The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-01-15
A BUSINESS GIRL.

neT cOuslu, bduioA o.toSA esS", WV
her to live in Little Gorston. Ever
then Daniel was big, slow, man
with a placid manner and silver-streak
ed hair, and years older than his only
sister, Martha, who. was his house
keeper. He kept the only genera
SHOP in the village, and lived in the
cottage attached to it-so small cot
tage that when he announced thai
BETTY was to find home under its
roof. Miss Matte really had some rea-
son for asking him how he proposed
to make room for the new conner.
"Wol, lass" Daniel answered, in
his slow way. "t' place ain big, surely
but Betty herself be only bit O. 8
wench." !,
"She'll grow" Miss Matte objected.
"Belike, belize, Daniel admitted
unruffled; "but twill not be so fast
we'll not ha' time Z get used t. it an
plan accordin.' No chaps house were
ever robbed o. comfort cause t. orphan
were given shelter in it." :.
So be went off to London-far away,
wonderful, confusing London. whence
he was glad to escape with the little
yirl: aud Betty came 10 live at 80
shop" in Little Gorston:. she got
along with Daniel famously from the
and on the Sunday, after
her arrival, when she went to church
with him, the villagers stared at the
slim, black-frocked, pale-faced little
creature, whose frail fingers rested
contidingly in the huge brown hand
of the clumsy gentleman, as they came
up the church-yard path together.
Miss Matte came stalking grimly be-
hiud-so grimly, that when the child
glanced back, with little smile, sne
was too frightened by what she saW to
dare to repeat the experiment.
Miss Matte did not. approve OF Bet
tvs coming, nor take to her. Her lie
was centered in her brother, and from
the first she resented and feared the
ibought of the child coming between
him and herself. She was willing to
make many, if not all sacrifices for
him in her own severely practical way,
and she could not understand why he
should desire anything else. But Dan
iel-easy going, slowrthinking, slower
speaking Daniel-was irm,;; because ne
saw his duty clearly before him.
"It's right, lass" he said to bis. sis
ter. ,'T' little lass ha no kith nor kin
'cept YOU an I. We mum STAN by
her," -;
And he did. stand by Betty during
the wears which saw her shoot up from
a shorl-frocked child to tall girl bor-
dering on womanh hood. She came to
be his constant companion, his right
hand, his oracle in all his commercial
She had inherited from
ner mother a quick brain and an IN
,linct for figures and affairs to make
her a veritable business girl. Matters
which made her big, gray-haired cousin
proan in anguish or plod with futile
6eiplessness over columns of blotted
or involved accounts, were nothing to
her Quick wits and keen eyes. Daniel
accepted her help at the outset with
trepidation, which resolved
into contented and absolute faith.
Without Betty he. was nothing; and
The girl always remembered who hao
stood between herself and the world,
and treated him with all the respect
his own daughter might have paid.
Daniel never meant to drift apart
from his sister; but Miss Matte, al
though devoted to him in her heart,
and ready to serve him as his hand
maid, lacked the gift of sympathy,
aud refused to take any part or interest
In the affairs of the shop. She lost no
opportunity of saying, In her old
fashioned, prim way, that she disap-
proved of advanced women, and con-
sidered that girls were wholly out OF
mace in business, even If that busi-
ness only extended to looking after a
village shop. And, perhaps, Miss
Matte felt more bitterly than she cared
to own, or even than she knew, her
brothers. unconscious trausference OF
30 much of his allegiance to the girl
whom she regarded as an intruder.
She did not quarrel with Betty, but
never pretended to be her friend or
plad to have her in the house.
The latent hostility and thinly veil
ed dislike made the girl uncomforta-
BILE aud unhappy, and once she sug'
pested to Daniel that it would be better
II she went away-but only once. She
was startled by his distress and terror.
"Nay, nay, lass" he said, Martha
doesn't know thee yet. But her u
learn. An l COULDN'T
bide wi'out thee now. What would
the shop be wi'out thee ?"
Ah, yes, Daniel we'll knew what the
shop would be without Betty-the
shop whence came the living of them
ali. and which was to keep Miss Matte
from want if she were left alone. Times
were changing. new rivalries and COM
petitors were springing up like lions
in the path. The stately, lelsurely
methods which had been well enough
once and had worked like machinery,
would no longer do. To win success
and make a way now was needed youth
and pushful tact-yes, the talents OF
the business girl, whom in his simple
pious heart he thanked God every day
for sending to him. Without Betty
the shop would be nothing at all. He
was growing old and tired, and Miss
Matte kpew nothing, and would scorn
to learn, even it 1t were not too late.
Not that Miss Matte ever thought 40
herself. She did not suppose, OF
course, that matters would 90 on in
definitely without change, but cher.
ished vague notion that Daniel and
herself would eventually retire on a
modest competence.
And even Betty, although she anx.
iously watched the lines of thought
on Daniels face, did not
fully realize all his secret care for the
sister who had lived with him 30 long
without really knowing or understand
him.
So Betty remained to help Daniel
and to cling to the hope of winning
n6;,, N6att;o In tho opd-a fOrlOrn hone