St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1900-07-21

. Z
s'Ive followed your advice she said.
accusingly. "I've turned my back on
poverty
She went up the stairs to her room,
and the women heard her turning the
key in her door.
s.Poor child said her mother, with a
thrill of real compassion. Its a little
hard for her now"
Yes admitted Aunt Lucy. But nei-
ther of them felt remorseful They
| looked on themselves in the light OF
surgeons.
That night the girl folded up the
little blue froek she had worn and laid
it away in box. With it she laid a
bunch of letters, withered rose, and a
copy of Lucille -
What a spectacle I am making Of
myself" she soliloquized. contemptu-
ously. "Still," she reflected, 81 can
| hardly be said to be a spectacle when
| there are none to see. It's my own
foolishness, and no one will ever know
anything about it. z
/ Two weeks later Erard Allen said to
| her:
ST love you dearly, Lillian; / have
asked your mothers permission to
speak to you, and she is quite willing. .
sob, yes" said the girl, with some Bit
| terness, 'sI know she is entirely will
ing
"And are you? Are you willing o be-
come my wife,"
"Why not?" responded the girl,
sharply, and the lover had to make the
| most he could of that ungraeious ac-
eeptance.
Mrs. Erard Allen came to be known
| as brilliant and successful woman.
Her beauty, her wealth, her gracious
ness of manner. her hearty friendhness,
and her rintelligencewon distinguished
place for her.
"What different woman Lillian is
from what she might have been if she
| had married that poor Dick Under
wood" Aunt Lucy Favorsharn re-
marked at frequent intervals, and
Lilian's mother acquiesced. They had,
however, some complaint to make, in
spite of their freely-spoken admira-
tion.
LILLIAN never comes to sit with us, y
they said to one another. "If we go to
her house she is always surrounded by
others. We are invited there to dinner
or to a tea. She never appoints time
to be alone with us. Do you remember
| what pride she used to take in making
little gifts for us? Now she buys things
| ready-made and sends them up. It
sometimes seems as if she had forgot
ten US, doesn't it 2"
The woman they spoke of knew many
mental vicissitudes, but she confded
the1Y to none. She had her temptations
for she was beautiful, and men
guessed that she did not love her hus-
band-but she conquered them. She
became a student, and knew the deeps
of intellectual joy. She bore and lost
two children and soundedsorrow. And
at last her husband died and left her
widow
s'Well, there's one comfort" COM
rnented the mother; shes got enough
to keep her in perfect comfort to the
last of her days.
While she was congratulating herself
in this fashion her daughter was maxi
ing over to others the fortune which
had been left her. A part of it went to
an old aunt of her husbands; more
went to certain large families remote
IL connected by marriage with herself.
Some went for creche. some for free
kindergarten. Then, clad in an ill-fit
ting blue frock, old fashioned and
frowsy. she presented herself one day
at the deor of a certain poor man.
s'Dick, she said, 81 have been a widow
for two years. and have waited for you
to come for me, but you did not. !"
Lillian. Have mercy. have resist
ed the temptation twenty times each
day. I am almost as poor as I ever
was"
'FI've come in the little blue dress /
made, Dick. It'll do nicely for a we'd
ding dress. if--if you think-if you
think wedding dress is needed. y
He was incredulous.
TT is fantastic dream" he said. "It
cannot be true that, after the mockery
of endless dreams which faded as I
grasped them, you are here, in the
flesh"
She threw off her hat and clasped her
hands upon the table before her.
Look at me, Dick she commanded.
ssSee how my eyes say: I love YOU
They look with perfect frankness and
naturalness for the first time in many,
many years. For the first time the
tones of my voice seem to ring true to
my ears. For the first time feel hon
est with myself. This is me-this
woman who says: T love you, Dick
OF course. if you like. you can send me
away. But I'm SO poor now, and -
She pretend to look melancholy.
1T must be a dream" he murmured
still. But there is no harm in embrac-
ing dream, so it be kindly one, and
he embraced this dream tenderly, with
many broken words, with tears which
would not fall. with all the starved
hearts unutterable hunger-Ch Chicago
Tribune.
Exhausted the Pack.
A young married lady had just ac-
quired a new coach and new foot