New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-09-20

leather curtains and rafting doors, rolled
up to the tavern behind two gsunt, mud.
splashed horses. The driver, gnarly Jim
Dallaby. who had whipped more meE and
been whipped oftener than any other being
known to Somcrville. leaped 70 the ground
and made straight for the barroom. Old
Sol opened the finger stained door Of the
stage, and bowed Obsequiousiy 20 the only
passenger. He was a tall, well dressed.
handsome youth Of nineteen or twenty.
whom John Raddle a: once recognized as
a ''high.tOne gentleman"
"Mcrnin'. stranger" he said. making
such rude reverence as born Cracker
owed to sciop Of planterdom. "Hev
room. stranger!'
Eyes. think may as we'll take room"
answered the youngster. after moment Of
meditation. IL think had better stay over
night with you"
BEST room in the house. stranger" de-
ciared old John. 'Allays keep it for your
style. Yere. Sol. take the gentleman's
thing is all right up thar. An Sol, cali Luce
to see eff everything is straigh. thar-tor
by! you won't KNOW"
Followed by the guest the negro limped
up stairs with the trunk. dropped it in the
best front chamber, and shutfied away to
summon Luce. But he had hardly reached
the top Of the stairway ere he met the
girl ascending. hurried up by the impatient
John Raddle.
Luce, or Lucy, the only daughter Of Old
John. was his trusted housekeeper, the ''oid
woman being sickly and the ''niggers' stu.
pid. Eighteen, well grown, and prettily
shaped, with features that were well
enough; rosy cheeks and merry blue eyes.
she was what people call tempting piece
of flesh and blood. That was just Luce.
There was nothing spiritual o. intellectual
81 - Al. L.
charm which we think OF when We say
'.lady." but. as flesh and blood, she was an
attractive spectacle. Her checkered home
spun frock, cut in the simple fashion of
'.baby waist" showed her firm, full figure
to advantage. There was little tmidity
and more awkwardness in ner manner as
she entered No. ]. She was not afraid Of
being left alone with this young gentleman,
but she was slightly anxious as to what he
might think of her appearance. and she felt
i'll at ease because of his ''stOre clOes," go
much grander than homespun.
While she straighe ned the coarse brown
counterpart and prOpped rickety table
against the whitewashed wall. and look to
sec if the floor had been swept since the
exodus of the last lodger, she glanced two
or three times at the stranger. and thought
that he was mighty hansum." So he was.
A tine. tall, slender shape; a dark, aquiline,
eplIllcu huu SCS kIdCiOuS ldCCs 0UOuudut
long black hair curling over his coat collar:
on the whole first claes. ''high.tone'
Southern type. She stood at the window,
seeming in state of abstraction, and Luce
did not know that he had surveyed her
carefully by stealth.
Turning from her work to leave the room
she was puzzled, rather than startled, to
find that he had closed the door and was
advancing toward her. A little sparkle of
;p;, lopoal in
while he took both her hands in his; but
she was not scared, nor was there even
much of thrill in her veins as she thought,
"Js he going to kiss metz
Yes. he was going to kiss her: he was
bending graciously for that very purpose:
he was putting his courtly face close to her
rustic one. Luce had often been kissed;
for manners were pastorally free in Somer.
vile. and forfeit games were current among
the young people, not to mention that she
had had beau or two. She Uttered and
turned away her head until one cheek
touched her shoulder. but in the same
agreeable moment the other cheek felt the
touch OF his lips.
"You dear, good little beauty ~ he muir
INJURED. in a tone which was tell OF gratitude
and SO of tlatteIy.
There was still a smile on her lips when
she stole look at him: but her eyes had
tender surprise. OF all the men--or boys,
had hitherto been thus bold
with her, not one had uttered such sweet
words. They were priceless; they seemed
not only to pay his debt. but to make her
profoundly his debtor: and when she faced
him she meant that he should kiss her lips
if he wished. He did so, and whispered
other enhancing. words in her bewitched
ear; then with his hand on her waist. he led |
her n fhQ door and OpaOaI ~ far bav u.I
Luce known what princess was, she |
would have felt that she WAS one, ana that |
she had found the true prince.
How she eagerly longed fer dinner. when |
& would be her sweet duty to superintend |
The table and see that this royal guest was |
suitably fed. Not that she sat at the head |
If the board-nO, she had no higher part to
Dlay than that Of upper waiter; she over. |;
ooked and scOlded the ''niggers." l: was !;
pleasure to her to show the young gentle. |!
nan to his chair, and she was not painfully (;
ware that it was a humble pleasure. There
vas little futter in her heart, and she |
could not at first raise her eyes to his; but |
when she did presume to glance at him she
Ound that he was looking at her with an
lir of interest. Then happy sparkle shot
rom under her lashes, and the least flicker
# smile danced about one corner Of her
mouth. She remembered the two kisses.
md she was no more ashamed Of them than
lie. She was only little more shy, little
more ..in gitabout." as she would have
,hrased it. OF course she served him with !
he best Of ''chicken" that was fried that |
lay at Raddle'e. and wished that there had |
'een for him hopping john or some other
delicacy. Meanwhile Old John
jumped the guest as to his business and
personality: "Never met up with you beto'.
tranger; what mought your name be!'
na1- l
he son of Colonel Mayfeld." said the
outh, with rising accent. as if it were a
rand thing to be Of Oakland District, and
still grander thing to be Mayfeld.
John Raddle looked all the respect that
Q could through his bloodsho: optics. not
quitting that he had before him the heir Of
ONE great lowland planter.
AFTER Ian or niggers - he continued.
peaking out OF the depths OF his dic.ering
pirt.
NO." answered the lor,,y guest. inter.
ally scornful OF the query. but calmly
vil on the surface; ''student at Columbia
Ollege, l have been rusticateG," be eX.
lained. with laugh.
Old John had heard OF college. The
arson was college man, and Squire Som.
IS and Colonel Thornton. He had a vague
lea that it was high toned to 60 to college.
ut ''rusticated" was beyond his tether.
nj ne repeated the WORD lnqulrlngly.
Il am sent up here as punishment
sd Mayteld, ''tor playing jokes on the
TORS
Lob. been raisin' the DEVIL" guffawed ]
lin Raddle, his heart warming at once
ward the yOungster. Il
OF course, Maytield related the cause of I
g misadventure in full: for what rusticated | I
udent is not ut first proud of his pee. {
dillo' We have not space for the story.
1t we can assure the undergraduate | G
lblic that it was as delicatelv humorous 7
such things usually are, in proof of '