Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1913-08-16
three. she and Bernice having been

three, she ana Bernlco having pe0n
the offspring Of Danny VERSIONS sec
ond alliance with woman OF roman
tic tendencies, which had no way OF |
expressing themselves except in the |
naming Of her children. Hazel, willie |
vet I'm her teens, had married clerk
in a tewelry store, called Josh McCrae.
1t had been a happy marriage. After
the birth Of a daughter, Hazel had re-
turned to her work as saleslady In
fashionable millinery. Both sisters.
Josh. and the child, had continued to
live together in domestic harmony, In
the house which Hannah, with the
savings Of a quarter Of century, had
finally cleared Of all mortgages and
now owned. No household could
have been more simply decent and
honest: no family more unaspiringly
| content. In such an environment Ber-
nice. with her daring ambitions and
bold unscrupulousness, was like that
unaccounted-for blossom which In the
floral world Is known as a sport"
But It did not appear that she re-
garded herself as such. With the ex-
ception of a year spent in Los An
geles and Chicago she had been a
member of the household from her
childhood till the day of her marriage.
The year of absence had been the re-
suit of a sudden revolt against the
monotony of life and surroundings, an
upwelling Of the restless ambitions
that preyed upon her. A good position
had been offered her in Los Angeles
and she had accepted 1t with eager
ness, thankful for the opportunity to
see the world, and break away. so she
said. from the tameness of her sftua-
ton. the narrowness Of her circle.
The spirit OF adventure carried her
farther afield, and she penetrated as
far across the continent as Chicago,
where she was employed in one Of the
most prosperous business houses, earn
ing a large salary. But, like many
Californians, inconsistencies seized her.
; and before the year was out she was
back. inveighing against the eastern
manners, character, and climate, and
glad to shake down again into the
family nest. Her sisters were salts
UGQ Wllu ItI dCCOunl VI hCi
ings, not knowing that Bernice was as
much Of an adept at telling half
story as she was at taking down
dictation in typewriting. She was toe
clever to be found out in a lie; they
, were altogether too simple to suspect
her apparent frankness.
After the excursion she remained al
| uor nQlGnr
!, with Dominick was conducted witt
the utmost secrecy. Her sisters haC
not a suspicion Of It. knew nothing
but that the young man was attentive
= to her, till she told them OF her ap
preaching marriage. This took place
in the parlor of Hannah's house. ant
. the amazed sisters, bewildered by Bel
!, ny's glories, had waited to see ne
:. burst into the inner glories OF fashion
:. and wealth with tiara Of diamond
a on her head and ropes Of pearls abou
her throat. That no tiara was forth
y coming, no pearls graced her orlda
parure. and no Ryan ever crossed tn
= threshold of her door, seemed to tn
n loyal Hannah and Hazel the mos
. unmerited and inexplicable injusdc
~ that had ever come within their e.
le perience.
n It took Bernice some time to dres
a. for she attached the greatest impo
n lance to all matters of personal sdorl
ID ment, and the lunch hour was at nan
r. when she alighted from the Hyd
m Street car and walked toward III
~ house. 1t was on one Of those stree
NJ which cross Hyde near the slope
~ Russian Hill, and are devoted to II
no habitats of small, thrifty householder
st A staring, bright cleanliness is II
I'd prevailing characteristic of the neig
II borhood, the cement sidewalks alwa!
n. swept, the houses standing back
nd tiny squares of garden. clipped al
w. trimmed to a precise shortness
nd grass and straightness Of border. II
re sun was now broadly out and Il