The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-09-22

virtue OF the ladies who We're not eX>
PEELED, but 1t was generally conceded
that the real c0stss blk was political.
SIS this q dashed Puritan meeHng?'
had asked the Colenel, savagely.
"It's no Pike county shtndig," !" hag|
responded the floor manager, cheer
fully. "You'Ie . Yankp had scream
ed the Cononel, profanely, qualify.
ing the noun. sect! you, bord 81
ruffian," was the reply. Such at least
was the substance Of the reports. As,
at that sincere epoch, expressions like
the above were usually followed by
prompt action, afracas was eonddent-
ly looked for. lsH y,la . = hS-ssad :! r..
Nothing, however, occurred. Colon.
ell Starbottle made his appearances
next day upon the streets with some
what Of his usual pomposity, q little
restrained by the presence of his neph-
ew, who accompanied him, and who,
as a universal favorite, also exercise
some restraint upon the curious and
impertinent. But Culpepper's : face
wore look OF anxiety quite at yari-
ance with his usual grave repose.
1.-THE Don don't seem to take the old
mans setback kindly" observed the
sympathising blacksmith. % "Perhaps
he was sweet on Dolores himself, -
suggested the skephcal expressman.
1t was q bright morning, a week
after this occurrence, that Miss 10
Folinsbee stepped from her garden in-
to the road. This time the latch did
not click as she cautiously closed the
gate behind her. After "a moments
irresolution, which would have been
awkward but that It was charmingly
employed, after the manner of her
| sex, In adjusting bow undersa dim
pied but rather prominent chin, and
ofpulling down the fingers Of a neatly
fitting glove, she nipped toward the
passing teamster drove his mules into
the wayside ditch and mperilled his
load, to keep the dust from her spot
less garments; small wonder that the
"ightning express" withheld its
speed and dash to let her pass, and
that the expressman, who had never
been known to exchange more than
rapid monosylables with his fellow
man, gazed after her with breathless
admiration. For she was certainly
attractive. In a country where the
ornamental sex followed the example
of youthful Nature, and were prone to
overdress and glaring efflorescence,
Miss JOS simple and tasteful raiment
added much to the physical charm OF,
If 1t did not actually suggest senti-
ment to, her presence. 1t is said that
Euchredeck Billy, work ing in the
gulch at the crossing, never saw Miss
Folinsbee pass but that he always re-
marked apologetically to his partner
that che believed he,mIst write a let
ter home" Even Bill Masters, who
saw her in Paris presented to the ia
vorable criticism of that most fastidi-
Gus man, the late Emperor, said that
she was stunning, but big discount
on what she was at Madrono Hollow.
It was still early morning, but the
sun, with California extravaganza, had
already began to beat hotly on the
little chip hat and blue ribbons, and
Miss 10 was obliged to seek the shade
of q by-path. Here she received the
timid advances Of a vagabOf}d yellow
dog graciously, until, emboldened by
his success, he insisted upon accom-
panying her. and, becoming slobber-
ingly demonstrative, threatened her
spotless skirt with his dusty paws,
when she drove him from her with
some slight accerblty, and q stone
which baply fell within fifty feet of
its destined mark. Having thus prov
ed her ability to defend herself, with
a characteristic Inconsistency she took
a small panic, and gathering her
white skirts in one hand, and holding
the brim of her hat with the other,
she ran swiftly at least one hundred
yards before she stopped. Then she
began picking some ferns and o few
wild flowers still spared to the with
cred fields, and then q sudden distrust
of her small ankles seized her, and
she inspected them narrowly for those
burrs and bugs and snakes which are
supposed to lie in wait for helpless wO-
manhood. Then she plucked some
golden heads of wild oats, and with
sudden Inspiration placed them In her
black hair, and then came quite un-
consciously upon the trail leading to
Madrono Hollow.
Here she hesitated. Before her ran
I the little trail, vanishing at last into
the bosky depths below. The sun
was very hot. She must be very far
from home. Why should she not rest
awhile under the shade Of q Madrono?
She answered these questions by
going there at once. After thorough
" exploring the grove, and satisfying
herself that 1t contained no other liv-
ing human creature, she sat down un.
der one of the largest trees, with q
satisfactory little sigh. Miss 10 loved
the madrono. 1t was oleanly tree
no dust ever lay upon its vanished
I leaves; its immaculate shade never
was known to harbor grub or insect,
She looked up at the rosy arms in
terlocked and arched above her head.
She locked down at the delicate ferns
and cryptograms at her feet. Some
thing differed at the root of the tree.
She picked 1t up. 1t was o bracelet.
She examined it carefully for cipher
or inscription; there was none. She
could not resist a natural desire to
clasp It on her arm, and to survey it
from that advantageous viewpoint.
This absorbed her attention for some
moments, and when she looked up
again she beheld at distance Cui-
pepper Starbottle.
He was standing where he had halt.
ed, with instructive delicacy, on first
discovering her. Indeed, he bad even
deliberated whether he ought not 10
90 Away without disturbing her. But
some fascination held him to the spot.
| Wonderful power of humanity Far
beyond jutted an outlying spur of
the Sierra, vast, contract, and silent.
Scarcely a hundred yards away a
leaguelong chasm dropped its sheer
walls of granite thousand feet. On
every side rose up the serried ranks
of pine trees, in whose close-set files
centuries of storm and change had
wrought no breach. Yet all this
seemed to Culpepper to have been
planned by an all-wise Providence as
the natural background to the figure
of pretty girl in a yellow dress.
/ Although Miss 10 had confidently
expected to meet Culpepper some
where in her ramble, now that he
came upon her suddenly she felt dis
appointed and embarrassed. His man
ner, too, was more than usually grave
and serious, and more than ever SEEM
ed to Jar upon that audacious leyity
which was this giddy girls power and
security In O society where all feeling
/ was dangerous. AS he approached
her she rose to her feet, but almos,