Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-02-17
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BLACK EYES AND GRAY.
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passed through the parlor to the little clos
ct which was called by courtesy her room
The plain fact Of the matter is that Miss
Middleton had ouarrelied with her lover
Eve minutes before, and that gentleman
had dignifedly taken his leave.
do not mean to hint that the loss OF a
lover is matter of any moment in young
gentlewoman's personal history or that
one lover more or less counts for much ;
but there were two facts which made the
present case serious.
In the first place Miss Middleton was
poor, and now that her engagement was
peremtorily ended her prospects in life
were really very alarming. She had MOI
ALWAYS been poor, and she had little skill
in any art that promised to yield her and
her mother a support. They owned a
great rice plantation on the coast. 1t Is
true, but its dykes had been broken, lis
f1ood-gates rotted away, its bitches illled
ND during the war. and, until rented ut
great cost, it was worse than worthless.
Tax hills had accumulated against it. and
finally il had been advertised for sale 10y
the Sheriff. The little upholstered sum-
mer cottage in which they were now liv-
ing, consisting chiefly of piazza, together
with its two acres of white sand, constitu-
ted the whole sum Of their possessions.
But her poverty and the barren pros
pect before her were not in Miss Middle
ions mind at all. There was another and
more serious trouble in the case. Miss
Middleton loved the quiet. patient man
whom she had just sent away with bowed
head and detected countenance, and for
some reason which she was psychologist
enough to discover sending him away had
not in the least cured her of her lnfatua-
ton, The worst OF it all was that she had
been in passion, and stamped her pretty
little foot angrify. and said wicked things
in her final CONVEX sation with him, and
the memory of all her naughtiness, now
that he was gone, was sorely disquleting
Not that she blamed herself in the least
for the rupture or the quarrel that had ac-
companied it. by any means. Have not
said thut she was woman?
No. It was all Mr.. Fred Breeses fault
He ought to have known several things
that he could not have known several
things that he could not have possibly
found out In any way, and from his mas
culne stupidity in not knowing these
things the quarrel had come about, natu
rally and ogically-feminine nature and
feminine logic being meant, of course.
Mr.. Breese was native of New Eng
land, and Miss Middleton was a South
Carolinian. Mr.. Breese had served in the
army Of the Union, while Miss Middleton's
only brother had been buried in suit Of
the gray. When Mr.. Breese first came to
South Carolina, therefore, and became
winter boarder in Miss Middleton's house,
prudence and common courtesy forbade
the introduction of political topics in con-
versation; and when. little by little, Mr..
Breese became the intimate friend of the
family, good feeling prompted him and
them to continue the silence; SO that there
was no dissimlatoin on either side, there
had never been any discussion OF painful
topics between them. When Mr.. Breese
returned to pass a second winter in the
family, Miss Middleton had entirely ceased
to think of him as Yankee" at all and
when, few weeks later, his relation to
the family changed from that of friend
and boarder to that of Miss Middleton's
accepted sutton. the two had pleasanter
things than political differences to talk
about; and so they forgot to remember
that there was or ever had been war be-
tween them.
On the morning Of the quarrel Mr..
Brecse had brought his New York news
paper with him the post office, and in his
absent-minded way read it as he walked.
This was the origin of all the trouble,
and If this story has any moral at all, it is
that one should never read a newspaper
except sitting in chair.
The newspaper in question contained,
among other things, the Presidents proc
lamation appointing the last Thursday IN
November for Thanksgiving.
As Mr.. Breese had never seen seen Miss
Middleton's early home, and a. he had
reason to believe that that young gentle
woman lOnged TO revisit the scenes oil her
childhood, it occurred to suggest II jour
ney thither; and in order that he might
the more gracefully assume the cost of
carriage hire, he proposed to make the ex
cursion family reunion at the old man
sion-Mrs. Middleton, her daughter and
himself to constitute the family. He
therefore suggested Thanksgiving Day
he was devouty thankful man whenever
he thought of Miss Middeton--as prop
er occasion for the reunion, and this was
what produced the rupture.
I'VE don't keep Thanksgiving at the
South, replied Miss Middleton, when he
had explained his plan to her.
True" he answered. 81 had forgotten
that; but it will be good time to begin.
The custom OF observing this feast has
outgrown New England and become ma
tional now
Yes, in your nation, but not In mine"
His gray eyes looked inquiringly into
her black ones.
Il had never til ought of geography in
connection with YOU, Ruth he said.
Then, after pause, he resumed;
''If you cannot go to Middleton Hall in
honor of Thanksgiving, Ruth, who knows
but that you may hereafter keep Thanks
giving in memory oil our trip to Middleton
Halla That will be pleasant reversal Of
my plan. Besides, think you will like,
after while. to join in this harvest feast
Our sterile New England should not be
allowed to Guido this fruitful southern land
in the giving OF thanks to bounttul Prov
idence."
One can never say with certainty what
q woman will or will not think in any Civ
en- case, else l should say tina, un,Ier or
binary circumstances Miss Middleton
would have taken no offence at Mr..
Breeses sensible speech. The circum-