Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-04-29


gun teaching they were the
&V0j subject Of much after church
and sewing circle talk.
"If Alice could only git married
now" observed Mrs. Mears, who was
perhaps the leader among the gossips
in Sandgate. 1T 'ud be the most fort
nit thing that could happen, but she
holds her head perty middlin' high for
a poor girl. which p'raps is natral, she
comm from one O. the oldest families.
They say there want nothin' left to
either on 'em when the Widder Page
died, an the wonder is how she man.
aged to git along as well as she did"
The yexations Of an effort to pound
the rudiments Of an education into
the heads of two dozen or so barefoot
ed boys and girls that comprised her
charge were far less hard to bear than
the desolation Of home .bereft OF
mother and brother. Occasionally
some one of the neighbors would drop
in of an evening or one or two Of her
girl friends come and stay all night.
On Sundays she was, as she always
had been, a regular attendant at the
village church. where she formed one
Of the choir.
She was like q flower herself, not
only in looks, but in delicacy of feeling
and sentiment, and her sweet face,
sheltered by a mourning hat on Sun
day at church, was a magnet that drew
the eyes Of many a village swain. The
DAYS and weeks Of her new life as a
teacher passed in uneventful process
sion until one by one the leaves had
fallen from the two big elm trees IN
front of the desolate home, the mead
ows were but level fields Of snow, and
Christmas was only two weeks away.
Then she received letter from the
absent brother that caused her heart
to beat with unusual excitement 1t
read:
Dear Sis-Three weeks ago received
most fattering proposal from Mr.. Mason,
Franks father, who offered me good
salary to take charge OF his law busi-
ness and also the chance to accept any
thing else that came my way. l nave
q nice office now In block he owns and
am so busy do not find time to write to
you even. It's an opening OF lifetime
and I owe 1t mainly to Frank. Now l am
80 homesick I am coming up to spend
Christmas with you, and I've invited
Frank to come also. We shall be up the
day before and stay till the Monday aft
er. Frank has done so much for me that
I want to entertain him In the best way
possible. He knows absolutely nothing
about country life. and It may be dull for
him. but he seems desirous Of coming, and
SO I want you to help me to make 1t
cheerful for him. To be candid, sis, I
think the chance to see you, whom he
has heard me say so much about. Is the
real loadstone. I inclose bit Of paper.
and I want you to use It all In any way
you wish.
1t was a check for $10O.
It was not strange that at school next
day Alice's thoughts were not on the
recitations. and when one boy spelled
beauty "b-o-o-t-i-e" and raised laugh
she did not understand why 1t was.
That night Alice said to Aunt Susan:
"Do you think. auntie, we could man.
age between us to make up some sort
of a pretty house dress? Of course ]
must wear black when I 60 out, but 1t
would be no harm to wear something
brighter at home. could get some
delicate gray cashmere, and Mrs. Slo-
per can cut and fit 1t. and you and l
can make 1t evenings. l want Il sort
of house gown trimmed with satin. |
wish | dared to have a new hat for
church, with a little color in Tiny
mourning bonnet makes me look so old
but am afraid people would talk
But how the days dragged, and how
many times she counted them to see
how many more were to pass ere that
dearly beloved brother was to arrive!
And what sort Of looking fellow was
this Frank? she wondered. She hoped
he was tall and dark, not too tall, but
good and stout. And how could She
ever entertain them? She could play
and sing a few pretty ballads and any
number Of hymns, but as for conversa-
ton she felt herself wholly deficient.
OF the world of art. literature and the
drama she knew but little. She had
read good many novels, it Is true,
and had seen Uncle Toms Cabin
EAST Lynne" and one or two other
tear moving dramas played in the town
hall, but that was all. She had never
even journeyed as far as Boston or
New York. HE will think me as green
as the hills around u.s." she thought
ruefully, "but I can't help it. I can
cook some nice things for him to eat
anyhow, and Bert must do the talking.
! wonder If he plays the piano. 1
hope not, for If he does I'll not touch
it"
Christmas came on Thursday that