Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-04-11

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He took a chair near the sofa on tohtcf
she lDGS sitting.
name aloud. Olivia recoiled with O
frown.
Don't mention his name. have
chosen you. You and ! are going to
live on just this way until you get to
be an old lady hobbling about with n
stick and am wearing nose glasses
You will have to wear mob cap. be-
cause you won't have any hair at all,
and | will have just few gray wisps
left I'm never going to marry any
body"
"You ridiculous child! said Miss
Malvina and fell to crocheting again,
with an inscrutable smile lowering
about her thin lips.
The first snow of approaching win.
ter was powdering the earth when
Olivia dispatched letter to Thomas
Broxton. She wrote:
Dear Thomas-Miss Malvina and ! start fol
Nice In about two weeks time We will spend
the winter there. She has cough that makes
me very uneasy DR.. Govan recommends Nice,
but she will not consent to go without me. she
has been everything 10 me since my father dieo
and all my other friends forsook me.
She begs me to ask you II you cannot find time
to spend one evening with US before we start. She
says am to ask you to come at once. She espe'
cially wants to sec you, and a refusal Will give
her great pain We had hoped you would come
to see US some time without waiting for formal
invitation. but since you have not we are sending
the invitation. We understand that you are one
Of the busiest men in the world and that you
have invented something that is going to make
you rich and famous Come and tell US all about
it for auld lang syne's sake. Your friends,
MALylSA SpILLAAS AND OLIVIA MATTHEws-
With the pen suspended over her
own signature Olivia fell into a SOM
Der reverie. Quite a year now since
her father with his last breath had
hidden her marry this man. almost as
long since. in the spirit Of compromise,
she had sent from her the man she
loved and declared her Intention to
marry no one. Surely the hurt she
had inflicted upon herself might be
taken as expiation for lack Of obe-
dience. If she had denied Thomas
happiness, she had also denied 1t to
herself.
Would Clarence come back, as he
had said he would? She doubted 1t. She
marveled languidly at her own utter
Indifference to his coming. Was she
becoming like Miss Malvina In her
frank Indifference to all men! She
knew that the Westovers had come
back to Broxton Hall. for Jeanne had
come once to see her. only once, to up.
braid her for her maltreatment of
poor dear Clarrie." But from him nev.
er q word had come back. OF him the
papers kept her we'll Informed.
Now he was in st. Petersburg, again
in Florence. Then woman's name
crept in. and the Vaudeville Morning
News Informed it's readers that ru
mors from u reliable source announced
the pleasant fact that when Mr.. Clar.
ence Westover did return to America
Broxton Hall would become the home
Of lovely Parisienne. The lady was
the foreign born daughter Of one time
American ambassador to France.
Ollie had read this item among the
local brevltics and had passed the
mornings paper across to Miss Nal
vina. Miss Malvina had read 1t and
looked at the girl so timidly that Ollie
had laughed aloud. You are watching
to see me swoon? am wondering my
self why don't feel any Of the proper
emotions on the occasion. 1t must be
because | am so much more interested
in Granny Maxwell's winter fannels. u
All Of this came back to her when she
wrote that note Of invitation to Tom
BroXton.
Gould anything be bolder?" she ask
ed, blushing a vivid pink as she affixed
the stamp.
Gould anything be more studiously
polite?" Tom asked himself as he
crammed the letter in his pocket to be
reread after business hours.
A letter from Olivia was not in itself
a disturbing occurrence. They had nev
er ceased writing to each other In &
desultory way. The total lack Of men
ton of Westover's name, especially a.
he always made free use Of 1t himself
struck him as n piece Of uncalled fol
consideration for himself. Somewhat
In the old time fashion she wrote t
him about his work. He dwelt upon 4
rather lengthily In reply. as much t.
cover space as anything else. The line
was comfortably taut between friend
ship and the old disturbing sentiment.
Miss Malvlna considered 1t a bat
sign that Ollie always passed Toms
letters over to her to read. Together
they rejoiced over his rapid ascent o.
his chosen ladder, but she mournet
over the absence Of sentiment.
"Oh, | always knew" Miss Malvins
would say after every letter. 'tha
you could not down Tom Broxton! H.
is his father all over again, and wher
that Is said all Is said that need b.
to describe a grand man. l wish b.
would marry some. good, sweet cir