The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-02-24
A SPRING BLIND.

ITO tall you tho truth, old fellow, ]
never understood why with your capacity
for domestic enjoyment you remained sn
7ld baoheloe. Early disappointment In
lover" -. =: e.
81 vowed to marry her or not at all, ani
the''-
Just at that moment the spring rollsr
blind Of q house that faced directly on thu
Gidewalk few up with sudden "Br-r-r"
and a Gnsp. Both the men looked around,
and both were Just In time to catch aIght
Of . remarkably pretty girls face with
pout Of vexation on 1t. The blind had
evidently slipped out of her fingers and
rolled itself up when 1t was not asked "a
"Who Is that girlH" Guthrie asked.
"I'm afraid I don't know her, old tel-
low" said Bean. "She's q very pretty
sirl, should gay. Well ask my wife
when vVe get home Now 60 ON with your
secret"
"You haven't any idea who lives in ths'
house, have youP'
mo, I haven't Oh, by the way, /
think do knowi Unless I'm mistaken,
that's old Calthorpe's place. He's fel-
low commuter Of mine, and that's about
the full extent Of our acquaintance. But
she isn't tho young lady Of your secret, u
ahe9' :
"That's just IT," SAID JEFF, with pus:
sled expression. "Shs can't be, and ysa
thst face for the moment looked
"Like herr. Washer name Calthorps|
"No; her name was Sargent"
"How long ago WAS it'"
"Seven years.
well, che Of the few things happen 10
know about old Calthorpe," said Bean,
laughing, "is that he comes from Rhodo
Island. So''-
"Oh, no, mol" Guthrie interrupted
"IHiss Sargent 10 dead, old fellow"
Tho swo walked on in silence for some
time. .......
1T isn't . long story" Guthrie present.
" continued. ''She taught school there
In that fAraway little village among tho
hills and the minsR was interested In
her from the first and tried to win my
WHY into some sort Of acquaintance with
hsr. Bub she seemed disinclined to any
thing Hko society" 49,.
"You didn't stay there more than ysaf
alogethar, did youi' Bean asked. =
"Much less than q year. I never ex"
changed moro than six words with her In
siN the tirne We were both in that village
Don't laugh at me, Maurice. You didn' =
suspect rne Of baing 30 romantic, did your
She died. I" -
"Thersi" -.. .-....
"Yea, thsrs. Somehow the sadness Of
10 struck deeply into me, and now-thi0
girl''-
lis this sirl very much like Miss sar-
sentp" ~, ...
$50 much like that 1t wouldn't be re-
n,arkabls even II they were twin sisters. !"
"Whioh, Of course, Is impossible" said
Bsan. .... -.
"A twin sister 6 hers would be nearly
20 by this time"
"And the young woman at the blind 10
not more than 10, I should judge. II In
curious, though"
Guthrie's visits TO the home Of his mar
Rled friend were all much alike In ono very
pleasant feature-he always romped with
two out Of three children, while the young
aTt-the baby-looked on and orowed and
jrked itseH about snviously.
"Now, what 10 1T" Mrs. Bean asked,
surning to her husband when Allie and
little JEFF had both been finally silsnoodl
under tho bedolothes.
"oh. u isn't my affair. said the hua'
band
"we--I-wantetl to ask II you knew q
Miss Calthorps here, living IN that new
red briok house at the end Of tho oom"
mon. - said Guthrie. ... . ..,
Mn. Bean shook her head. mo MiaD
Calthorps nveG there" she said. ."Mf.
Calthorpe lives there."
"oh," said Isean, Twas that old woman
Calthorpe's Gistea"
"she isn's really old, dea1. Shs1
younger than Mr.. Calthorpe. There's onG
daughter, believe"
But that night Mrs. Bean said to hea
husband: leave mo alone for two days,
md I will know all about your window
blind young lady. Then make jeff Guth"
RE come here and stay overnight"
The next visit Of JEFF Guthrie was plan
uei for Saturday evening, with express
a1anRements for q stay over Sunday.
After church this subtle woman insisted
on lingering about the porch until . gray
haired lady came out, and with her hea
daughter, the girl who had poutsd At tht
window blind .
"Mra. Perry. let mo introduce our par
tioular friend, Mr.. Guthrie, and THU d
Miss Perry"
Nothing could havS been more proporly
conventional than this Introduction, and
that was why Guthrie was 20 angry With
himself for turning red and becoming
confused. Mn. Bean had, unknown b
Guthrie, expressly invited these two ladies
to dinner beforehand.
"Tell me, have ycu any relAtive-had
you, lhould aay-of the name OF sa-
CENT?"
The girls face changed In 2 moment
She wan pale and bit her lip.
"Oh, Mr. Guthrie" she said, "you
must ask mother thatI I don't know
about H. was only little girl OF 10
when poor Margaret loft N and married
that
She checked herself; then, after an ON
barrassinG pause, went on, lowering hsa
voice to q whisper ard glancing round at
her mother: ibid you know her--himr
II onoO knsw . Miss Sargent-vsFy
slIghtly."
"Wherep"
I'm Pennsylvania, at Brinkvills."
"Oh, yesi BE treated her 80 badly, AT
Or all She had to 60 somewhere and b
teachar. Mother would have forgiven ev'
erything, but Margaret was too proud 70
come back to US She went and called
herself miss, I suppose. We only heard
that she hsd died in Pennsylvania-noth-
ing more was sent to school In Cor
many soon afterward."
II understand" said Guthrie, your
mother has had q great deal Of trouble.