The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-08-29

sought when matters of grave impor.
tan 60 demanded the use of specially
sound Judgment, or when the more
unmanageable element of the people
had to be perfectly controlled. He
seemed to possess the confidence Of
all the races and clans of men in the
city and, by some power, was able to
command them.
When Mrs. Vernon and Pauline
found themselves once more in Chateau
dor they were as happy as it is ever
possible for O mother and her daughter
to be. Their stay at Bay Saint Louis
had although they were probably not
aware of it) been powerful tonic and
invigorator.
Pauline went about the house and
grounds singing like happy bird,
her face radiant, her step light and
her heart brimming with half-formed
dreams. There was nothing in all
her circle of vision to shade or to mar
the golden promise that flled it like
the soft splendor of springtime. She
knew nothing of life's evils-not even
tue plethora so often attending un-
limited access to the luxuries of
wealth had ever come to her-and the
abound1ng good in her experience
only urged her into O rich develop
ment, a radiant blooming, so to call
it, which made her beauty of face and
of form come out like the blowing OF
rose.
The city was very gay when the
Vernons came back to it, and Pauline
found herself caught in the whirl like
butterfly in June breeze. There
was the theatre, there was the balls,
the receptions, the excursions to the
country.seats of wealthy planters -
nothing was wanting that would keep
her spirits at full blood; and there
was the library at Chateau dor,
whore the romances that she loved so
dearly filled many mahogany shelf.
Both Fairfax and Lieutenant Bal
lanche had called frequently within
the first month, and she had seen
them often at the theatres ard at
balls and receptions given by her
friends. They had been very atten-
tive and very interesting, each in his
way bringing to her receptive mint
fascinating impressions and obscure,
haunting visions of o great world Of
experience lying quite outside OF her
horizon. The young men were so
different in personal appearance, in
address, in habit Of thought, in tenn
per and in everything that goes to
build and project individual charac-
ter, that one served as foil to em-
phasize the other at almost every
point. - ssi
Pauline, while she had had every
advantage that wealth could bring to
her within the narrow and isolated
circle of environment, was still no
more than a provincial girl; and her
limitations, though they probably en-
hanced to degree her attractfveness,
restricted her vision and compressed
her understanding in some measure.
A society girl Of to-day, seeing one
like Pauline, would call her strangely
unsophisticated; still she was not less
delighted than most ladies would have
been when her mother announced that
it was her purpose to "give party" J"
as the phrase goes, limiting, the invi-
tations mostly to young people.
When the evening came, with the
grounds and the stately house brill
iantly lighted, the whole interior
wreathed and festooned with flowers
and the servants all assigned to
duty, it would have been hard to de-
eide which was the more radiantly
happy, Mrs. Vernon or Pauline.
All the windows and doors were
open, so that the gentle May winds
crepS through to stir the rich cur
tains and to make the candles in the
many armed candelsticks wave their
silvery flames. Some of these candles
were made OF myrtle-wax, taken from
| the wild berries, after local custom
of the time, and as they burned they
sent out faint, e1quisitely pleasant
perfume, at once mild and sweet.
The rather sombre mansion was
transformed by lights and flowers into
something like q gorgeous palace;
even the heavy. black-mahogany fur
niture caught CLEAN and glow.
Pauline hugged her mother, under
the impulse of swift Joy, when the
time approached for the guests to be-
gin arriving.
"Isn't it oil beautiful!" she e1.
claimed, almost strangling Mrs. Ver-
non with her snowy, plump arms.
"And I'm SO happyl See how the
pictures come out, and how the statu.
ary gives effect to everythingl And
the stairway-how the festoons OF
flowers and moss have changed it'll /
wonder who will be the first guest to
comew
Mercy, child! Do you wish to
kill your poor mother? See how you
are spelling my lace and disarranging
my hair! I shall not be presenta-
ble!"
TO BE CONTINUED