The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-06-11
How much YOU think of kind words.

How mucn you Inlilk OF hlllu "ofu>.
' eronica.." she said quietly.
".Ah, you do not know. have been
all my long SOLITARY life vii hOut them.
For years heard l,Ut one voice. and IL
ncvcr addressed me kindly. No one III
I'LL this wrrlG has been So utterly
I;onr.
Ill is u+l ended nov. said kathe-
rillv: "v0.t have us 10 love you
"Yr>. il is ended" returned Nero-
micu. "Du YOU know. Caterina. that /
cuuld no, believe the world was fair o.
bright: 1t seemed TO me impossible. |
knew that the skies were blue. and
that the light of the sun was all
golden. bat | did not understand the
glory and the loreliness that seem
common to you. Once. long ago. |
found an old book of poems, and read
them. They were all about the beauty
and passion and tenderness OF life. |
thought the man who wrote them
Aliieri--WaS mad: now | think there
was some method in his madness. DO
YOU know. Caterina-1 like to give you
the sweet soft italian name-that for
long wears | have had but one thought,
and that was how soon Heaven would
let ne de"
Katherine caressed the dark shining
waves u E2.I.
Such thoughts as those have
brought all those mystical shadows
into your eyes, Veronica; we must
have no more Of them. she said.
Even ny NAME" remarked the
girl, has L sad kind OF music in it.
And 50 YOU love me, Katherine? Tell
me what TO do for you, how to thank
YOU. how TO serve you. will see your
ewes, | will hear with your ears. |
shall 30 to sleep happy. l shall wake up
happy. thinking TO myself that some
one deems me beautiful, and that some
one loves me. You have frightened
all my life for me by your goodness"
Il do not think it is good" said
Katherine: with me it is simply that
lcannot help it"
1T might have been different" re-
ioined Veronica, You might have
been angry and veXed that stranger
should come into your home-the very
heart of your home as it were-you
might have received me cooliy, treat
ed me unkindly, laughed at me even
because of my strange dress and strange
manners but you have been an angel
OF goodness to me. For that, she
continued, with a sudden passion that
made her so beautiful, II will give you
my life should you need it, my service
always. love if you will take it, my
heart always
They formed certainly one Of the
prettiest of pictures-the English girl:
with her bright, fair beauty: her golden
hair, her dress OF white silk, her shin
ing Jewels, her happy, loving, bright
manner, and the dark-eyed Venetian,
with her pale, passionate, matchless
loveliness, her black robes so quaint
and picturesque. Then, as they talk
ed longer, gradually they changed
attitudes; it was Veronica who became
the protector, and Katherine the
younger sister. Their lives had been SO
different, yet they were children OF
one father. Eeronica's one wonder
was the long shining golden hair. She
never tired of careSsing it,. of tWinlng
it round her fingers, of praising it.
:'Do you know she said to Kathe-
rine," that once--oh, long ago. was
arranging an OLD wardrobe for my aunt
and [ saw a little parcel of white
paper? l openedit, and inside it lay a
long tress of shining golden hair so
much like this. was almost frighten.-
ed at it. for it seemed to twine round
my fingers as though it were living. i
took it to my aunt and showed it to
her. She grew so angry. Whenever
YOU see hair like that she said, al
ways pray that Finland may be ruined
by it's own gold, by the greed OF its
sons and the folly of its daughters.
Her words come back to my mind now
as ! hold this golden hair in my
hands,
"They were very horrible words, and
YOUR aunt must have been wicked to
utter them. What harm had the
English done her?"
Il cannot tell, but she hated them.
She was angry that wished to learn
English: but l would. 1t was strange,
that when she hated it should love
it. ! think England beautiful. Our
enlce IS perhaps OiIe VI CliC ltiACoU
spots on earth, but everything seems
brighter and happier here.
Papa" said Katherine that same
evening, Il fancy your ward Veronica
has been very unhappy all her life"
Il hope not" he returned quietly.
IfelI sure of it. I have been con-
trasting her lot with mine. How
strange it is, papa, that in this world
things are SO unequal! Some have so
much. others so little. Veronica seems
to me to have had nothing"
He made no reply but he thought to
himself that it was hard, seeing that
they were children OF one father.
Later on he drew katherine'S golden
head down and kissed her face.
"You VII; be kind to Veronica. my
DEAR" he said. "a joyless life is hard
to bear
And Katherine obeyed him because
it was impossible to know Veronica
and not to love her.
TO BE CONTINUED