Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1910-02-24
kittie'S
Mistake
sy CLUDINE SISSON
Copyright. 1903 by Associated Literary
Press

conveniently arranged. Louise and
her mother used their veranda great
deal, because they were both delicate
women and believed in fresh air.
What they really wanted to do was to
spend their summers at the seashore
or In the mountains, but that, of
course, was impossible. They were
poor as we'll as frail, but with an
amazing courage and buoyancy of
spirits and a quiet determination to
make the best of things. So. since
they lived in town in rather close
quarters during the hot weather, they
had fitted up their veranda. for a few
dollars, and upon it camped out in
spirit, assured they had the best air
that the location afforded.
All the time they worked indefati-
gably- Louise embroidered and her
mother made lace. There was an in
creasing demand for their work and,
fortunately, they both had excellent
nerves and eyesight. They earned
enough to keep them in comfort and
also to lay aside a bit for that inev-
table rainy day of which they had al
ready had some experience.
During the day they did their most
difficult work. The easier work was
done at night In the light of candles.
They used candles because they were
cheap and because, to, they had an
old-fashioned aversion for modern
ways of veranda lighting. They made
an unusual and strikingly serene and
graceful picture on a dark night, sit
ting behind the vines working while
the candles made a delicate radiance
round them. They were both small
women and much alike, even though
one was young and the other elderly.
Their faces were of that delicate
plainness which is far more attractive
than mere coarse prettiness. Their
real beauty was their eyes-blue eyes,
perfectly lidded and dashed. Yet many
looked at them, wondering what made
their faces so pleasant, without once
thinking about their eyes, which were
as unobtrusively charming as their
voices and manners.
They had lived in Westmore about
four years. yet they had so little to say
about themselves that people knew
very little concerning them. They
kept their heart affairs, If they had
any, to themselves, and apparently
lived lives of the utmost placidity and
simplicity. Kitty West said that visit
to them acted upon excited nerves
with the soothing effect of a mild mar
cotic-one went away Gained and
cooled and agreeably drowsy.
Louise regarded Kitty West as her
dearest friend. Kitty was a gay girl,
very pretty and popular. Her ac-
quaintance with Louise and her
mother had begun over an order for
some embroidery. Since then Louise
and her mother had constantly been
doing things for Kitty at reduced
prices, for Kitty had wheedling ways
and always planned to make her al
lowance go as far as it could She
made love to Louise and in return
innocent, grateful Louise did for her
her finest work. And no one knew
that Kitty did not pay her as much
as she could. Kitty salved her con-
science by thinking that if Louise was
satisfied with the bargains they made
there should be no cause for discom-
for on her part.
At present Louise was embroidering
a robe for Kitty, while her mother
made some delicate lace for it. Louise
had been at work upon it for a long
time. and now Kitty was hurrying her
to get it doEe, as she wanted it to wear
upon a certain occasion-the Ardens'
party, in fact, which was certain to be
a great affair, since news of 1t had gone
forth so far ahead. Kitty felt exult-
antly that her dress would be the finest
thing there-finer even than anything
Mrs. Holt would wear, and costing
so little, too.
One evening she took George Van
Tross with her when she went to see
how Louise was getting on with the
work. George Van Tross was the man
Kitty meant to marry. He was an at
tractive bachelor, with large means,
and of late he had been paying her
some attention, which was distinctly
encouraging, since he gave very little
time to women's society.
That particular evening It CHANGED
that Louise was alone upon the
veranda, working by the light of her
candles. Her mother had gone to bed
with headache. 1t was a warm night
and she had on little black gown. cut
square at the neck and with short
sleeves. Her fair hair was coiled loosely
at the nape of her neck in a girlish
way. A yellow aura fiared round her
from the candles. She looked like an
Industrious little saint. George Van
Tross sat on the steps and watched her
curiously, while he waited for Kitty.
He had never observed Louise before.
though he had known about her. She
was distinctly out of his sphere. Her
blue eyes, her little vanishing smile
her low voice were opposed to Kitty's
opulent style of young beauty. AS they
went away he said to Kitty:
You have an interesting little friend
there"
Kitty laughed. why, she isn't a
friend exactly in the sense you mean.