The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1903-02-05

must inevitably discover her dcccp-
'lon about Dot. but Courtcnay had
never met her sisters and could not
| mold her responsible for any diScrcp-
| ancj"S hr might notice between her
description of them ana rcali,y.
| Il may ns we'll own il 10 YOU. lille
| OHc." he said. ono afternoon. nS thrv
| Strollcd on the luwn Il waS cn",,mru
| 60 Your sister Ii WAS rather Il hupr-
! less affair. for | waS wrctchca!y poor.
| SO we kept it to ourselves. Hui Il
| secret engagement is an awfully trying
| thing. and ! was II Jealous fool. We
quarrclcd. and parted, and so-and So
| l lost her.
ELLA wnS silent.
When she was gone. Courtcnay rrN
| into conversation with Miss Rcadc
AMI AShby went indoors. Runnin%
| upstairs. he stumbled over y bundle
which. on investigation. turned out TO
be Il sobhing child of tender years.
"WhatS wrong. little onc:" he asked.
picking it up carefully.
leila SLAPPED baby.' sobbcd the
child.
"Ella did? Whore is Ella. lhcn?"
"Don't want Ella" walled the baby
so hpartbr0kenly that Ashby felt quite
touched. He WAS trying to console it
when to his relief the nurse appeared
with food of apologies.
Il III so sorry. sir. but | had to 90
downstairs for something. and Master
BERTHE ran after me. We're all at
skies and ScvrnS just now. sir. for tho
young ladies being away makes such
4 difference"
Baby burst into renewed S0bS. wall.
ing, ME no want nurSic: me want Dot.
OH. me- do SO want DOT
"Ah. poor little man. T. too, do so
want Dot" sighed Ashhy.
That evening the Major received q
letter from Laura. informing. him that
nor aunt was better and she and Dot
wculd return the following afternoon.
lie kept this to himself. intending n
pleasant surprise. and had himself cs-
tahliShcl on the lawn next day ut tea
time. ELLA made such pretty pic
turc OF tllnl love "a she hung about
her fathers chair that Courtcnay made
up his mind 10 delay no longer. but to
ask her ut once TO submit to be trained
after marria"r-intO his ideal woman.
SO he presently asked her to come for
Il stroll around the lawn. and ELLA,
reading his purpose in his face. rose
with alacrty. But alas. in the very
act OF raising the costly cup to her lips
ii WAS dashed 90 the gr0ustl. Al this
very moment there appeared two la
dies. haSt"ning from the house across
The lawn 10 Ioin the party around the
tea table. Ella turned white. Tcr
father held ont welcoming hands.
''rh" girls he exclaimed. ioyGusly.
"Wc!com" home. dcArS!'
st this moment whence. no ono
could trll-th""r children dashed across
the lawn ana up to The newcomers. ut
;rrir% shouts OF welcome.
"Oh. sisters. were 50 glad You're
back" cried the eldest. "I:lla'S been
horri1. She's made us live in tho
nursery and never come downstairs"
The two @ucst:: had Ircn locking OH
nlySi iiirh, hu; as Tho ladies came nearer
.Ashhy fairly gaspcd for breath For
the lady round whose neck baby was
cln&ing was no other than his lost
Dot. AS for Courtcnay. he was
stricken SpccchlcSs by Laura'S calm
lOvcliness. 1Icrr--at least in appear
ancc-waS his ideal woman.
"Don't You know my daughter. Ash
hy:' asked the Major dot.
mean
"It can't be-" @aspcd Ashhy. hoarsc-
ly. 1T isn't possible. Dot is dead.
Ella told me she died two years ago"
"Dot dead" repeated the Major. stu
prhod. "What--on-o earth do YOU
mcan:"
"Hut--lhcrr must bc-somc awful
mistake. ELLA told me-" faltcrcd Ash
by. AMI then Dot raised her eyes; 10
his and said: "Erncst!' and he bad no
mn"' doubts.
Ella. meantime. had most iudiciouSly
disappeared ani her myStifCd father
postponed in"uricS Till next day.
Thrn. however,. her little brothers.
who had hung about the gardens
many an evening and been unsus-
pcct"d witnesses to tender scenes and
pathetic plants. told enough to reveal
to the astonishcd and wrnthful Major
Cindcrella's little plot.
Some months later a double wedding
took place in the village church. The
hridcgroomS were Colonel Ashhy and
Sir George Courtcnay, and the brides
Were Cinderella'S sistcrs.-Ncw York
News.
Disraeli on Love.
The sale OF Il batch OF letters to Dis
raplj to his SiStpr writ or Iioforo tho