The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-01-16

2 " between Maria DeVlln anu
her distinguished brother, the
Hon. Horace Devlin. The Devlins had
always been wisely reticent regarding
their family affairs. 1t was understood
that there had been violent quarrel
over the. large estate left by the fathe-
of the brother and sister. and that
they had never spoken to each other
since the division Of the property. The
estrangement must have been embar-
RAISING to both of them, since they
lived in a small town and could not
help meeting frequently.
: The Hon. Horace was much more
popular than his sister Maria. She
had always been somewhat eccentric,
and this eccertricity had become more
( marked after her quarrel with her
brother.
Her father had been man Of very
simple tastes, and had lived all bis life
In the plain old red house that had
been his fathers and his granilfather's
It was great and bitter trial to Maria
when b. er brother, not long after their
fathers death, tore down the old
house and built on its site very large
and pretentious modern mansion.
: Miss Maria had her fathers simple
tastes, and her associations Of the old
house were very dear to her. even
when it was no longer her home. The
big. snowy mansion was an offence to
her eyes every time she passed it. In
marked and striking contrast to her
brothers house was her own. 1t was
as much an eyesore to her brother as
his house was to Miss Maria.
y When the Devlin estate had finally
been divided, Miss Maria moved into
tiny old house once occupied by her
) fathers gardener. 1t was hardly ten
antable, and Miss Maria made few re-
pairs before moving into it. 1t stood
directly across the road from her
brothers fine home, and was decided
blemlsh on the landscape seen from
his spacious front piazza. He had,
through his attorney, made his sister
an offer to buy 1t at price far more
than it's value, but the offer had been
30 promptly and so decidedly rejected
that it had never been repeated.
1t was thought that Miss Maria al
lowed the old house to remain in q
state of neglect, and the premises to
be in a state Of continual disorder. tor
the sole purpose Of adding to her broth
er's annoyance and modification. She
also added many irritating traits to
her many ecceltricities Of character,
and was nearly always spoken of by
the people Of the town as ;'Queer Miss
Maria"
Her sister-in-law was an extremely
fashionable lady, while Maria went
about in the shabbiest and E!ost anti
quated of garments. She was far
from being scrupulously tidy, and
seemed to take delight in setting aside
the ordinary conventionalities of life.
It was known, however. that she was
very good and kind to the poor, while
her brother was by no means noted
for his generosity toward them.
The Hon. Horace Devlin entertained
lavishly, while his sister never enter
tained at all, and did not go into So
cltey. 1t was regarded as scandalous
That Miss Maria should have chosen
to spend the afternoon in her front
yard with mans hat on her head and
her skirts pinned up about her waist
on the day Of her brothers grand lawn
. party, when he had a carload Of guests
out from the city.
So the breach between the brother
and. sister widened until there was no
probability that it would ever be
would ever be brldged over. When
they met they stared ut each other In
stony silence.
Wenfeld. the town in which the
Devlins lived. was a small manufac-
turing place. Most Of its inhabitants
worked in the mills. Many of them
were thrifty men and women. who
saved as much as they could Of their
earnings. and deposited them in the
one savings bank in WenGeld.
The Hon. Horace Devlin was cash.
fer Of the Wenfeld savings bank, and
never had there been such wild excite
ment throughout the town IS on the
morning when a placard appeared or
the bank door bearing the two omin
Gus words:
BANK CLOSED.
i Men and women left their work ant
hurried to the bank with eager ant
# anxious faces. Many had in 1t the say
ings of lifetime, and they stared a
the portentous words with wildly beat
Ing hearts. There was the most out
spoken indignation when the truth be
came known. The fact was that The
Hon. Horace Devlin had brough
shame and disgrace on an old and hon
ored name, and priyation and possible
poverty to many homes by becoming
defaulter.
It was discovered that he had fo
years been speculating with money be
longing to the bank, and his defalca
Hons we're sufficient to embarrass 1t