The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1914-05-14


those honest, guiltless eyes Of"
| She shook her head sadly. ITO an
swer you l would have to reveal the
secret that makes it impossible for
her to become your wife, and that
cannot, will not do"
rs it fair to me?"
perhaps not, but it IS fair to her,
and that is why must remain silent"
Before God, shall know the truth
from her, if not from you-and-"
"If you love her, if you will be kind
to her, you will let her go her way
in peace"
He was struck by the somewhat sin
lister earnestness Of her words.
''Tell me where may find her, he
said, setting his jaw.
1T will not be difficult for you to
find her." she said, frowning, "if you
insist on pursuing her"
"You drive her away from your
house, Sara Wrandall, and yet you ex-
pect me to believe that your motives
are friendly. Why should 1 accept
your word as fnal?"
81 did not drive her away, nor did
ask her to stay"
He stared hard at her.
Good Lord, what is the meaning
| of all this?" ne cried in perplexity?
What am to understand"
The car had come to a stop under
the porte cochere. She laid her hand
on his arm.
IF you will come in with me, Bran
don, will try to make things clear
to you"
He left in half an hour, walking rap
idly down the drive, his coat buttoned
closely, although the morning was hot
and breathless. He held in his hand
a small scrap Of paper on which was
written: "If loved you less, would
come to you now and lie to you. If
you love me, Brandon, you will let me
go my way. 1t is the only course.
Sara is my friend, and she is yours.
Be guided by her, and believe in my
love for you. Hetty."
|
And now, as things go in fairy sto-
ries, we should prepare ourselves to
see Hetty pass through a season in
drudgery and hardship, with the ulti-
mate quintessence of JOY as the re
ward for her trials and tribUlations.
Happily, this is not a fairy tale. There
are some things more fantastic than
fairy tales, If they are not spoiled in
the telling. Hetty did not go forth
to encounter drudgery, disdain and OBJ
! loquy. BY no manner of means! She
went with well-flled purse, a definite
purpose ahead and a determined fac
tor behind.
In manner BETTING her station as
the intimate friend Of Mrs. Challis
Wrandall, as the cousin Of the Murgat-
royds, as the daughter Of Colonel Cas-
Teton Of the Indian corps, as a per-
son supposed to be possessed of in
dependent means withal, she went,
with none to question, none to cavil.
Sara had insisted on this, as much
for her own sake as for Hetty's; she
argued, and she had prevailed in the
end. What would the world think,
what would their acquaintance think,
and above all what would the high and
mighty Wrandalls think if she went
with meek and low1y mien?
Why should they make it possible
for anyone to look askance?
And SO it was that she departed in
state, with a dozen trunks and boxes;
an obsequiously attended seat in the
parlor car was hers; telegram in
her bag assured her that rooms. were
being reserved for herself and maid
at the Ritz-Carlton; alongside 1t Sc
posed a letter to Mr. Carroll, instruct
| ing him to provide her with sufficient
! funds to carry out the plan agreed
upon; and in the seat behind sat the
lady's maid who had served her for
a twelvemonth and more.
The timely demise of the venerable
Lord Murgatroyd afforded the most
natural excuse for her trip to England.
The old nobleman gave up the ghost,
allowing for difference in time, at the
very moment when Mrs. Redmond
Wrandall was undoing a certain pack
age from London, which turned out
to be a complete history Of what his
forbears had done in the way Of prop
agation since the fourteenth century.
Hetty did not find it easy to accom-
modate her pride to the plan which
was to give her a fresh and rather
imposing start in the world. She was
to have a full year in which to deter
mine whether she should accept toll
and poverty as her lot, or emulate the
symbolic example of Dicky, the canary
bird At the end Of the year, unless
she did as Dicky had done, her source,
of supplies would be automatically cut
off and she would be entirely depend
ent upon her own wits and resources.
IN the interim she was probationary
person Of leisure. 1t had required
hours of persuasion on the part Of
Sara Wrandall to bring her into line
with these arrangements
But am able and willing to work
for my living" had been Hetty's stub
born retort to all the arguments
brought to bear upon her.
Then let me put it in another light.
It is vital to me, of course, that you
should keep up the show of afHuence
| for while at least l think l have
made that clear to you. But here is
another side to the matter; the Ques-
ton Of recompense."
"Recompense?" cried Hetty sharply.
Without your knowing it, l have
virtually held you a prisoner all these