The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-03-29
CHAPTER III.
A Little Pretender.

As much as is necessary to be known
of Thomas De1ter's early history be-
ing disclosed, Little Make-Believe
claims attention.
Come, then, into the light, flower Of
the gutter, and show yourself to unac-
| customed eyes. Those that are in the
habit of seeing you take so little notice
Of you that the doubt may well arise
whether, as a study, you are in any
way interesting. You are so familiar
a figure that, like the rising of the
sun, but small regard is paid to you.
A grand smile, Little Make-Believe;
be proud Of it, if in your humble soul
you can find room for pride in any
thing.
But here and there, young child, there
beats a pulse of tenderness for you
| which may one day be Of benefit to
your sister flowers, of whom. there are
myriads. Come, and let the light shine
on you.
To grace such as you by comparing
you to a flower may excite ridicule.
A very weed in appearance, whose
appearance mars the loneliness of the
garden.
Nevertheless, you began as great
souls began, and there were in you
possibilities Of worthy things which
might one day have ripened into
beauty.
No time, however, for idle specula-
| ton. In the midst of a world of
shams you stand clearly out, a stern
fact. 1t is the fashion with many to
call you a problem, and though you
will hardly believe yourself to be of
Importance, you are, in the aggregate,
a most formidable figure in the social
system of to-day.
At all events she was not al indo-
lent creature; she worked, being, like
Thomas Dexter, a general dealer.
But her business was much more
circumscribed than his, and lay in
quite q different direction. She dealt
only in one article, being b~rimstonely
conservative; that article was matches.
One half-penny a box. Or a farthing.
Or anything you chose to give her.
A gentleman ono gave her sixpence
for a box, and when she said, with a
shake of her head, Il amt got no
change, sir" he told her that he did
not want any, and walked away.
This was so wonderful an event that
she talked Of it for months afterward,
and would often c%onjure up imaginary
s%ixpences for imaginary feasts.
Sometimes she had 10 matches to
sell. Then she went about pretending.
But, as you already know, she did that
at other times, as well.
She had a father, who was such a
favorite with publicans and policemen
that they very rarely let him out of
their sight.
They played with him as they would
have played at trap, bat and ball.
From publican to policeman, when the
publican was done with him, and from
policeman to publican, when the police
man was done with him, vas as regu-
larly to be depended on as the chang
ing of day into night and night into
day.
Which suggests a comparison be-
tween Little Make-Believe's father and
the earth, the observable difference be-
ing that when Little Make-Believe's
father turned round On his axis it was
with 4 more eccentric motion than we
attribute to the earth. Generally in
his movements, and especially when
the publican passed him On to the po-
licemaG, mathematical niceties were
conspicuous by their absence. When
the policeman passed him back to the
publican he exhibited a more improved
method, which, as a rule, lasted 10
longer than IN hour.
| Speaking in a comprehensive sense,