The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1908-05-22

Cd al ner IN uncOntrollable surprise.
"She hushed. and murmured half
proudly:
~ don't live on Beacon Hill, you
see. l am only a working-girl, Mr..
Merrill
she a working girl!-that incarna-
ton Of beauty, grace and talent! The
ground seemed to reel beneath my
feet. / stared at her, almost offensive
ly. | know, in my great surprise, for
she drew herself up proudly, and said,
in stiff little voice:
I ought to have told you all about
myself before, but / did not think it
was anyone's business unless-unless
they were particularly interested in
me-and you-you have been very
friendly'-she blushed warmly here
so / viii be frank with you, and then
-then-you can call or not, as you
please, when you return to the city,
she told me then that she was an
orphan. Poor little girl, only seven
teen and an orphan! She lived with
widowed aunt at the address she had
given mn. But they were poor, and
Lila, dainty, beautiful Lila, with her
refined manners and elegant bearing,
worked in a store-sold gloves and ev-
en- tried them on mincing fine ladies
at the glove counter.
And on Sundays | sing at the ca
thedral, and get as much for my con-
tralto in the choir, for one single day,
as do for my whole week in the great
Boston store she added, with a lit
tie air of pride. Indeed, only for the
singing / never could have saved mon
ey to come to the mountains and rest.
1t is very tiresome at a glove counter
you know. Ones side gets to aching
so badly from leaning over and trying
on peoples gloves.
"She said it with a proud, sweet
air, like a princess, and if l had not
been fool and a coward, / should
have taken her in my arms and told
her that her weary, toilsome days
were over and that she must soon be
my bride. But I was Mortified; my
| pride rose in arms"
Yes" the major said, dreamily,
| through his cigar smoke.
I'VE parted in mutual constraint, Ii
la wounded and very quiet. 1 saying
simply that l would call on her when
/ passed through Boston On my way
South l do not think even then she
believed me, for she was very proud,
very quiet. saw her sweet lips
trembling when she tried to smile a
gay goodbye
And you have never seen her
since?"
"Oh, yes, for I came through the
city and stayed two weeks. But did
not call on Lila A struggle was go
ing on in my mind between love and
| pride. How could l, the proud, arts
tocratic Claude Merrill, take for my
bride little salesgirl from e glove
counter? My proud relations would
have disowned me. Ny dead ancest-
ers would have turned in their graves.
SO you came away?"
Yes, after two weeks. during which
I saw her daily, myself unseen. 1 was
at the cathedral when she sang. ]
was at the grand emporium where she
sold gloves. saw how sad and pale
i the lovely face had grown. heard the
accents Of despair in her sweet young
| voice. NY heart was breaking. too
but I could not relent from my cruel
pride. I came away at last, and made
no sign"
Poor Lila!" murmured the major.
4 wonder if could find her in Bos-
ton now"
No; I wrote there years ago in a
quiet way. Her aunt was dead. Lila
had left the city. No one knew where
-she had gone"
And that is the end of her little
story of love and sorrow. Poor Lila!'
and the majors head dropped on his
breast.
There was a strange smile on
Claude Merrill's face.
Now let me tell you about my call
on the Senator" he said.
rs there anything more? You have
already said you would get the place
under the Government
Not much more. But it was a
grand success, was it not? Major
Graves, you know that many a poor
devil has hung about the lobby of the
Capitol for years, and never got any
thing half so good as this for his
pains. though he lay in the very dust
at the Congressmen's feet. Well, you
know my influence must have been
strong"
'sVery-but how was it?F
"They were in the very thick of the
+ praDd entertainment when 7 sent ",