The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-04-11
CHAPTER III.
Continued.

"Then, Miss Beatrice" said the en-
.%broideress, "it means that l must work
day and highland never stop"
Miss Beatrice sighed, and went on
her way. She stopped next before the
elderly and gaunt-looking person who
sat on the other side of the fire.
"Are you better this evening, MISS
Stidolph?" she asked. =.
mo, 1 am worse"
"Was there the opening you expect
ed?"
mo. there was not. There never is
for age. 1t is a sin now to grow old"
ooh, no! But people do like their
children to be taught by young and
iight-hearted women. AS we grow old
er we lose some of our light-hearted-
ness. do we not? And some of our
pleasant looks, perhaps"
II never had any pleasant looks, or
any lightness of heart" said Miss
Stidolph, with a little laugh. Life
has always been q burden to me. Don't
waste time on me, Miss Beatrice. Per-
haps something will turn up in the lit
erary way. We heard at the Museum
yesterday that there was work got
BY some of the ladies there, and peo-
pie are all come back to town."
Eyes; and your TRANSACTIONS are
known to be so correct, Miss Sti-
dolph. Oh, I am sure you will get
some work now. And you have got
well through the dead season, haven't
you"
When Miss Beatrice left her, the
gaunt, hard-featured lady lay back in
her chair, with something like a smile
upon her face. Consolation often
takes the form of subtle and crafty
f1attery. Miss Beatrice knew that if
there was one subject which more than
another afforded qualification to Miss
Stidolph, it was the excellence of her
translations. Other tra%nslators made
blunders in grammar and mistakes in
idiom. Miss Stidolph was always cor
rect.
Then Miss Beatrice went to q girl
who lay upon the sofa, stretched su-
pine, careless of what went OH around
her, sick to death of monotonous labor
and a dull and dreary life. She bent
over her and patted. her cheeks n
whispered things soothing and soft to
her, and kissed her forehead, 20 that
the girl sat up and smoothed her hair
and moved away to the table, where
she took up a book and began to read.
And all this time Miss Augusta, with
sympathetic emphasis, played her Men,
delSohn.
What with the music and the gentle
words the girls began to throw of
their tiredness and to brighten up, and
some of them even went so far as to
talk chiffons, which is a sure and GER
tain sign Of recovery.
Lastly, the daughter Of consolation
came to Katherine and the girl who
sat beside her holding her hand.
Lilly, my DEAR" she said to the lat
ter, "have you heard Of anything"
Lily shook her head. 81 have heard
OF q great many things" she said,
drearily, land 1 have been tramping
about after them. To-day it was a
photographers. He wanted a girl to
sell his things, and he offered fifteen
shillings a week-which wasn't so bad.
But the man" she shuddered.
''There was degradation eve in talk
ing to such a man! There was a man
who wanted q girl to search newspa-
pers for something in the Museum; but
that place was snapped up long before
I had time to apply for it. Work is
like the pool, you know, that could only
cure n person at a time"
Patience, dear"
IT had no money for omnibuses, so l
had to walk all the way. Yes, Miss
Beatrice, I am already as patient as
the most exacting preacher can desire"
She hardly looked it with those eyes
that flashed fire at the remembrance
of the photographer and the fingers
that pulled the ribbon. Patient? Yes,
I I'm as patient as q man in the hands
of the Inquisition. / am on the rack,
and I smile, you see." But she did not
smile. would you like to hear an
other days experience? Yesterday l
heard of two places right away in the
north of London. One was q place in
a school. The lady principal received
me frigidly and heard what l had to
say, and told me if the references were
satisfactory I should receive twelve
pounds a year for my mornings. Isn't
1t wonderful? Twelve pounds a year!
Four shillings and eightpence a week!
Allowing for holidays, five shillings a
week"
"Ohw said Miss Beatrice. ut is really
terrible!p'
"She said that I had left my after.
moons and evenings, so that 1 could
easily double my money. asked her
if she thought a woman could live on
ten shillings a week, and she replied
that she paid according to the market
value. Well, then 1 tried the other
place. 1t was a Diapers shop. The
man, who is q bully, wants a cashier.
She is to work from 8 in the morning
till $50 at night, and is to have seven
shillings and sixpence a week. So l
left him without saying anything. He
is a deacon of his chapel, and the chief
support Of the pastor, I was told.
Dives was a draper who paid his cash
Ter even sbillingB and sixpence u
week."
MY dear, you are greatly tried. But
have patience still. With those who