The San Francisco call., 1904-03-27

of the wrongs her mother had sur
fered at the hands Of this woman and
her dead husband. She had thought
little of what the interview would be
like, and now, with the keen, hard.
and astonished eyes of Bessie upon
her, she felt that something more
than pride and Indignation must help
her through. The worlds diplomacy
of tongue and brain was an unsus-
pected art to her.
Il" she stammered irresolute-
ly, have changed my mind since
talked with Mr.. Shackleton."
Changed your mind, But why?
What's made you change your mind
in so short timer"
Many things" said the girl, with
her face flushing deeply under Bes-
sizes unfiinching stare. There have
been changes-in-in-c
and in me- Ny mother was anxious
for my advancement Now she is
dead and--it doesn't matter"
1t was certainly not brilliant way
out of the difficulty. A faint smile
wrinkled the loose skin round Mrs.
Shackleton's eyes.
"Oh, my dear" she said, with a
slight touch of impatience in her
voice. IF that's all, l guess we
needn't worry about it. People die,
and we lose our energies and ambi-
ton, so we just want to lie round and
mourn. But at your age that don't
last long. You've got TO make your
future yourself, and now's your
chance. 1t just comes once or twice
in a lifetime, and the people who get
he Ia rlHn Ii
enough TO snatch il as it comes by
Mariposa's irresolution had passed
She realized that she had not merely
will unused to defeat.
Il can't CO." she said quietly; ''I un-
derstand that all you say is perfectly
true. You probably think 1 am silly
and ungrateful. l don't think 1 am
either, but that's because 1 know
what l feel. l thank you very much,
but 1 can't accept II"
She rose to her feet. Bessie saw
that she was pale-evidently agitated.
''Sit down." she said, indicating the
chair again. Now let me hear your
reasons. my dear girl. People don't
throw UP the chance of lifetime for
nothing. What's behind all this?"
There was a pause. Mariposa said
slowly:
II don't want to accept 1t. I don't
want to take the money or be under
any obligation"
You were willing to be under the
obligation, as you call it, few weeks
ago?"
Bessie's voice was as cold as steel
From the moment she had entered the
room she had felt an instructive antag-
onism between herself and her hus-
bands eldest child. 1t would become
a hatred in time. The girls slow and
reluctant way of speaking seemed to
indicate that she expressed herself
with difficulty, like one who, under
pressure, tells the truth.
My mother wanted me to accept
anything that was for my own benefit.
Now she is dead. L am my own mis-
tress. / grieve or hurt no one but my
self II I refuse your offer. And, as
things are now, 1t is better for me to
refuse it,
What do you mean by as things
are now? Has anything happened to
change your ideas since my husband
first made the suggestion to you?"
Mariposa told her lie as a woman
does, with reservations. 1t was cred-
itably done, for it was the first lie she.
had ever told in her life.
Nothing has actually happened.
but-I-I-have changed"
And are you going to let girls
whims stand in the way of your sue
cess in life? 1 can't believe that. My
dear, you're handsome and you've
fine voice, but do you think those two
things, without a cent behind them,
are going to put you on top of the
heap? You're not the woman to get
there without lot of boosting
why should 1 want to get on top
of the heaD?''
"Oh, if you want to stay at the bot
tom"
Mrs. Shackleton gave a shrug and
rose to her feet. The girl was incom-
prehensible. She was either very
subtitle and deep, or she was extraor-
dinarily dull and shallow. Shackle-
ton had said TO her once that she
seemed to him childish and undevel-
oped for her age. The woman's keen
eye saw deeper. If Mariposa was not
disingenuous, she would always, on
the side of shrewdness and worldly
wisdom, be undeveloned.
We'll, my dear" she said coldly.
"it all rests with yourself. But L
can't, consoientiously, let you throw
your best chances away. We won't
speak of this any more to-day. But
go home and think about it, and in a
week or two let me know what con-
clusion you'.e come to. Don't ever
throw a chance away, even If you
don't happen to like the person who
offers IL"
She gave Mariposa a shrewd and
good-natured smile. The girl, her
face crimsoning. was about to answer
when the hall door opened, and, with
a sound Of laughter and whiff of vio-
let's, Maud and the Count de Lamolle
entered the room.
In her heavy mourning, Maud
looked more nearly pretty than she
had ever done before. 1t was not the
dress that beautified her. but the hap
piness of her engagement to Latimer,
with whom she was deeply in love,
which had lent her the feeting grace
and charm that only love, well be-
slowed, can give. She carried large
h,1pch of violets i'm her hand and her