haired engi-
neer be there-you know; the man
who is so stupid and quache?"
"Sure to be-" said Mary dryly;;
! "He's DEVOTED to Eva Charlesworth." "
"Poor girl! I pity her." observed
I Mdlle Verries.
= "Oh, you needn't do that she does
MT care fig for him. And, besides,
the dreadful red-haired engineer, as
you call Arthur Rivers, is very good
fellow"
1T call him a beast!" said Estelle,
with exceeding frankness.
"Now, Estelle," said Mary sharply,
II won't have you pick up bad words
from my brothers, and I won't have
"Do you like him?" inquired her
companion, stepping forward, 80 as to
get good look at her face. II
Certainly" replied Mary, not the
least disconnected by the mischievous
scrutiny of the dark eyes.
Estelle let go of her arm, and held
up both hands in amazement.
"You are funny, you English! You
positively like people because they are
goodW
Certainly" replied Mary, again.
"But men never are good" answer
ed Estelle, changing her ground.
"Oh indeed ~
"My mother says 80, and she knows,
too"
"Your poor mother was unfortunate
In her experience of them but surely,
because one Englishman was wicked
husband to her, she wouldn't condemn
all the rest?"
"Oh, that is only part of what she
knows" !" said Estelle, confidently:
"She has seen great deal of life, and
she has always taught me never to
trust any man at all, however good he
may seem."
Mary was silent, not liking to say
what she thought of such training.
forced when hardly more than child
into marriage with wealthy English
man, who had treated her with neglect
and brutality, and finally deserted
her. Released from CALLING bonds by
the intervention of the law, she had
Immediately quilted his hated country,
and retired with his little Estelle to q
quiet suburb Of Paris, where the child
was brought up to call herself French,
and to hate everything that was Eng.
lish. Yet when and invitation came
from Mrs. Cotterell for Estelle to spend
whole summer with her at Coppen.
. ham, the girls reluctance to 60 was
!, overriden by her mother, who never
forgot that the Cotterells, husband and
wife, had been the only people in Eng
land whose sympathy she had been
able to accept or rely on. So Estelle
nerved herself for visit to her native
country, and once at Coppenham,
found to her surprise that she was 60
ing to enjoy herself. She found Eng
lish country life charmingly novel ;
she particularly liked the admiration
accorded to her beauty and vivacity
and she took at once to Mary Cotterell,
who had much of her mothers iptelli-
gent tact and thoughtfulness.
The two girls had walked on
another hundred yards or 80 without
speaking, when Mary was reused from
her reflections by feeling her arm sud-
denly pinched. Looking up, she dis
covered, rapidly approaching them the
young man whose goodness" had
been so summarily disposed of by
Estelle few minutes previously.
He certainly was not q beauty.
Slightly above the average height,
and disproportionately large, he not
only had no goods looks to boast of, but
carried himself particularly badly, with
a kind of undignified shamble, his
head forward and his hands forever in
his pockets. Estelle manged to con-
vey her opinion of him to Mary by a
rapid little grimace and shrug Of the
shoulders before he came up to them.
"How do you do, Mary? How do
you do, Mademoiselle-er-I really for
get your name"
He put out his hand in an unthink.
ing manner, much to her displeasure.
He ought only to have bowed and
how dare he to forget her name! Her
reluctant little fingers just touched
his.
Rivers saw now and his lips twitch-
ed with amusement.
beg your pardon, I'm sure. I'll
only bow another time" he said
bluntly "Hate shaking hands myself :;
it's barbarous custom. I suppose