The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-01-22
A BUSINESS GIRL.

tn9Q DaGlel was olSi S,o"' 'h"
with placid manner and sllver.streak
ed hair, and years older than his only
sister, Martha, who was ms house
K rener. He kep! the only genera
SHOP in the village, and lived in the
cottage attached to it-so small cot
tape that when he announced thai
Betty was TO find home under It's
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 he only Il OIL o
wench."
She'll grow" Miss Matte objected.
"Belike, belize, Daniel admitted,
unruttied: "but twill not be so fast
we'll not ha' time T. get used T. 1t an
nlan accordiu.' No chaps house were
ever robbed o. comfort cause t orphan
were given shelter in it,"
So he went off to London-far away,
wonderful, confusing London, whence
he was glad to escape with the little
girl; and Betty came TO i've az u
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-iaced little
creature. whose frail fingers rested
contidingly in the huge brown hand
Df the clumsy gentleman, as they came
up the church-yard path together.
Miss Matte came stalking grlmly De,
grimly, that when the child
back, with little smile, she
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 Der. Her life
Vas centered in her brother, and from
Ihe first she resented and feared the
Ihouvht of the child coming between
him and herself. She was willing to
make many, if not all sacrihces lof
him in her own severely practlcai way,
and she could not understand why ne
should desire anything else. But Dan
slow-thinking, slower
,peaking Daniel-was firm, because ne
,aw his duty clearly before him.
Its 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
,be wears which saw her shoot up from
4 shorl-frocked child to tall girl Dor
iering on womanhood. She came to
Do his constant companion, his right
nand. his oracle in all his com merclal
She had inherited from
1er mother quick brain and an in
,,inct for figures and affairs to MAKE
ner q veritable business girl. Matters
which made her big, gray-haired cousin
yroan in anguish or plod with 1utlie
nelplessness over columns or olotteo
Dr. involved accounts, were nothing 10
her Quick wits and keen eyes. Daniel
accented her help at the outset with
trepidation, which resolved
nto coptented and absolute faith.
Without Betty he was nothing; and
he girl always remembered who had
,tood between herself and the world,
IND treated him with all the respect
his own daughter might have paid.
Daniel never meant 10 drlft 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
m the affairs of the shop. She lost no
opportunity of saying, in her old
prim way, that she disap-
proved of advanced women, and con-
,idered that girls were wholly out OF
place in business, even II that ousl-
ness only extended to looking after a
village shop. And, perhaps, Miss
Matte felt more bitterly than she cared
10 own, or even than she knew, her
brothers. unconscious transference OF
20 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
glad to have her in the house: >,
The latent hostility and thinly veil
ed dislike made the girl uncomforta-
Die aud unhappy, and once she sug-
rested to Daniel that it would be better
# she went away-but only once. She
was startled by his distress and terror.
may, nay. lass2' he said, Martha
doesn't know thee yet. But her Il
learn -her'll learn. An l couldn't
pide wi'out thee now. What would
the shop be wi'out Thee ?"
Ah, yes, Daniel well knew what the
shop would be without Betty-the
shop wheuce came the living of them
all, and which was to keep Nj iss Matte
from want if she were left alone. Times
were changing. new rivalries and com
petitors were springing up like lions
ln the path. The stately, leisurely
methods which had been well enough
once and had worked like machinery,
would no longer do. To win success
and make way now was needed youth
and pushful tact-yes, the talents OF
the business girl, whom in bis simple
oious heart he thanked God every day
for sending to him. Without Betty
the shop woulo be nothing at all. He
was growing old and tired, and MISS
Matte knew nothing, and would scorn
10 learn, even 1t it were not TOO late.
Not that Miss Matte ever thought 80
herself. She did not suppose, OF
course, that matters would go on in
definitely without change, but cher,
ished vague notion that Daniel and
herself would eventually retire on
modest competence.
And even Betty, although she anx-
iously watched the lines of thought
on IhniePs face, did not
fully realize all is secret care for the
sister who had lived with him 80 long
really knowing or understand
him.
So Betty renyained to help Daniel
and to cling to the hope of winning
Miss Matte in the end-a forlorn hope,
apparently and without much chance
III realizaif szsfsht, to compensate for