Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-02-28

had her husbands body carried to the
quarters, and there that night her baby
was born and she died. Before she
died she gave the child to the old
house-steward, having made him sol
EMMY swear never to desert it"
''Did he do sop
mo; he stuck to it through every
thing. and when the other niggers left
the plantation he and his old NANNY
staid and took care of it down in the
quarters
Did none of the relatives claim the
child?"
There were none who could I'm
like most southerners, Eyrestt had no
connections, and his wife few These
were SO impoverished that they were
glad to escape the burden of support
ing it'
How did the negro do so?r
"Ohl by eultivating rs much of the
most fertile land on the place rs he and
his nanny could manage. BIZ. here
comes the most interesting part of the
story to you as physician. Three
years ago the old man, who is over 10
became so crippled byrheumatism that
he could not work, and what does Nell
Evrestt do but turn to and work the
place herself. y
''Do you mean with her own handsp"
"Yes, by Joye! and handsome ones
they are too, though they are hard and
brown as nuts.
"Why didn't she teachPn
"She has no education"
'Or sewPn
"She might have done that, but she
is rs proud as Lucifer, and said that
she was willing to work for herself and
her nanny and Uncle Jake, whom she
adores, but would not consent to be q
servant to any one. :"
This account of the girl history NJ
fected kortlandt powerfully. He no
longer wondered at the intensity of The
hatred with which she regarded all those
of northern blood. How could it be 9th
erwise, when every day of her life she
had read afresh this story in those hill
side graves, those implanted fields, and
The charred ruins among the cedar
trees? The anger which had moved him
passed away in wondering admiration
when he pictured to himself that
strong, beautiful young figure, which
had confronted him sodeiiantly, taking
upon itself and performing, in its pride
of independence, the labors of field
hand on the land where her forefathers
had commanded N absolute supremacy
the labor of hundreds.
The weeks passed by and Kortlandt
found his health, which had been
somewhat impaired by his professional
labors, and which he had come to the
south to recuperate, entirely restored.
Yet he was in no haste to return to the
work which he had been SO loath to
leave. Indeed, the heat of the summer
was upon him in its utmost intensity,
and vet he could not break the spell
which held him in the south. WHAT
was this spell? Was it the occasional
glimpses he caught Us he rode by of Il
Girl figure at work in strip of cot
ton or corn down in the rich bottom
land? Or the glances he had two or
thee times received from a pair Of de-
fant eyes under the brim OF a broad
straw hat as he encountered their own
er in the road?"
AT any rate, he said TO himself one
night as he entered the room; You
are a fool; this has got to end; you start
north tomorrow. "
He had passed the old Eyrestt plan
tation returning from his evening ride;
the night was brilliantly mooniit; he
had left his horse in the shadow of some
trees and walked up the long cedar
shaded drive which formerly led to the
| house. A shorter shade path led TO
the quarters and this he had followed
| I'll he came where he could see the
door of one OF the cabins, and before II
in the light of the moon a young girl
seated at the feet of a whi,e-haired old
nero against whose knee she leaned
/ her head while they sang together-she
in 4 fresh, sweet conualto, he in the
quayering tones of age-an old planta-
ton dit,y, simple and plaintiye
He had stolen away unpOticed. and
/ had ridden slowly home, with feeling
in his heart that was something like
despair. 1t was the consciousness OF
this feeling which had elected his sud-
/ den exclamation and resolve.
It was near daybreak when a knock
I at his door aroused him, and fright
ened prayer took him to the bedside Of
one Of the servants of the house. 1t
was yellow-teYer.
That settled the question OF his de-
parture for him. He remained where
/ he was, and in the terrible days which
/ followed no help that he could give
was withheld. So faithful and efficient
was ne that soon the yankee Doc
tor's'' was name on the lips of every
one, and never uttered without word
of commentator and gratitude.
Aone-for the Old physician who
had long held the practice OF the little
place in monopoly had early succumb-
ed to the fever-ne fought the terrible
disease, battling with courage which
| inspired others and kept them from de-
SPAR through all.
One RAINY night after the epidemic
/ had passed its crisis Kortlandt, return
inc from a visit at a distance, and dis
mounting from his weary horse at his
door, found a woman 5 figure standing
bv his side, which he knew even in that
dim light. The voice which addressed
him was so sti1ed as to be almost in
audible. Forgive me, it said; 81
/ ,, ;v,eara / did not know. YOU are