The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-02-16
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4 VACABOND HEROINE
BY ANNIE
CHAPTER v.
Compliments, Not Caresses.

pus resolves, the girl finds it hard to
steel herself against Rosie's future
husband. Never in her whole vaga-
bond, loveless life has such honest
human sunshine shone on her as
shines now in Roger Temples smile
IT don't know about falling in love,
but I am sure Belinda and I mean to
be friends, Rosie" he says, advanc-
ing. do we not, my dear?'
And before she can find time to
put herself on guard, Captain Tenn
pies bronzed mustache has touched
her cheek. 1t is the kind Of salu-
tation that could scarce, by the very
Iciest prude, be stigmatized as a kiss,
and yet it bears a sufficiently marked
family resemblance to n to be un-
pleasant in Rosie's sight.
II really, Roger-Beiinda looks
so r%idiculously younger than she isl"
mot a Bit" cries Roger, and now
he rests his hand kindly on the little
girls shoulder. Belinda is fifteen
years old-you told me, did you not,
that she was fifteen? Well, and she
looks 1t. Don't mind Rosie, Belinda.
Rosie turns rusty at the thought OF
having a grown-up daughter"
II shall be seventeen the week
after next" says Belinda, holding up
her. chin. "I don't know what peo-
pie mean by taking me for a child.
I have certainly seen enough Of the
world and its wickedness to make me
feel DID," she adds, with the accus-
toned hard little rebellious ring in
her voice.
Belinda will look diferent-I
trust Belinda will look totally differ
ent when she is properly dressed
says the widow, glancing down at her
own elegantly flowing draperies. II
must really have a serious talk with
Miss Burke about these short skirts"
"Ah, but Miss Burke is not here to
be talked with, Rosie!" cries Belin-
da, bent, it would seem, on disclosing
every obnoxious truth she can hit
upon. "My natural guide and pro-
tector has been away in Spain a week
or more, collecting facts for her book,
and I am knocking about alone, as
yor SCENE and my dog Costa"
"Alone?" stammers Rosie, shocked
not so much perhaps at the fact it.
self as at having She fact exposed be-
fore Roger. You don't mean &C.
tually alone, my DEAR"
We'll, no; I have my chums, of
course, the fellows who were with
me in the street when you arrived.
Now, Rose" she goes on pitilessly,
"tell the truth-were you or were
you not ashamed when you first saw
ms?"
Il was surprised, Belinda" says
Rose, in her sweetest little feminine
treble. 1T is not usual in England,
you know, to see a girl of seventeen
wearing her dress above her ankles.
And then those fearful-what must
II call them, Belinda?-what do they
call those fearful door-mat things
you have on your feet?"
"They call those fearful things al
pargetas in Spanish, capabilities in
French" answer Belinda, coolly
holding out a ragged sandaled foot
for inspection. IF you played paume
on the hot sand for hours together as
I do, you would be glad to wear es-
padrilles, Rose; yes, or to go bare
foot altogether, as I do oftener than
not"
"Our dear Belinda wants a year or
two Of sound English training" she
remarks, in a tone that to Roger
sounds dove-like, but that Belinda re-
members and %interprets only too we'll.
''That is the worst of continental ed
ucation! One has to sacrifice so
many good solid English qualities for
accomplishments. Still in these days
a girl must be accomplished. A
couple of years in a select English
boarding-school will, I have no doubt,
render Belinda all that our fondest
wishes could DESIRE"
Belinda, on the conclusion of this
little TRADE, looks hard into her step
mothers eyes for a moment or two;
then, shouldering her schistera, she
moves across to the door.
II must be off," turning and be-
slowing a nod full of caustic mean
ing on the lovers. "And unless you
want me to join ONE gang of wan
dering gypsy players, as I have often
thought of doing, you had better not
talk about neutrality-suspicious. any more.
My accomplishments, CAPTAIN Tenn
ple," looking with an air of mock
modesty-"Rose talks of my accom-
plishments, for which the good solid
qualities have been sacrificed I will
tell you what they are, and you shall
say which I am best suited fora
booth in a Basque fair, or a select
English boarding-school! Paume
1laying-'tis the same game, Mr..
Jones tells me, as your English ives
-paumes," checking off each accom-
plishment on her dark, slim fingers
as she proceeds, "bolero dancing, q
tolerable acquaintance with slang il
four languages"
"Belinda!"
ooh! let me finish the list, Rose!
Let me make the best of myself that
I can in Captain Temples eyes. b.
lero-dancing. slang, paume-of each
q little Knowledge learnt Dracti-