The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1901-09-27

CHAPTER V.-CONTINUED.
Barbara found an opening and
moved away. The rest of the even
Ing she was conscious of being largely
let alone. There was no coarse or vul-
gar objection to her; but very many of
Mrs. Nane'a guests showed their feel
lngs in a way, several of them said
afterwards, so that Mrs. Vane would
know how far she had mistaken her
own place in society.
As the guests began to leave, Bar
bara nervoU5ly went to Mrs. Vane to
Say good night, and found Mr.. Morton
with the DilIlnghams just saying fare
well at the door. Mr.. Morton bowed
gravely to Barbara as he said good
pighs to Mrs. Vane and went out, Miss
Dillingham; taking his arm as they
passed down the steps.
'I am going to ride" Mrs. Dilling-
ham said to Mrs. Vane, as she waited
IN the hall. "The carriage is just COM
Ing around. ] told the young folks to
go on. 1t is beautiful evening for
walk"
Barbara walked back into the sit
ting-room and sat down by the table
of prints and turned them over silent
ly. When the guests were all gone,
Mrs Vane came in.
"What! you here, Barbara? I
thought you had gone"
''No, 1 wanted to talk with you
little WHILE" said Barbara, with an
effort
"Why, do believe you are almost
crying" the old lady exclaimed, com
Ing up to her quickly. slave you had
a trying eyening? Tell me all about it."
Barbara told her, and added some
thing more that made the sAarp eyes
soften and the abrupt manner change
t. one Of great gentleness.
Dom worry, dear. 1t will all come
out right, know. Just go right on
with your work. I understand it all
perfectly. Pm old enough to be your
grandmother, and I've seen more re-
markabte things happen. The Lord
takes care OF more things than we give
Him credit for. We must trust Him
when we are in all sorts of trouble.
And yours isn't the worst, by any
means. But it's too late for you to go
home now. I'll send William over to
tell Mrs. Ward, if anyone is up there,
that you are to stay here tonight"
So Barbara remained with the great
hearted old soul that night, and in the
morning she vent back to her drudg-
cry, sobeyed BY the events of that
eventfus sTening, and trembling a lit
tle because she had intrusted her
secret even to one so old and so loving
as Mrs Vane. But on the whole it
cOmforted her. Under other circum-
stances she would have told no one
but her mother. But Mrs. Clark was
nervous and irritable, she did not un-
derstand Barbara, and lived a daily
protest against her choice of life
work. To learn now from Barbara
that she had come to think a great
deal of the brilliant young minister
OF the great Marble Square church
would have seemed to Mrs. Clark like
another madness, and what Barbara
needed at this crisis in her life was
not reproaches or tears, but encour-
Agement and good-hearted affection.
She was q girl who gave her own
affection quickly. From the day she
met Mrs. Vane she had understood
her. 1t was the same with Mr.. Nor
ton. 1t is mistake to suppose that
the greatest feelings must develop
slowly. The feeling that Barbara ex-
PeTienced was not long in point of
time, but she herself was the best
judge of its strength. 1t is probable
that she was afraid of it's develop
ment in so comparatively short time,
and one way she took to ascertain the
truth was to talk to Mrs. Vane frankly
about it. Some things the old lady
gave her that evening out of her own
experience treasured her as to her
own heart. Barbara had been afraid
that her apparently sudden giving up
of her life as it faced this other life
was wrong. There was a tremor in
the thought of unseemly haste in
worthy of so sacred an event.
But, as the days went by, she found
IL was not so. OAe did not know all,
herself, but the experience that had
cbme to her lent strength to her re
solve to prove herself worthy of the
faith he had said he had in that kind
Of life. the life she had chosen. At
the same time, she faced with a gray-
icy that was making her older than
her years, the fact that the very ma
ture of her position would make it
impossible fo- her ever to realize an
answer to her own heart from his.
So it was with mingled feelings of
ambition that Barbara took up the
daily round again. Abe results of tie