The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-05-02

such power? If he fails, down they
all go, children, grandchildren and
| greatgrandchildren. If he succeeds,
up they all go together, higher n
higher"
UNLESS they take to drink" said
Lily, wisely.
IF he fails, the girls have to look
for work."
"Unless," Katharine continued,
"they get married. And there is the
| chance Of another father falling"
"My dear, what is the use Of talk
ing about marriage in Harley House!
Love and marriage cannot come in u
way. How are we to make the ac-
ouaintance Of any men? Some Of the
| girls at the Museum make acquaint-
ances with the readers, but no good
| ever came of that sort Of acquaintance
yet"
"But, Lily, anything may happen"
mot out of books, unless it is bad;
in real life everything happens that
is bad. But as for love and marriage,
I declare, Katherine, that If we had
| our hair cut off and were shut up in a
Spanish convent, q hundred miles
| from any man, we should have a bet
| ter chance Of marrying than we have
here-I mean we two, who have no
| friends at all. Not the rest of the girls,
| who have brothers and can go out
with them"
II have had my chance, Lily, and l
| have been robbed Of it," said Katha-
rlne.
Eyes, whatever happens you will be
| the happier for having been loved. 1t
| is something to remember always. Oh!
| it must be a wonderful thing to feel
| that a man is going to give up all his
life-all his work-to make you happy
and keep you in ease and comfort. 1t
must be such a happiness just to feel
1t, as you did, for a month or two, that
even to think of it makes me 60 mad
with rage at the cruel fate which
keeps us locked up here out Of the way
Of it, so that we can never,
meet with it."
"Yes," said Katharine, ut is a won
derful thing to feel. There is no other
happiness to compare with it-and /
have felt it. Oh" she clasped her
hands. II have felt it,"
Katharine, when I am tramping
the streets from n place to another,
knowing beforehand that I shall be too
late, a terrible picture arises before
my mind, a dreadful nightmare which
comes by day; and I see my future
life stretched out before me plain and
clear-perhaps yours, dear, as we'll, but
I hope-yes-I hope that God will
take you first"
ooh, Lily">
II must-I cannot help i'll must
speak! The picture comes Of itself
and stays before my eyes, and I must
tell somebody's Katharine, I see my
self going on like this for year after
year-all my life"
The girls dark eyes glowed and
grew larger as she gazed intently
upon the panoramic picture which
rolled itself out before her. AS she
spoke it became real to Katharine as
we'll.
ooh, such q long life! I shall live
to eighty. There will be no change
until the time comes when no one will
give me any work to do at all. And
then I shall 60 to the workhouse. I
am always applying for places. Some
times T get taken on, but generally l
am too late. Always j~ostling and
pushing and fighting with other
women. What q life! 1t is yours as
well as mine. What a fortune for US
to be born with"
Lilly, some change will come. 1t
must come"
"No, never any change. Look at
poor old Miss Stidolpb. She Is sixty
at least, and she is no better off than
when she began-thirty years ago and
more, after her father failed-to go out
as a daily governess. What change has
ever come to her? Look at Miss Au-
gusta and Miss Beatrice; to be sure,
they've got ESQ q year to live upon
now. Before it came they were starry
ing. And their father was a Canon of
a Cathedral! What a life they have led!
No, Katharine, for US md those like us
there is no hope-none. l declare,
Katharine, that if there were any way
to escape-any-offered me, I would
take it."
She looked about her like n prisoner
in a cell, and gasped as if for want of
air.
"Lilyw
"Never enough money" she went
on; never any society at all. What a
life it is that lies before us! You are
twenty-one, and I am twenty-five.
Perhaps fifty or sixty years Of 1t. And
oh, how slowly the hands move round
the clock! Oh, how slowly the sun goes
down"
Lilly, you have no right to assume
that things will go on just as they are
doing at present"
"No; they may be worse. kath-
crime, is it right that girls should be
treated so? We are born with the
same desire for happiness as other
girls. We could enjoy, like them, beau
tiful things and lives of ease. And oh!
look at us. There is not a single lady
in this great town who invites either
Of us to her house; there is no chance
of meeting a gentleman, unless it is the
kind of gentleman who speaks to girls
in the street. Happiness! What does
it mean? We do not know what it
means. We are sentenced"