The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-01-24
CONTINUED.

self as entirely at home, as if she had
been with them all her life; and from
the hour when she had first seen
Polly Hamilton until the present mo-
ment there had not been the slightest
lar been the two girls. save in the mat
ter of Clarence Stanley.
Dolores placed Polly's carefully
written exercise before her and began
reading it, taking up pen occasion,
ally to correct word or phrase, till
at last she pushed away the parer, al
most impatiently, and murmured half
aloud:
"Why am T haunted by that mans
face and by the sound of his voice?
He is surely not pleasant memory,
and vet cannot shake off the thought
of him. Can it be possible there is
any truth in these marvels of hypno-
tism with which the whole world
seems carried away nowadays? And
has that man really obtained some un-
canny power-as dear mamma would
ssy-over me? Nonsense! won't
allow myself to think of such thing;
it would affect my imagination, and 1
am Just fanciful enough to brood over
it, if T once allow myself to dwell On
the thought
She turned resolutely again to the
examination of Polly's Spanish exer.
cises, and by an effort concentrated
her mind upon the task before her,
to the exclusion of all else for the
time.
But no sooner were the exercises
corrected and neatly folded away IN
one of the pigeon-holes of her writ
ing-desk than she found herself again
J thinking of Stanley, while his hand
some face came before her so vividly
that it seemed painted on the air.
"No wonder dear Polly thinks him
handsomep' she thought. Hand
some!. How plainly I seem to see
him! If one could imagine Saint John
and Judas combined in one man, he
might have face like Clarence Stan.
ley's, and dear Polly never sees the
Judas look at all. To her he is Saint
John all the time. Oh, it is no won
der that she is in love with him! But
why does his face haunt me? Surely,
surely, I am not in love with him, or
am going mad?"
She started up and paced the room
10 and fro for some minutes in state
Of great nervous excitement. Then
hastily putting on hat and wrap, she
j determined to 60 out and walk off the
unusual state of feeling that had so
upset her. AS she stood for moment
before the mirror, pinning her hat
Z down over the mass Of bronze-gold
; hair, Dolores was vaguely conscious
of the change in her own appearance
and of her great and unusual beauty.
She was at the age when beauty comes
suddenly, like the opening of q flower
that he's been all ready to bloom, but
whose homely outside of colorless
leaves has given no indication, except
to the skilled florist, of the glowing
loveliness concealed within. Becom-
ing raiment exquisitely fitted to
perfect form. good and sufficient food,
ease, comfort, restful sleep, combined
with companionship of her own age
and depth of love and appreciation
equal in its way to that which she had
enjoyed in her own mothers affection,
had wrought for Dolores what seemed
to hsr- almost a miracle. She felt
sudden and quite unusual Joy in life
,6-an ecstatic triumph in the sense of
her own beauty; and Polly Hamilton's
exclamation when they came face to
face with each other in the corridor
was only the echo of Dolcres's own
thought.
"Oh, Rita, what have you been do
ing to yourself? Of course, you were
always lovely; but you have suddenly
become raving beauty!'
Dolores laughed lightly; and even
her laugh was changed, Polly thought,
but perfectly charming, loo, like every
thing about her. Until now, Dolores
had seldom laughed at ell, and when
she did, it was low, gentle sound,
full of love and sweetness, like the
ripple of running water; but
there was q decided ring Of
enjoyment to it now, light and musi-
cal, but also trife superficial, as
she replied to her companions words:
"Oh, it is nothing, Maruia, except
that am girl like other girls of my
age, suppose, and I have just found
it out. Youth will assert itself,
suppose. And 1 have been old, oh,
30 old, sometimes, I hardly knew that
could feel young and lightsome like
other girls. The knowledge of it has
come to me all in a moment, and I
supposeit has gone to my head, I feel
SO strangely excited"
'It is nightly becoming to you!"
said Polly, with delighted admiration.
'tBut are you going out?"
81 was going to walk to be seri-
ous and prosaic again. I thought
walk might prove an antidote to the
nervous agitation that I am feeling"
"a drive will be better, and I have
just ordered the carriage. 1t is al
.eads late in the afternoon, but we
can remain an nour or more and still
be home i'll time for dinner. But it
would be too late for you to be out
walking alone"
Dolores smiled at these words, re-
membering how she had been accus-
toned to be out alone at all hours and
in the worst localities OF the great
:ity; but she made no other reply,
and the two girls were presently being
driven through the fashionable ave-
Que and onward into the park.
Throughout their drive Dolores con-
tinued in the same overwrought ner-