Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1914-04-18

had followed her.
Have you anything for me-" he
asked the mailman. Mr.. Hatred
Joyce Gilman"
The mailman looked up with a
start.
Why, hello, Harry" ne cried heart
lily and held out his hand. Il didn't
recognize you. How you have grown "
Mr.. Hatred Joyce Gilman was too
digniiied to vince.
There's scarcely any change in you.
Mr.. Powell" he said with lofty gra-
ciousness. The years treat you very
kindly. indeed"
Getting gray-gray at a rat" And
the mailman jerked off his hat a mo-
ment. Let me see. You asked about
/ a letter. ! got one here, but | hadn't
any idea that Hatred Joyce Gilman
/ could be you
/ The letter he hunted out was a
long, legal envelope 1t bore, printed
| in one corner, the address of the Tene-
| ment House Sunshine league MI
/ Gilman took it with reverence, while
! the deep frown of concentration
creased his brow.
i shall have to ask you to excuse
me- he said briskly to Miss Blanch-
ard. Il have been waiting with some
anxiety for this delayed communica-
ton. 1t is-well-the call of duty"
He glanced at the fat envelope You,
too, will be naturally anxious to see
/ what Uncle Sam has brought you"
Il know beforehand" she said.
These envelopes bring me no sur
prises. They are my only rays of sun
shine"
He smiled sadly and shook his head.
He intended to devote himself solely
and undoubtedly to humanity, and if
he ever married at ar it would be to
some good woman who could aid him
In his settlement work; even then only
II he was convinced that they could
do more together than they could sep
arately.
You must come over often" invited
Miss Blanchard. Il am interested in
your work
Il should be glad indeed if | could
interest you seriously in it," he as
sured her. Il shall consider it my
duty TO do so If ! can"
In the pursuit Of this duty he came
over nearly every day and most of the
evenings. Miss Blanchard did not 20
out much. The fat, square, cream
tinted envelopes kept her at home;
made her refuse many invitations that
she might have been glad to accent
had she been the unsettled, frivolous
girl she used to be when she was
young-say, seventeen or eighteen.
1t was not long until Mr.. Hatred
Joyce Gilman knew all about the en-
velopes. She told him one evening
when the family had gone out and
they were alone on the Blanchard
porch in the moonlight.
Mr.. Gilman" she observed tremu-
lously. 81 may trust you. We have
known each other all our lives. and |
never knew you to betray a confidence.
even when we had our worst spats.
Mr.. Gilman"
You may call me Hatred" he inter
rupted with quite elderly gentleness, |
laying his hand protectingly upon
hers, where it rested upon the arm of
her chair. You have no brother. You
need one"
Thank you, Hatred" she gratefully |
replied. Il am going to confide in
you. Hatred, my parents are bent on |
running my life. / have an attach |
ment, deep and lasting attachment,
and they frown upon it. have never |
met him but twice, but we have cor
responded ever since. At first it was |
only the ordinary boy and girl cor
respondence, of course; but as 1t grew |
it deepened and ripened into some |
thing far too precious for them to I'M
derstand. You, however, are a man of |
the world. You can. perhaps. appre-
ciate how vital an attachment like this
becomes" And she quoted four verses
from the "Rubaiyat" of Omar Khay-
yam to prove it.
Yes, know, know" replied Hal
fred, with dreamy emphasis. Il had
~ASN' "ASh too yOuh6SIy al dlIdCQ-
ment that right have altered the
course of my entire life, but it was
nipped in the bud. She" he choked
up little BIT very uccessfully-"she
proved faithless."
Il am sorry, brother" she said.
turning her hand palm upward to
clasp his strong and supple fingers
with a grip of understanding. II
would not have re-opened your wound
for worlds
1T is nothing" he replied in a hol-
low voice, leaving his hand In hers.
Nothing whatever. The same devo-
ton l would have poured out for her
| now intend to pour out for the weak
and the fallen"
Il am so proud, so proud, of my
brother" she murmured
After that they were no longer Mr.
and Miss Blanchard: thew
were Hatred and Alice, and they were
more together than ever if possible.
They were an ideal couple for mere
brother and sister. They found SO
much to talk about that they scarcely
needed other cOmpanionship. and even
when they were with gay parties they
could always be found by themselves
some place, discussing the piorv oP