The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-03-16
she realized what their presence meant:

she realized what their presence meant:
IL am not, to intrude myself. / am
TO forget have wishes or hopes am
to remember that he loves her and
that it is for her happiness TO love him.
l am to encourage this love and to lend
all my influence toward the preserva-
tion in her Of those charming qualities
which in adversely made her lovely.
and which, if added to her wealth, will
make her mate for the mobiles. This
is my future task. May God give me
strength to acquit myself Of it cheer
fully?
Hilary's handwriting! Hilarys
words! Jenny Rogers held in her hand
Hilary's locket, which lad in some
way become interchanged with her
own, for they had them just alike, and
by this chance had she stumbled upon
that dear friends secret at a moment
when her own fate hung trembling in
the balance Jenny Rogers sank, over
come, upon q chair and read the words
again, and uttered q cry as she read
them, then sobbed with sudden, wild
and passionate grief, then hid her face
with her hands and sat thus for many
minutes, though the clock spoke, with
every tick it made, of the rapidly pass
ing time.
What were her thoughts? What
could they be but Of past hours and
past occurrences in which she had
shared her companionship with MI.
Degraw! She understood now as she
never had before what certain looks
and changes upon her dear friends
countenance had meant. She perceived
that she herself had not been the only
one to love, and that with the selfish
ness Of a suddenly enriched woman
she had trodden on the heart to whose
clinging affection and lofty sympathy
she owed much of her prosperity and
a great deal of her distinction. And
she saw more; she saw to what heights
q generous ard self forgetful nature
can 90, and felt humiliated in her own
estimation as she contrasted the mer-
cenary struggle she had just been
through with the firm putting by or
every selfish consideration conveyed
by the words she had just read.
Hillary would not have hesitated
seven days." exclaimed Jenny, with
ing in bitter remorse over the memory
Of her own weakness. "She would
have seen the right way at once and
taken it. She loves him more than l
do. She is worthier of him than I am.
She would make him better wife"
Then her thoughts flew to the time,
when she and Hilary had bought these;
lockets. They were in a Jewelers.
store together, and the whim had 81;
multaneously seized them to have some;
one thing alike, which they could wear:
as q symbol of their mutual affection.
They decided upon two lockets, identi-.
cal in make and size, and Hilary
bought one. and clasped 1t about Jen-.
ny's neck. and Jenny had bought the
other and clasped it about Hilary's,,
and thus had they sealed the bond be-,
tween them with q gift and smile.
When the second exchange betweenI
these trinkets had been made she could
not tell, but she thought it must have
been done when she and Hilary last
bathed at the beach. They had both,
worn their lockets that day, and as
they had used one table for their
things the possibility Of one Of them
having taken up the wrong locket was
easy.
But the when" ard the "how" Of:
this mistake were unimpoTtant.' The
exchange had been made in some way:
and a revelation had followed which
had shaken her to the core Of her
being. Hilary loved Mr.. Degraw, and
he would love Hilary if her own I'M
worthy beauty were not ever before
him. How could she let all the sacri-
fee be on one side. How could she
enjoy her happiness if she knew that
her friend was suffering from de-
spair, the depth and poignancy OF
which she could family measure by
the emotions gnawing at her own
heart? She could not; though she was
far from perfect she had advanced
thus far, at least, upon the road to un-
sclfishness that her friends case now
occupied her more than her own. She
could not ignore it; she would not.
She had her wealth and a score Of un-
tasted pleasures before her, while Hill
ary had tasted of every pleasure save
that OF which she was about to rob
her. Hilary thus left to herself would
see no joy in the empty space before
her. while she could imagine many,
though none so sweet, none so satisfy
ing as this of his love. All, is the end
less struggle about to recommence?
No, for in a few minutes, with deft-
ness and celebrity marvellous under the
circumstances, Jenny Rogers has
doffed the cloth suit her lover was hun
gering TO see and has put on the rich
velvet, which means repulse to him.
disappointment to herself and possible
happiness to Hilary.
To be continued.