The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-12-26

the sky, as it seemed, threatening L
sink down upon it at every moment.
During the last two days Mrs. Sewer
had grown more and more silent. Natural
ly, she had keen eye for odd phases o.
character, and a shrewd little turn Of
humor which had brought out every
ludicrous point of the journey, greatly te
Fred's amusement. She had ceased to
notice anything now, and moved and
spoke like q woman in dream. Hel
eyes were contracted, her features set
tied in dark lines.
Mr.. Sewer watched her anxiously, and
vainly brought out one little vial of
homeopathic pills after another.
"The evil spirit of the mountains has
laid his hold upon you," said Keyes,
lffPaHtfRJbipgly, fPatfRJb to her, as they entered the
he said to himaelf, nodding sagaciously.
"Whatever ghost it is she sees in these
mountains, is more real to her than poor
Tom or all the long years he has given
her,"
The tiny inn, with porches as large as
the interior, was wrapped in mist as they
opened the outer door. The hostess, q
gaunt, friendly-eyed woman, sat beside
roaring fire with one or two cronies.
She led Mrs. Sewer upstairs, while Tom
and Fred went out to the stable.
"We're powerful full of company to-
day." she said. "There's two gentlemen
from Georgia hyah, a-huntin'. But I'll
give you uns the big room. Oh, you've
bin hyah before" as Mrs. Sewer hastily
passed before her and opened the door.
"Jes' make yersel's at home then"
Mrs. Server stopped, looking slowly
about her. She stood in small, square
room, the floor covered with faded rag
carpet; dirty patches of a blue wall
paper with gigantic flowers clinging to
the delicately-grained walls of poplar
planks. A log smouldered on the
hearth. Outside of the little window
opened a spectral country Of driving
mists and dizzy heights. An ordinary
apartment enough in these mountain-re-
gions; but some secret presence in it
seemed to grasp and hold the woman
who had entered it with power. Her
chin began to quiver; she closed her
eyes, as if to shut out sight that panied
them.
She was neither q weak nor a bad
woman, and the force of this old passion
which had laid hold on her since she
came into the mountains shocked and
alarmed her. What was it to her that
in this very room, years ago, her life
had risen TO heights which it could
never touch again Was she not Tom
Sewers wfe9 She told herself, too,
that she had been faithful, affection
ate wife to him. She had never been
able to make a companion of him,
perhaps because she Wars forced to com.
pare him continually with a man of
much higher type. But that was not
her fault.
This old memory should not make
her less faithful
Course the gun !"
There was craeh, as if the weapon
had heen dashed to the ground.
At the first sound of the voice, Mrs.
Sewer shivered as if she had been struck,
and stood motionless.
The rooms were separated by a thin
partition of rlanks, and the door be-
tween was unlatched. Two men were
cleaning their rifles after the days
hunting. The elder, with an oath,
gave bis kick as it lay on the floor.
"I shouldn't let bad days luck put
me out of temper, colonel" }" the other
dragged out, lazily.
"I never had any but accursed luck
in this place. told you I did not want
to come here.
The young man shrugged his shoul-
ders. The colonel, half drunk and in
ca humor," was not desirable as friend
or foe.
"I'll go down and see to feeding the
dogs" he said, and left the room.
Colonel Chaplin yawned, and walked
to the fire. The colonel strutted, though
it was dark, and there was nobody to
see him.
"Missed that buck at twelve PAGES,
by Gee !" rolled the bloody current of
his thoughts as he drove his heel at the
backlog. "Hands CROWN shaky,
tongues gettin' thick Old age, by
Geel This yure mountain whisky tastes
insipid's water. Can't hunt, can't drink
-nothin' left What's left me ?
Women He raised his nodding head
as if awakened by sudden thought.
"Why, the woman I loved best in the
world turned her back on me- in this
house."
He bloated face grew shade darker
purple, the small black eye kindled.
"Fine woman, Elise Voneida |" with
q chuckle.
The next moment he stood erect, with
a gasp of astonishment. The door was
pushed open, and Elise stood before him
in the very spot where she had parted
from him, flushed and trembling with
anger, ten years ago. Her face was pale
now, and dropped on her breast both
her white hands were held out to him.
The colonel's heart, as he would have
told you, was tender to any of the fair
sex, and the truth was, all the clean,
honest affection of which he was capable
had been given to this woman.
"Elise have you come back to me?"
"I-I mover have been lost to you,
Louis!'
Ehs w,rls cam, as if wrenched from
her. Whatever was the passion that
had bound her to him, it had never yet
been waksned in her by her husband !;
but the voice of this old love reused it
again. 1t mastered her like fiery poi
son running through her veins. She
said to herself that she was Tom SEWER
wife, and that Gods law
II only came to ask you to forgive
me, Louis" she amended.
cts time, by Gee You flung me
hard, Elise" Mrs. Sewer had dream
ed of this meeting a thousand times ;
but these we're not the kind of words
she had heard in her dreams from her
hero. She looked up at him, and drew
back. This hero's mouth was yellow
with tobacco, and his cheeks were
bloated and pimpled.
Yet the old magnetic power remained
in him still. he took her hands in his
puffy, ringed ones, and they shook as
they never had done in Tom Sewers
grasp.
"That scoundrel Sewer maltreats
you"
No, no!'
II say he does Why, your cheeks
are hollow as if you were forty years
old. And what kind of shabby dress
is this? I'd have hung velvet and dia-
monds on you."
Mrs. Sewer drew up her head. She
was forty years old, but Tom treated he,
like girl of sixteen. He would not
think RAGS shabby If thev were on her.