Year: 1869





Mabel Clarendon and Julia Montgomery
had been friends from early childhood. They
were each only daughters of wealthy PARENTS;
but the great financial crisis of ten years ago
had reduced them to comparative poverty and
had left both orphans From the wreck of
their fortunes each secured a trAo and in
their trouble, being drawn closer together
than ever, they vowed eternal friendship,
called each other sister, put their scanty
fortunes into one common purse, and found
tlat with great economy aud the proper
management of the talents which Heaven had
given them, they could escape the grasp Of
poverty.


Mabel's speciality was music-to which ac-
complshmcnt she added drawing and French
Julia's chief accomplishments were tho
rough knowledge Of German aud Italian,
and the art of making wax flowers of deli
cacy and beauty such as was absolutely mar
velous.


These gentlewomen did no, lack pupils it
was a very fine thing for scores of compara-
lively rich women to boast that their daugh-
tiers were being finished in the matter of edu-
cation by the once rich, fashionable, and
well-known Miss Clarendon and Miss Mont
gomery.


After three years OF industry aud economy,
these young ladies felt that they could afford
to make each other gift of the whole sum-
mer time and enjoy it in their own way. This
female Damon and Pythias took up their
abode in pretty cottage, close by the sea +;
and there, with the assistance of little
French maid who had clung to Julia through
all the change of fortune, they dwelt in the
most charming manner.


The first two months Of this delightful re-
tirement passed as pleasantly as life in fairy
tale. But one day in the first week of July
the wicked genius of the fairy stories found
out this little paradise. His name was Victor
Lansing, and he was handsome as an Apollo.


But Julia and Mabel were heart.free. In
their days Of wealth and fashion they had
merely danced and hirted with their male
friends, like others Of their class aud since
then opportunity had never tempted either of
them to lose their hearts Now it was diff
feront ; they were unemployed, and chance
acquaintance soon deepened into something
more serious.


Julia gave up her whole mind to the ad-
miraton Of Victor Lansing's wonderful blonde
beauty rendered still more remarkable by the
palor of recent illness and she discovered
that blue eyes in man were even more at
tractiye than in a woman. In short, she loved
for the first aud only time in her life.


With Mabel, admiration and kindly regard
were at first the only feelings she entertained
for her new friend aud she occupied more
the position of quiet looker-on than an ac-
tive party in the trio.


As for Mr.. Lansing, it he had any decided
preference at first, it appeared to be for Miss
Montgomery. julia was Il woman TO capti-
vate mans fancy, and to engage his pro-
founder attention, and fix it too and for
the first time, she exerted herself to win
mans heart. Perhaps if she had cxorted
herself less, her success had been greater al
though the object Of her attentions often
questioned himself, seriously, as to whether
she had aot conquered. That he found Julia
fascinating and almost irresistible, he could
not deny although he thought Mabel the
more beautiful of the two. Often he smiled
to himself to think that he could not, on
wager, have decided with which Of the two
he was in love- if with either


"Nonsense ~ he declared to himself at
last. 81 love neither of these lovely women,
or else by this time should have found out
which it was. I've had enough of sea-bath-
ing and solitude ! shall 60 home"


But that evening, when Lansing called to
bid his friends adieu, he suddenly discovered
Mabel to be unusually brilliant in CONVERSE
ton so that he forget the object of his visit,
and thought no more Of going home for sew
eral weeks.


" Certainly, love Mabel Clarendon" he
thought, as he walked slowly and meditatiye-
ly toward the little country inn where he was
staying. She's the most beautiful girl
ever saw and quite as accomplished and
brilliant as Miss Montgomery more modest,
too, for she never makes any display of her
accomplishments Not that Julia does 30,
either, She has too much taste but she
contrives perfectly to make one feel what
superior creature she is"


After Victor had left them, Julia took up
her candle and left the room without word
She did not know that she had neglected to
say " goodnight" mind was too tho
roughly pre-occupied. The first pang OF
jealousy had torn her heart when she per-
ceiyed Lansings devotion to her friend, and
the storm thus raised within her breast had
frightened her She dared not understand
her own feelings, and she resolutey forbade
herself to think Of Mabel at all in connec-
tion with them that was why she forgot
her. Alone, in the silence Of her own room,
she placed both hands over her throbbing,
tortured heart but all her efforts could not
repress the groan that burst from her lips.


If Victor Lansing does not love me"
she thought " shall die. Well, il must
die, shall try to die qu,etly and show no
sign"


Mechanically she prepared for bed, put out
the light, and closed her heavy eyelids /; but
all that night she never slept for one instant.


Next morning, at the breakfast-tablo, Mabel