The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-03-22

IL Atot ~ ~
biously, "but I confess I have my
doubts. I only hope you are right
Fright! Of course I am" said Isa-
belle. sitting down again to her prac-
ticing.
Sallie, the housekeeper. came in at
that moment in great glee.
Juliet Packenham is going to make
some of that delicious fruit cake for
me Tomorrow" she said. 80 that we
can have it for tea. and then she will
give me the recipe. Isn't that nice?
Miss Packenham is very o%bliging,"
said Kate. dryly.
ITO be sure she is" said unconscious
Sallie. cousin Harry Hartley was
coming to tea. and I hadn't anything
but ginger snaps, and ginger snaps are
so common
"Of course you asked Juliet to come
over, too, and help eat her cake?
why. yes" admitted Sallie; Il
couldn't do any less than that, and L
thought we girls would all be glad to
see her
"We girls-yeS,' said Kate.
"And uncle says she is a quiet, harm
less thing" added Sallie. alphabetically,
for some instinct taught her that Kate
was not quite satisfied with what she
had done, land as for Harry Hartley.
he never sees her any more than if she
wasn't in the ROOM
"Girls! girls" quoth Uncle Jennifer.
stalking into the room next day.
where have those gold spectacles Of
mine gone to? They hadn't legs, and,
Of course, they can't have run away.
1 must have my s%pectacles."
But, uncle" said Sallie. ~piteously,
we've looked everywhere
sThey can't be in any place about the
house." said Kate.
"No, they can't" added Belle.
'It's very stranger said Uncle Jen-
infer, "but you girls are so careless"
"We didn't lose the spectacles, I'M
cle," said Sallie, excitedly.
81 never can find anything!i" said I'M
Gle Jennifer, in a resigned tone, latter
one of FOUR grand cleaning-up days. L
dare say my spectacles are in the dust
bin somewhere
mo, they're not. uncle" said mat
ter-of-fact Isabelle, .'.for I've looked
there"
'"It's very strange!" said Uncle Jen-
infer again. and he kept saying it un-
til his three nieces were driven well
nigh crazy. II wouldn't have taken
$40 for those double-cohvex lenses;
they suited my eyes exactly.
81 dare say they'll turn up some
where, sir" said Mr.. Hartley, encour-
agingly.
81 dare say they WON'T" said Uncle
Jennifer. sharply. -
He was in no frame of mind to re-
.ceive consolation from any one.
The hour for tea arrived, and with it
Juliet Packenham in a simple blue
muslin dress, made and trimmed by
herself, her brown hair brushed back
from her temples and coiled after a
Quakerish fashion at the back Of her
head. And a substantial token Of her
good works appeared in the centre of
the table in the shape Of a huge loaf OF
fruit cake iced over with limitations Of
fruits and flowers.
81 hope it will be good said Juliet,
timidly. Nobody has touched it but
myself. and I spent the whole forenoon
in mixing it up"
ooh. it's sure to be good" said cheer
full minded Sallie. Here. Harry is
the silver cake knife-you shall cut it,"
us there a gold wedding ring in it:'
demanded Harry Hartley, fourishing
the silver cake knife presented to him
by his cousin.
"Nonsense!!" cried Belle. and Juliet
Packenham blushed violently.
Mr.. Hartley plunged the knife valor-
ously into the tempting looking cake.
Suddenly he checked his hand.
IF there isn't a wedding ring here
there is something equally hard" he
said, obviously. Hello! a pair Of gold
spectacles, baked in the cake, as 1
live"
And from the crumbiing recesses of
the cake he drew forth a pair Of dou.
b~le-convex glasses, set in gold.
why, Uncle Jennifer, they are
yours" cried Sallie, jumping up and
clapping her hands. "And how came
they in Juliet's cake"
Juliet's face grew scarlet, but it was
as nothing to the flush that mounted to
the temples of Squire Jennifer. Sallie
stared. Kate tossed her head, and
glanced across the table at Belle. And
then the squire took up his s~pectacles.
and cleared his throat as if by an ef-
ort. " E.
The glasses have told the story
palmer than I could, girls he said.
Il may as we'll own up at once that
Juliet and I are engaged, and We mean
to be married in the spring"
Thus it was that fate settled the
business of matrimony for Uncle Jen-
infer, to the dismay Of the three nieces
who were so certain that she never
would Earry."-New York Weekly.
Laughter and Worldly Success.
lr