The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-11-25
RIGHT AT LAST.
4 HOT PURSUIT AND WHAT 1T
BROUGHT ME.

field. Nora was not beautiful, according tc
the worlds dispassonate criticism, l knew
but she was SO in my eyes, and that was al
lover. She was the sort of girl, too, that
under ordinary circumstances as maid OF
wife, man might have trusted implicitly.
Nora Whitfield worried me deeply In refer
ence TO Bob Sacres And why didn't openly
challenge Bob Sacres or assassinate him, or
do something desperate, l am at q loss to this
day TO determine. L am sure suffered
enough to do either, or both, and finish the
crime by suicide only didn't.
Bob was handsomer; nay, that isn't the
word for it; he was dashin1g, witty, brilliant,
beautiful While /, Theodore Wood, was but
q respectable looking fellow, not above me-
diocrity In anything, unless in the long line
of old English ancestry that made me rather
It is true / had inherited but @ competency
from my father, and at the early age of
twenty-five | had doubled my patrimony
while spendthrift Bob Sacres, but two years
my senior, had well nigh run through an inn
mense fortune.
But, lol when was woman ever known, If
you can but touch her heart, to regard such
things as that .Nine-teenths Of the creatures,
unless they have the modern mania of marry
ing for money! will throw overheard a hum
bred .'safe chances for one of your fast, rat
tle-brain, devil-may-care sort of fellows. Let
such an one get up the reputation of a man
about town with the old folks and, take my
unless big brothers or papas put stop to 1t,
is one triumphant march.
That was exactly Bob's position when he
came to the neighborhood In which L lived.
He had been In Germany, think, to school;
he had been to Asia to see the women of Cir
cassia and Georgia; had gone to Egypt to
have the Pyramids to talk about; and had
fingered o year or two In Paris because that
gay city had possessed untold attractions tor
such nature as his.
But when Bob's relations had about given
him up as doomed to destruction, he sudden
~ threw off his bad habits, like an old gar
ment, In which he had seen the. masquerade
for time, and came home seemingly as fresh
as though none Of the defilements of earth
had ever chung about him, and with Just
enough dash left to be eternally relating the
pleasing side OF adventures that had all their
ugliness carefully disguised.
Why Nora Whitfield should have been taken
with him couldn't see; but she was, as it
soon became evident to anyone who chose to
notice the way matters were going.
About the only piece OF real estate remain
ing to Bob was an old plantation, unfortun-
ately adjoining my own; between me and Mr..
And just when every one was expecting the
graceless owner of Crock Castle" to sell vol
UNFAIRLY, or by the forced action Of sheriff,
Bob Sacres appeared in our midst, declaring
his determination to pursue the peaceful and
honorable avocation Of a farmer henceforth.
The old people shook their heads with
sort Of augury that BODIED no better luck to
this than to any Of his other less plausible
schemes; but when Bob walked up the aisle
OF our country church on the Sunday after
his arrival, with uncovered head, erect figure
and measured pace, the eyes of half the wo-
men in the congregation were cast furtively
upon him, and the scapegrace knew, though
he affected to be SO unconscious, that he was
creating sensation.
There was profound reverence in his de-
pertinent during service; and when he
lima th,I
crowd, other young men, who had fanced
themselves we'll dressed, In the morning,
drew back in shame faced confusion, feeling
that their attire could not stand comparison
with the true Partisan cut and magic finish
OF his
His reputation as a heartless gallant, too,
would have caused any anxious mother to
view him with disfavor; but Bob either was
or affected to be, entirely ignorant Of these
things and the modest ease with which he
saluted such. of them as he remembered to
have seen when he was small boy, was
really amusing to- anyone not Immediately
concerned, as had no reason to suppose my
He shook hands with cold, formal Mr..
Whitfield as though the one wish OF his lie,
In all the years Of his absence had been to
get back to him, and him alone; greeted Mrs.
Whitfield With yha 1.-The, the ehivaroas courtesy Of
with just the ease, confound him. as though
he had danced half the evening before with
her, and had seen her at least three times
week for. the past twelve months, when in
reality they had not met since they were re-
spectively twelve and eight years Of age and
had been termed by their parents 'flittle
sweethear Of each other"
smiled cOmplacently to think how heavily
position Of such relationship for them now
or In the future, and was thus consoled for
the momentary annoyance had experienced,
when Nora turned her pretty brown eyes up
to his handsome face.
Except that find you a queenly woman,
instead OF fairy child, you have not changed
at ALL" said Bob, easily; "and honestly
had scarcely caught sight of you, when 1 felt
the inexplicable charm Of your influence re-
turning upon me.
"And you" replied Nora, without appear
ing the least offended at such open flattery,
you are not at all like you used to be. /
should never have known you"
And there was yet more Objectionable
element in the expression than in the words,
rs though she meant to imply a great inn
provement on his part, when he knew he had
always been famous for his beauty.
Then they fell to talking with an ease that
sanity as he walked on her left hand to the
carriage, while | obstinately kept my place
on the right, and observed with pleasure that
q half frown had gathered on Mrs. White
fields brow.
OF course no one had ever laid anything Sc
rious to the charge of Bob's honor, and she
could not avoid asking him to see her as they
drove off. But anyone with half an eye could
have perceived that it was for FORMS sake,
and that she would even wish him to regard
1t in that light.
Bob Sacres, however, must have been the
most unsuspicious of mortals, for on going
over that evening, as l usually did on Sun
day, who should I find but Bob, as big as life,
laying himself out generally. as though he
had been the patron of the whole family from
time immemorial.
1t was in vain for Mrs. Whitfield to look
grave, or for Mr.. Whitfield to frown. They
began with a half-suppressed laugh at his
jokes, and gave over at last with genuine
merriment. AS for Nora, they seemed to fall
into the old understanding, without any re-
newed conditions. l had never seen any
thing like it,
She was far easier with him in O couple of
hours than she was with me, though we had
been engaged for whole year. And while
sat wondering where he got all his assurance
from, l started guiltily, as if he were answer