The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-12-25

osa-- cow anc straight look into
her angry eyes, he drew his horses
bride over his arm and led him back
to the road.
AS he mounted and rode on he found
to his surprise that his hand was
shaking with excitement. He was very
angry. He had never before been in
suited by woman and the feeling OF
helplessness with which it affected him
was irritating in the extreme He felt
this to be a weakness and endeavored
to throw it off. But that evening at
supper he could not resist giving a
crisp little description of his late en-
counter on the old battlefield to his
neighbor at the table, ending with an
inquiry if such violence of feeling and
expression were usual.
Hardly, now," was thereby. "But
this girls is a peculiar case. Her name
is Ellen Everestt. Before the war her
father was the richest planter in the
state. He put every dollar he could
command into the cause, and finally
was killed on the field over there fight
ing for it. They carried him to his
house, which stood on the hill above,
where his wife, who had remained
there despite everything that could be
deplored or commanded, received his
body and tended it. While she was
doing SO the house was fired by q
shell and burned to the ground. She
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
emnly swear never to desert it,"
"Did he do so?'
''No; he stuck to it through every
thing, and when the other negroes 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 was none who could. Unlike
most southerners, Everestt had no con-
nections, and his wife few. Those were
SO impoverished that they were glad to
escape the burden of supporting it."
''How did the negro do so?"
"Oh! by cultitvating as much of the
most fertile land on the place as he and
his nanny could manage. But here
comes the most interesting part of the
SCotJ w yOu tNto o. plly OiSictll. Ill 90
years ago the old man, who is over 70,
became so crippled with rheumatism
that he could not work, and what does
Nell Everestt do but turn to and work
the place herself"
"Do you mean with her own hands?"
eyes, by Jove; and handsome ones
they are, too, though they are hard
and brown as nuts"
"Why don't she teach"
"She has no education"
"Or sew?"
'.She might have done that, but she
is 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 bea
servant to any one."
This account of the girls history
affected Kortlandt powerfully. Heno
longer wondered at the intensity of
the hatred with which she regarded
all those of northern blood. How
could it be otherwise when every day
of her life she had read afresh this
story in those hillside graves, those
implanted fields, and the charred
ruins among the ceder trees? The
anger which had moved him passed
away in wondering admiration when
he pictured to himself that strong,
beautiful young figure, which had con-
fronted him so defantly, taking upon
itself and performing, in it's pride of
the labors of a field
hand on the land where her erforefathers
had commanded in absolute suprem-
scy 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 he had been so 10th to leave.
Indeed the heat of the summer
was upon him in it's, utmost |
and yet he could
not break the spell which held |
him in the south. What was the |
spell? Was it the occasional glimpses |
ne caught, as he rode by, of a girls |
figure at work in strip of cotton or
corn down in the rich bottom land! |
Or the glances he had two or three
Times received from pair.of defiant |
eyes under the brim of a broad straw
nat as he encountered their owner in
;he road?
At any rate, he said to himself one
1ight as he entered his room: "You
are a fool; this has got to end; you
start north tomorrow"
He had passed the old Everestt
returning from his evening
.ide; the night was brilliantly moon
light; he had left his horse in the shad-
ow of some trees and walked up the
ong cedar shaded drive which former
y led to the house. A shorter shaded
path led to the quarters and this he
lad followed till he came to where he
Gould see the door of one of the cab
ms, and before it in the light of the
noon a young girl seated at the feet
If a white-haired old negro, against
whose knee she leaned her head while
hey sang together-she in fresh con-
ratio. he in the quivering tones of
age-an old plantation ditty simple
ind plaintive.
He had stolen away unnoticed, and
lad ridden slowly home, with a feel
49, L.. lo,,t +Lo4 1.,oc |