The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-04-25

had never before 80 much as susPecteo,
and that was that she possessed great
latent capacity for suffering.
IT am surely the most unhappy girl
in this great city tonight she
thought. "I never supposed that |
could be so unhappy. And yet I
ought to have known it. Any one
capable of being so happy as I have
been all my life and so transcendently
happy as T have been since Clarence
and. I have been engaged should be
prepared for anything. I ought to
have known that people can't live in
heaven in this world; and yet that is
lust what I have been doing. Perhaps
T have been selfish in my happiness,
though I have not meant to be.
Perhaps I ought not to have con-
cealed it from papa and mamma; but
that is nonsense. Because I haven't
concealed i'll haven't known how,
even to please Clarence, and they
have understood the whole thing just
as we'll as if had repeated every word
that Clarence and I have said to each
other. All the same, I am going to
tell them now"
And though it was nearly midnight,
Mary Hamilton went swiftly to the
room of her parents at the farther end
of the hall, but not so far away but
that this dearly cherished child was at
all hours within the sound OF her
mothers voice.
Mr.. and Mrs. Hamilton had just
ceased from speaking OF Mary and her
lover: and it was with difficulty that
the proud and happy mother refrained
from congratulating her daughter on
the probability that she wonld, after
all, become the countess of Winder-
mere.
Papa, mammal" exclaimed Mary,
81 suppose ought to have told you
before now, but you know I am en-
gagged to marry Clarence!'
Mr.. Hamilton laughed and kissed
his daughter; and then, holding her
off at arms length, he said gravely:
"We have suspected it, both your
mother and myself, for some time,
and T think that Clarence himself is in
the secret
Eyes, dear; but you know, papa,
when I told you about the perfectly
crazy story of Mrs. Helmholtz, you
actually spoke to Clarence as if he was
in some way to blame"
"Don't you mind that, Polly, you
nre not to be unhappy about anything
that may say to Clarence; but one
thing you may just settle down and
build on, and that is that no man on
earth is going to deceive my little girl
or give her any cause to spoil her
pretty eyes with crying, without CIV
ing good account of the reason of it
ell to her old father. And now, good
night, and 60 to bed, Polly"
Polly said goodnight, and ex-
changed embraces and kisses with both
father and mother; and though her
papa's words sounded vaguely threat
ening, they were also reassurring, for
he had guarded her like tender
flower from every breeze of heaven,
save such as were bginging gladness
and happiness to her., and not yet
had pretty Polly Hamilton learned
that griefs may come and will come,
against which even love itself may
be quite powerless to shield. But
she didn't go to bed, at least not yet;
instead, she ran swiftly toward the
room of Dolores, and, finding her still
up and apparently not thinking of
sleep, she took her to task for having
kept herself secluded all the evening.
, Dolores looked sad and disturbed
: and seemed unwilling to explain why
she had not appeared at dinner or af-
terward in the drawihg-room.
"You know I am often gloomy and
out of spirits" she said at last, "and
really not fit company for happy young
people Of my own age who have never
known SORROW"
eyes, Rita, you have said such
things to me before, and I am filled
with self-reproach in hearing them,
for surely I must be to blame if I can
not in some way make you forget
your sorrows and give you happiness
instead"
"You are never to blame in any
thing, Maruja!' exclaimed Dolores.
"And always remember that I have
said so. Whatever happens, and
whatever I may do, remember that I
love you above everything in my life
except the memory of my mother.
And now ask me nothing more to-
night; for, indeed, I can hardly ex-
plain to myself why I preferred to re-
main alone in my room this evening
rather than to spend it as usual with
you and your friends and your--I
mean with Mr.. Stanley"
She ended abruptly, and Polly felt
her heart contract with jealous doubt
and alarm, for Dolores was going to
say your lover" when she changed
the phrase to that of "A1r. Stanley" /"
''She knows that he is my lover" :"
thought Polly, ''and yet she cannot
bear to call him so. Oh, what does
that mean? 1t was only day or two
ago that Olive Gaye said she would
not dare to have q friend so beautiful
as Dolores and q sweetheart so hand
some as Clarence constantly looking
at each other, even with face that
both ought to love betw cen them.
Oh, what shrewd and terribly deep
girl that is, and I am sure shall al
ways hate her after tonight! But
she does say things that seem full of
an aWfnl meaning ("
Her gaze was fixed full on Dolores
while these thoughts passed like
lightning through her mind, and she