The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-04-04
CONTINUED.

CONTINUED.
Passionate. and fierce in her pas
sions as an angry child, bat super
ticial and ehangeable, she was already
regretting that she had not remained
at Mary Hamilton's, in order that she
might have learned something more OF
this man who was and yet was not Ler
Csrlos-the one being in the world
who had ever made lasting impress
sion on her shallow nature.
"And yet, why should I weep?" she
exclaimed presently. IF he is Car
los, he cares no more for me. He
will not acknowledge me; and if he is
not Carlos, why, then he is dead long
years ago, and I wept for MIN then;
and I weep for him always when re-
member. But of what avail? Itonly
spoils my eyes and gives me red
face. I will wait! I will wait and see!
If it is Carlos Well, perhaps I
can compel him to remember!'
Olive Gaye answered nothing; but
she listened and thought, and every
word sank into her memory.
The carriage rolled on rapidly, and
Miss Gaye's thoughts, rs she reviewed
the events of the past few weeks,
moved even more quickly. while the
tears and murmurs Of Mrs. Helmholtz
presently subsided entirely.
The acquaintance of Olive with the
beautiful Lady of the Fan, as she had
called her in her thoughts, was one
of those incidents which seemed to
Justify the girls reliance on fate. She
had desired intensely to learn some
thing of the stranger and, if possible,
to know her personally; and for sew
eral days after the night at the opera
she had made inquiries in every dl-
rection, but had failed to trace the OBJ
ject of her thoughts, till, one evening,
her uncle, in whose family she lived,
said
IAN amusing thing happened to me
to-day. A gentleman came into the
Office to ask me if I could tell him
where he could get fan mended. 1t
was q beautiful affair Of lace and
mother of, pearl, and was amused by
his anxiety about it. His excuse for
coming to me was that he was a
stranger in New York, and, as I am
his banker, he came to me for advite.
I gave it; but my advice was that Ne
should buy a new fan and throw the
old one away. That, he said, was
what he had wished to do; but mad
ame, his wife, would have no new fan:
nothing but the broken one, mended,
would serve. And when I subsequent
ly saw the lady, didn't wonder that
man might be willing to do silly
things to please her. never saw such
beautyn'
ooh, UNCLE" exclaimed Olive, "I
think I know about that fan; and the
lady is beauty, as you say. Tell ne
all you know about them. will call
on the lady, ii you know her address,
and have her fan mended. There will
be poetic fitness about it, for Ber-
tina Saxton and myself are responsible
for the breaking the fam And Miss
Gaye gave her uncle brief but high
ly colored description of the incident
at the opera.
"Well, yes, Olive, I suppose you
may call on Mr~. HelmholtZ-Non
Helmholtz. the name really is. but it
makes it harder to say; and be has a
baronet's cornet OF crown, or what
ever it is called, engraved Oh his
card. AS rule, I don't like that
kind of foreigner; but the man has
first-rate letters, and I think he's a
good fellow, except little crazy
about his wife and very jealous. I
think you may call, however"
'"Thanks, uncle; I shall" said
Olive. And before the next day she
had made the acquaintance of Mrs.
Helmholtz, and by the end of the
week they were intimate friends.
Like most OF Olive Gaye's friendships
the intimacy was all on one side; she
listened while the other talked. 1t
did not take this shrewd young wom-
an very long to fill the spaces in the
conversation of Mrs. Helmho. tz; but
she asked no direct question. Ir the
first place, it was always possible that
direct questions might not be as
swered; and, besides, her passion for
dramatic effect prompted her to "set
the STAGE in such way that the &C.
tors could not help taking up the cues
and making the proper effect. Her
success in the scene just enacted at
the house of Mary Hamilton de-
lighted her.
"He is a cool hand" she thought,
"the Honorable Clarence. If I had
not felt the shock go through him
when he first saw Celestine, his ef-
frontery would have imposed on me.
What is the mystery between them
But I need not ask. Celestine is
wild to tell me all about it and need
only wait till we are alone i'll her
room All, here we are at the house.
She must pay the carriage. have
forgotten my pocketbook. I have
such memory! Ha! Ha! I always
do forget my pocketbook.
CHAPTER XVI.