The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-04-13
IS ~
/ Il VACABOuD HEROINE
BY ANNIE wAF ~
Ev ANNIE
CHAPTER ri. Is
A Transformation Scene.

O~
morrow, under the first warm kiss
of April, a cloud of odorous blossoms
Such change, such sudden miracle OF
growth is wrought during the next
four days in Belinda. Her cheeks
gain color, her figure roundness; he1
hair, no longer disfgured by the vii
famous plaits, hangs round her neck
In waves of CLASSY chestnut. Her
movements lose their masculine
roughness, her dress grows neat.
Girlish grace, girlish softness, mod
esty-all have come to her. Who
shall unriddle these things?
Belinda is not going to be so IN
fortunately plain, I do believe" Rose
will remark complacently to her
lover. "She has quite made up her
mind to marry Mr.. Jones-quite; and
you see how she brightens up at the
prospect Of riches. I am afraid 1 was
right about that poor thing from the
first, Roger. Belinda has no heart"
Miss Burke accounts for the trans
formation otherwise. "A nature like
Belinda's," says Miss Burke, "can
only develop from one frivolity to an
other. Her childish love of play out
grown, and Belinda takes to-what?
Earnest work, higher culture. recog-
milton of the worlds wants and mis-
cries? No! To muslin, ribbons, and
laces; the livery, the badge of wom-
ans degradation in the social SCALE"
So think these ladies. What does
Roger Temple think?
Roger Temple is in the frame of
mind, reader, when we all of US are
apt to shun self-communion, to keep
the eyes Of the spirit shut. BY nature
the most chivalrously loyal Of men,
Roger is drifting, daily, hourly drift
ing into %disloyalty. He is more at
tentive, more devoted than ever to
Rosie during the hours that he is at
her feet--poor, unconscious Rosie,
perpetually devising toilets for Colo
mel Drewe, who as yet comes not!
But there are a good many hours Of
the day when he Is not at Rosie's
feet. The adorers of mature beauty
are generally debarred from adora-
ton during the forenoon, that sacred.
mysterious time for women to whom
heaven hath given one face and who
manufacture to themselves another.
Till IL o'clock every morning Roger
Is free, and Belinda also. After the
Casino ball at night he is free again;
and then, in the starlight, "Lagrimas"
steals out upon the balcony ESQ fatal
ly near his OWN Of the Maison Loho-
biague!
Miss Burke, absorbed in the WON
an Of the Future" sees nothing.
Rosie ~enwrapped in lavender rib
bons, Spanish combs, and agitated
suspense about that elegant creature
Stanley, suspects nothing. And then,
under the southern sky, in this do
nothing life, the path, no difficult one
in any climate, that leads from fir
tation to friendship, from friendship
to a warm feeling, is so easy. Con-
science? Why, it's too hot in st.
Jean de Luz for such compunctious
~yisitings of nature! The mere act Of
existing is a Lethe; a dream of sap
'phire skies and sapphire sea, of ro-
nance, music, passion-fiowers on a
balcony, and one exquisite girls face
shining from amidst them. Alas,
the pity that to dreams so fattering
sweet comes invariably awakening SO
substantial!
Four glowing nightless days pass
by like one-Miss Burke engaged
philosophically, Rose making futile
millinery preparations for Colonel
Drewe, Roger Temple and Belinda
falling about a. desperately in love
with each other as ever two people
fell on this contradictory earth. For
the fifth day Rose has planned an
eight hours excursion into Spain;
Hendaye, Fo%ntarabia, home through
the mountain pass of Behobia by
moonlight. Mr.. Jones is to return
early in the morning from his tour,
and as a matter Of course will accom-
pany them. 1.-TWO pairs of lovers
I heard of anything so ridicu-
lous," says Rosie. With Miss Burke,
notebook in hand, as duenna or fifth
wheel of the coach.
Augustus arrives punctually by the
early morning train from Bayonne,
and with lover-like ardor makes his
way at once under the broiling sun
to the Maison Lohobiague, where Be-
linda, already equipped for the days
excursion, meets him just outside the
house. Forgotten Jones during his
absence, she has not; nor her own
quasi encouragement of his suit, hay
ing indeed been pointedly reminded
of both about six times during each
tw~enty-four hours by Rose. But Just
at this present moment, dressed, poor
little girl, in a summer frock and
hat that Spencer has condescendingly
made up for her, a flower in her waist
belt the sunshine that human lives
know once in it's EXTREMIST bright.
ness shining from every feature of her
face-at this particular moment,
say, the sudden apparition of Angus
tus, more blistered than ever after
his journey, more mosquito bitten,
more amative, comes upon Belinda
with all the cold chill of an unex.
pected misfortune. She changes color
painfully, does not offer to take his