The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-01-10
CHAPTER XI.

DOLORES rs TROUBLED.
IT don't like that GIRL" said Polly
Hamilton, in tone of great decision,
when she found herself alone with
Dolores.
(Which of them?" asked her COM
panion. absently, while she bestowed
o farewell loving glance on the face
of her mother, before closing the mini
ature which she still held in her hand.
"Not Bertha, Of course-no one
could help liking Bertha; she's just as
sweet and good as she can be; we have
always been the bestFof friends, and I
am really quite fond Of her, in Q way
Not as I am of you, Rita. I never
could love any girl as I love you, dear.
est; but the other one-0iive Gaye-I
think I could positively hate that
girl"
"How severe you are, Maruia; but
perhaps you are justified in feeling 80.
1 hardly looked at Miss Gaye, and I
had no conversation with her. But she
seemed to me like charming girl"
Exactly, that is just what people
call her; but don't think I ever in
my life liked the sort of young woman
that is called q charming girl. And
T tell you, dear, my instincts about
women never deceive me-Olive Gage
may be charming, but she is not nice. /"
'I will remember what you say,
Maruja, and will observe if future
knowledge of Miss Gaye confirms it. +"
"But didn't Mr.. Stanley look hand
some, Rita? I know you don't like
him, and it terrifes me to think that
it may be all instinct with you to un-
derstand men just as it is with me to
understand women. But I hope you
will learn to like him little, Rita,
just for my sake, and you must admit
that he was very handsome to-day"
IT think him the handsomest man
I ever saw" said Dolores, with a sigh.
"Perhaps that is not saying much, for
I have really seen but few men, or, to
be more correct, I have looked atfew,
and T have never seen any one like
Mr.. Stanley"
"Oh, you darling!" exclaimed Polly
Hamilton. cit makes me quite happy
to have you say that, but you mustn't
rush to the other extreme now, and
fall in love with him, for I'm afraid
I'm awfully jealous by nature, and that
would be terrible complication.
A quick crimson famed into the
clear olive cheeks of Dolores, and
some inexplicable emotion thrilled
through her to the tips of her fingers.
Was it pain or anger or sorrow? 1t
surely could not be pleasure! And
then she was conscious of q feeling that
certainly seemed like fear. She drew
herself quickly away from the embrace
of her friend, and answered, coldly:
"No, I don't think I shall fall in
love with Mr.. Stanley"
"Now I have hurt your feelings,
Rita; don't be orer-sensitive, dear.
But Dolores protested that she was
in no degree offended or hurt. And
the two girls presently separated, the
former to correct her friends exercises
in Spanish, and the latter to consult
one of her assistants in the many
charitable works in which she spent
both time and money.
With q commendsble spirit of inde-
pendence, Dolores had, from the first,
declared that she must be permitted to
make herself useful; and Mrs. Hamil-
ton, seeing that it would greatly con-
tribute to her happiness and self-re-
spect to feel a certain independence,
engaged the young girl, at a fixed
salary, as companion and teacher OF
Spanish to her daughter. ..
"Besides which, you are always to
be one of us-likes our own child, Do
lores, for we owe you more than life,
in knowing that you risked your OVID
life to save Mary" ,.s..:.-
To BE CONTINUED