Western Kansas world., 1886-03-06

chair under the fig tree-and, how
wretched he was!
Pretty soon he heard merry treble
voice piping out: 'sIs ze gockter tum to
90 house?' and Bushrod saw little
Martha toddling toward him. Little
Martha was Mistress Dandriege's baby
girl. The Dandridges lived a short way
beyond the oak grove, and little
Martha loved to visit Uncle Bushrod and
Aunt Mary, as she called Bushrod and
his wife.
"Yes, Martha" said Bushrod, sadly
''the doctors come"
"Ain't 90 glad ze gockters tum?" ask
ed the child, anMously, for she recognized
the weary tone of Bushrod's voice.
''Ok, yes,," he answered, quickly. and
with an effort at cheerfulness, "Pm glad
he's come. Ha, ha p
"Is 90 doing to have 90 tooth pulled ~
she inquired artlessly.
Bushrod shook his head.
'sNo, little one" said he, in melan-
cholly voice, 81 wish was"
Then Martha wanted to know whether
the doctor had brought his saddlebags,
and when Bushrod answered in the af-
frmative, a summer of sunshine seemed
to come into the child's heart and burst
out over her pretty face.
'Oh, I know!' she cried, as she clap
ped her fat little hands. lie gockte1
has bwought 90 a itty babyr'
Now Martha's innocence, naivete and
exuberance rather pleased Bushrod. In
fact, Martha was the only human being
in all the world who had treated Bushrod
with any kind of consideration that Feb
ruary morning, and all at once Bushrod
felt his heart warm and go out toward the
prattling child.
"Come here, little Martha" said he,
kindly, 'and let me hold you on my
knee. Who told you about the-about
the-baby, eh?"
"Mamma says ze gocktor alters brings
itty babies in bis saddle-bags. Do 90
want itty baby, Uncle Bushrod?
Eyes, Martha, do," said he, kissing
her, "and want little girl just like
you"
Now Martha had guessed at the event,
and her guess was eminently correct.
Bushrod had told the truth, too, it was
a little girl he wanted-not one that look
ed Like Martha, perhaps that looked
like his Mary would please him most.
So the two talked together, and Bushrod
found himself concocting the most pre-
posterous perjuries touching the famous
saddle bags and the babies, but it seemed
to delight little Martha all the more as
these perjuries became more and more
preposterous. For reasons, however,
which we at this subsequent period can
appreciate, the confabulation could not
last for aye, and when, finally, little Mar
tina trotteo back homeward Bushrod be-
thought himself it was high time to re-
connoitre the immediate scene of action
within his house. He found group of
servants huddled about the door, Cloe,
Becky, Ann, Snowdrop, Pearl, Susan,
Tilly-all, usually cheerful and smiling,
wore distressful countenances now. Nor
did they speak to him as had been their
wont. They seemed to be afraid of him,
yet what had he done-what had he ever
done that these well-fed, well-treated
slaves should shrink from him in his hour
of trouble?
1t was still gloomier inside the house.
Aunt Lizzie, having brewed pot of tea,
was regaling Mistress Carter and Mistress
Fairfax and the venerable Miss Dorcas
Culpepper, spinster, with a desultory
but none the less interesting narrative of
her performances on countless occasions
similar to the event about to take place.
The appearance of Bushrod well nigh
threw Miss Gulpepper into Mysteries,
and to escape the dismal groans, prodi-
gious sighs, and reproachful glances of
the others, Bushrod made haste to get
out of the apartment. The next room
was desolate enough, but it was under
Mary's room, and there was some CON-
fort in knowing that. Yet the nearer
Bushrod came to Mary's room the more
helpless he grew. He could not explain
it, but he was lamentably weak and mis-
srable. A strange fear undid him and
he fairly trembled.
II will go up and ask if there is any
hing I can do,'' he said to himself, for
1e was ashamed to admit his cowardice.
But his knees failed him and he sat
lown on the stairs and listened and
Wished he had never been born.
Oh, how quiet the house was. Bush
cd strained his ears to catch sound
rom Mary's room. He could hear faint
'cho of the four chattering women in the
ront chamber below, but not sound from
Mary's room. Now and then shrin cry
If jay or the lowing of the oxen in the
pasture by the creek came to him from
he outside world-but not sound from
Mary's room. His heart sank; he would
lave given the finest plantation in West
county for the echo of Mary's
7oice or the music of Mary's football now.
Presently the door of Mary's room
,pened. The cold, unrelenting, forbid
ling countenance of Miss Bette, the
,urse, confronted Bushrod's upturned,
,leading face.
''Oh, it's you, is it?'' said Miss Bette,
and with this cheerless re-
mark she closed the door again, and
3ushrod was more miserable than ever.
lie stole down stairs into back room,
scaped through window, and skunk
way toward the stables. The whole |
world seemed turned against HMM the
lower of early manhood he found him
elf unwillingly and undeservedly an Ish-
naelite.