The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-02-28
MY INTIMATE ENEMY.
BY MRS. MOSES P. HANDY.

 Copyright. 1902, by Daily Story Pub. Co.) always hated HyIa White. Not be- cause of her beauty: on the contrary, l adore beauty, and I forgave her many things for the sake of her pretty face. done me evil and not good. from the time when we were children, that she had come into my life.
 Hyla was the only child of my moth lost at sea when Hyla was little more than a baby. His widow married again after barely decent interval, and the step-father took violent aversion to us. the only relations who we're willing and able to have her.
 Never were two cousins more unlike tEan she and l. In person Hyla closely
 Assembled , my beautiful mother: l was | with boys from my babyhood. I was a | romp and a tom-boy at 10 years of age: Hyla. at was. so my mother said, a
 perfect little lady. If only Anne were more like Hyla,' | she sighed over>and over. after my ve- rious escapades. never dreaming how | often my mischief was suggested by her model, who was the veriest little coward l that ever breathed. When Hyla would
 have fish she was apt to seek some one l else to wet their feet in pursuit of it. My father always stood my friend Let the child alone" he used to say. | Let her be herself" and once, when | after an unusually severe lecture upor l my own shortcomings and Hyla's perfec-
 tions, he kissed me and comforted me | with:
 T like my little daughter as she is
 Be brave and true. dear, and the polish | will come later; you will need 1t you | know; even a diamond is the better for | cutting and setting"
 | thaf ri arA h hn l and ladylike. and I think I succeeded
 fairly well. but I did not want to be | like Hyla.
 | think she must have taken after her | mother in character, although my mother I who detested her sister-in-law as much | as she loved her niece, would never ad
 init 1t. Hyla never took straight way
 to anything if she could make for herself | a crooked path.
 | Sneak and tell-tale." my brother:
 called her. and they scolded me for be- 1 ing her catspaw; although even they | never guessed how often my frocks were
 torn climbing for fruit for Hyla. nor how many times I was punished for misdeed. | which Hyla would not acknowledge. ane
 I was too proud to charge her with. 1 Anne never tells tales" said the boys
 and truly I never did. whatever my sil l ence might cost me.
 At school 1t was the same story. I car rieds IIyla through the rough places
 shielding her again and again. I refused
 to write her exercises or to do her ex | smples, but knew that she copied mine l as soon as my back was turned. ant | more than once I was obliged to rewrit, l them lecause the one l had prepared | was missing. Upon such occasions Hyls | inv1: ably had credit marks for hers. There was one person upon whom Hyli' | winning ways had no effect Aun l Thornton. my fathers widowed sister
 whose wealth and strength of characte made her a power in the family. had n' l lOVa fnr HNla I fOlnd her n Verita bl | fairy godmother. and as a child l mad I many delightful visits to her beautiful | city home, but Hyla accompanied m'
 only once. Then Aunt Thornton de
 tectcd Ter In a petty theft which sh
 attempted to hide by falsehood. an,
 promptly took her home
 | II cannot undertake the responsibility | of a child who does not speak the truth. | she said to my mother. and in spite O.
 mamma's entreaties, and I imagine | scarcely concealed indignation at he
 harshness she positively refused to allow l Hyla to visit her again.
 l Anne has all the Douglas honor anC | honesty" Aunt Thornton used to say | The dear soul never dreamed how mucf | the obiect-lesson of her own integrit, | strengthened mine
 l It was not until Hyla and were botl l won"n grown, that together, once more | We visited Aunt Thornton. Even then | 1 fancy my aunt would have preferred 1 that I should go alone. but my mother asked for and obtained an invitation foi | her darling.
 Surely you are not going to remember | childish fault throughout all time l she pleaded.
 Aunt Thornton had no children but | she was devoted to her step-son, to whom
 she had been mother since he was years old
 Ned Thornton was my hero; I cannot Saturday's story THE WIDOW RARTl