The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-03-20
A Letter Writers
BIunder.

BY JAMES c. HIlLWElL.

n the Slttlng-rOom who wishes to see
you. What shall you do? Of course,
know that you are not presentable;
low could you be, while engaged in
Washing windows? But he seems so
anxious to see you, I could not say
DO. There! I've dropped his card
somewhere. Well, no matter. But
+ you will, Dolly-just step in and
bpeak to him"
Aunt Jane paused to take breath.
There was a timid quaver, a half de-
PREDATORY tone in her voice, too, as
khough she knew that she was asking
great deal, but had still resolved
10 do her duty courageously.
The room at whose open door she
was standing-the best in the old
fashioned farmhouse nesting among
he Pontiac Hills-looked at present
hs though no power could set it
straight again. 1t was so provoking!
Her pretty niece, Dolly Thorpe, from
The metropolis, had come to spend
khe summer with Aunt Jane; and
hardly was she comfortably settled
when a telegram had arrived from
polly's father requesting Aunt Jane
TO receive, for a few weeks, a par
ticular friend of his own, who wished
TO try the effect of the fresh air
,hpon a somewhat delicate constitu-
lion.
The telegram had been received the
hay previous, and, just at that par
ficular juncture, Aunt James n SER
Fant had given notice, and taken her
departure. There was no help for
It. The work must be done somehow,
hnd the best room put in readiness
For the expected guest.
Dolly Thorpe was standing upon a
ftepladder in the CHEEKY apartment
known as "the spare ROOM" busily
Engaged in cleaning the windows.
She vas a pretty girl, with roguish
brown eyes, and a mass of curly
black hair. She had been interrupt
bd in her work several times already
that morning, and this last summons
seemed the n drop too much for
her overfowing cup of vexations.
Each demand upon her time and
patience Dolly had met and faced
bravely, for Aunt Jane was just re-
towering from 4 serious illness, and
WAS hardly able to get about the
house. Tomorrow the e servant
would come, and Dolly would be
freed from her arduous duties.
In the meantime the expected
whose name her father had
mot taken the trouble to mention,
being simply referred to in Mr..
FThorpe's telegram as "a friend Of
|mine"-they knew not whether the
Expected guest was male or female
WAS liable at any moment to drop
I'm upon them.
All this time Dolly had been stand
ing upon the s%tepladder, gaping down
into Aunt James appealing face, with
dismay upon her own, and a
piece Of chamois in her, hand. She
wore a blue calico gown, tied up
above a pair of little feet in not alto
irreproachable slippers; a
pink cap surmounted her curly head.
Yet she was simply charming,
thought Aunt Jane.
"Just step down a minute, dear"
pleaded that individual, meekly.
Sitting an inward groan, Dolly
turned round, but catching the skirt
of her gown upon the ladder as she
did so, she was left for a brief space
suspended like Mahomet's coffin. The
bucket of soapsuds upon the top of
the stepladder grew uneasy, and
came down to see what was the mat
ter; and the scene that followed can
be better imagined than described.
In the midst of the excitement,
while Dolly was struggling with the
refractory stepladder, which had sud-
denly collapsed, converting the bare
floor into a miniature lake, in which,
to use her own expression, she was
"getting along swimmingly," a tall
form appeared in the open doorway,
a pair u merry gray eyes took ir the
scene, and a musical voice, struggling
hard to stifle a burst of laughter,
asked sweetly:
"Can 1 be Of any assistance?
Why" in mock establishment, IF it
isn't Dolly Thorpe"
"Jack!" with a shrill little Shrek
of dismay. Eyes, it is I. How dc
you like my get-up? Aunt James
servant has taken French leave;
somebody had to do this"
WAS it really necessary that all
this should be done?" asked Jack
Bentley, with lurking mischief in his
voice.
Dolly fared up in an instant. How
dare he laugh at her?
"You know what I mean. JUS
lift that side of the stepladder, Jack
and be quiet. There! Thanks aw,
fully. I shall get out of it somehow
I feel like the immortal youth wht
stood on the burning deck jack
suddenly emerging from the genera
confusion, and holding out two white
hands in greeting, her bright eye
shining like stars, I'm so glad to SCI
you. Did you drop down from tn
skies? What brought you here?"
"Well, that is good" suppressin|
a whistle. Il was so sure you woult
be glad to see me that l didn't stol
to invent any excuse for coming. Blu
I refuse to have anything to say t
until you have made yoursel
presentable. Go and put on a DIR,
tress!"
"But," she inquired, ruefully, "wh
fs to finish the room? 1t is a poin