The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-03-12
HER EASTER BONNET.

II must lave gloves aud things for
Easter, Rill you ought to have more
sense than to ask me at such o time
for few paltry cents l happened to
borrow Of you"
ut was thirty dollars-.sll ! had
and I have needed It very much,
Horatia, for the last seven or eight
weeks" said Rilla-a charming young
creature, seventeen and stately"
with limpid gray eyes and delicately
fair face framed In shining masses Of
silky yellow hair.
She spoke gently; but the truth Is
not always agreeable to person who
has done something wrong or unkiDd.
And to be thus reminded Ofa neglect.
ed Indebtedness aroused Horatia Daryl
to instant and unreasonable anger.
"You are very impertinent, Rill,"
she exclaimed Grossly. "And I won
der ut your presumption in speaking
of the moIey after all we have done
for you"
"Oh-oh!" cried Rilla, too sur
prised and hurt to say any more.
I'VE took you into the house as
charity" Horstis asserted stormily.
1--WE have fed you, and sheltered you,
and treated you rs one OF Us, and II l
. ept the money altogether, 1t would
only be about fair"
Rilla might have retorted that she
had done the work OF two or three
servants since she had been an inmate
of the household, and they had offered
her neither thanks nor wages for her
unceasing labor. and that It was her
relatives instead Of herself who were
guilty Of presumption.
"But she did not say II, not for lack
of courage, but because she consider ed
wrangIe To be degrading.
But her ingenious young face show
ed something of her thoughts as she
turned suddenly away and her quiet
dignity only enraged the other the
more.
stay where you are" Miss Daryl
ordered sharply, as she fixed her gor-
gonlike stare upon the unoffending
girl. II want you to rip the lace bre-
telles from my purple velvet dress and
transfer them to the green moire"
Rilla seated herself resignedly at the
work table, and drew out her needle
case and little gold-thimble from the
pretty pocket of her dainty apron.
III am myself wanted at the church.
NY taste in the floral decorations Is
al ways indispensable" Horatia said,
with an altered and condescending
air.
Riila made no response. That sud-
den change from the sneering 10 the
patronizing repelled her.
"And afterwards" Miss Daryl
continued, without apparent irritation
ut the youg girls silence-''and after.
wards 1 must call ut Madame Toque's
! parlors aud order u little change In my
Easter bonnet; will have green tips
Instead of the humming bird. Cleve
Randolph thinks the fashion Of wear
birds for ornaments 10 cruel and silly"
The gown of petuna purple velvet
slipped suddenly from Rilla's delicate
fingers, and her scissors drOped clink.
ing upon the polished cherry of the
workable.
"Who-who thinks so ?" she fslter.
ed, with q doubt that she had heard
Alright.
"How ill.bred you are Rill, not to
attend to what one II saying" the
Young lady remarked, with an air Of q
person imparting some valuable aud
benignant information.
~ spoke of Cleve Randolph-he has
been absent for nearly two years, travel
| ing: and he has returned TO me at last
the dear fellow! He has always
beer SO fond of me, that l wish to de-
fer to his taste even in trifles, and
even though he has some dreadful
queer whiIns about things"
Her last words were wasted on
empty air.
Rilly's charming little head had
dropped low on her breast. and the
pretty hands had dropped limpid ON
either side.
She had swooned away as quietly
~ o dove sinks to earth with broken
wing.
Her faint was only of n moments
duration she recovered almost before
the other had perceived it.
But from her milk white throat to
the soft rings Of yellow hair about her
brow, her lovely face was colOrless ~
the drifting snow.
And from under the long fringe OF
dark lashes, her big gray eyes looked
pathetically startled.
"Goodness, Kill, what OH earth ails
YOU? You don't mean to pretend
being III Just because you are expected
To do bit Of work | hope 2" HOratia
demanded sharply. with frown OF
nascent suspicion.
Rilla hardly saw the frown and
scarcely heard the sharp insolent
speech, nor did she attempt to utter q
syllable.
But she breathed long quivering
sigh of relief H her tOrmentor, with a
glance OF the little onyx clock on the
mantel, turned hastily and walked
out OF the room.
Thus left alone, the young girl look
ed very forlorn I'm the large bare sew
ing-rOom, rs she sat there with her
head bent low over her task, and the
low tears dropping one by one over
her pale cheeks.
But she was soon master # her
! emotion II was not until her task
was finished, and until she Was safe
in the seclusion of her own poor little
chamber, that the power Of repression