The Washington critic., 1888-03-10
AN INHERITANCE.
From pheasant Hours" for April.

Il EDIluE VI lCOS " uubby anu 1HHHBu
y soldier, some indifferent straggler
y from the rear of Grants army, swing
y ing himself over the broad fence that
surrounded the back yard of large
dwelling house, asked food and shelter
for the night A negro woman,
n sweeping the yard with stump of
broom, looked up suspiciously at the
n faded blue uniform, and shook her
head Thereupon the soldier, with
half.chuckle, seated himself upon the
II broad gallery-steps, and said che
guessed he'd stay, anyway"
The front of the large yellow stuc-
Z coed house, with its tall classic
columns, faced the broad Mississippi,
only q grove of water-oaks and the
levee between. Back were the broad
1 yard and group Of whitewashed
I stables and outhouses, behind which
4 the high road ran from which the
Nsoldier had veered.
.1 Seeing the determination of her
Itwould-be guest, the woman, half
" afraid, said, grumblingly, she'd "arx
a kmarster," and leaving him, with an
" tother suspicious glance, retreated into
IA Ahe house. He chewed straw idly,
sylancing around the premises until
Nher return, when, with the scantiest
"a hrace, she said he would be allowed
SNo stay, and great honor he might
hink it sleeping in one of the wing
n looms of the big house, as the out
&fhouses were all filled with the slaves
w coming in from the plantation. After
showing him his room and grudgingly
bringing him some supper, Chloe,
III a. &c Lao1
II mur about "po' white trash, " left him
g for the night,
The room was large, with walls
q that seemed to stretch up out Of sight
q in the dim light, and opposite the
entrance door there was another one
a closed. This the soldier tried; it
opened, but the next room was dark
y He closed it and threw himself on the
bed.
F Before long there was low knock
ton the outside door, and cautiously
NJ glancing around, negro boy, with
dull face and malicious eyes, entered.
q His errand was soon told in low
n whisper. His master was cruel and
hard he wanted to run away and
\ free hlmself-to go that night with
Il the soldier; and in compensation
\ would help him to carry off his mas
ter's silver. He had seen from this very
room his nanny help "ole marster"
y hide it there under the bricks of the
hearth in the next room. That was
his masters 'liberry" where he wrote
and read and spent most of his days
now, "since Miss Lucy goned off and
q married 'ginst his will, and lef' him
all by heself in de big house."
The soldier sat up on the side of
M ha1 opI 1nncilarad IA not
q such bad idea, he thought. He was
81 tired of fighting, and here would be
/, good chance of money Ito get "down
l* into old Maine" once more. He ac-
4 cepted the boy proposition. Together
N they waited until there were foot
steps in the next room, and watching
through a crack in the door, they saw
the stern-faced, white-haired old man
pacing up and down for hours, and at
last, seating himself at his desk by
the chimney, write sheet after sheet
that he tore up and tossed into the
fireplace. At last one seemed to suit
him, and after folding it with trem-
bling hands, he bowed his head over
\ it. An inadvertent noise from the
4 soldier caused him to start up, thrust
the papers hastily away, and listen
with erect head. The two held their
4 breath and silence reigned, and the
\ old man, at last, lifting his lamp,
n walked out Of further door, closing it
N behind him. At midnight the two,
with lantern procured by Cesar, the
n boy, crept into the deserted room.
man had written and listened. Then
N the negro knelt down by the hearth.
I The soldiers hand fell on the back of
small cloth-covered Bible; it was
quite wet. Drawing it slowly away,
with deep breath he said: "No, l
guess not" Some long-dormant,
Tepentant emotion seemed at last to
be reused in him. Telling the baffled
Caesar he had changed his mind, he
\ turned away, with the book in his
hand, and left the room.
Before daylight large body of
\ stragglers, arriving, took possession of
the house. Every room was filed,
even the library. On leaving, a few
Il hours afterward, rail, one end still
n burning, was drawn out of the huge
\ fireplace in one Of the upstairs rooms,
n and left with its unburnt end on the
N carpet. Before night, the succeed,
H pillared residence, Arlington of the
Middletons' that had stood so proudly
on the banks of the Mississippi for
n YNdIbS WIS ICuuttu w tiDhtos nav
night old John Middleton was struck
down with paralysis.
\
\ Rose sat on the stone step, her feet
on the brick pavement of the piazza,
and leaning her pretty golden head
against the door-frame, gazed out on
h the river and ruminated. She was
eighteen years old to-day, and never
yet had any change or break come
j into her life. AS long as she could
4 remember she had lived here with
II her broken but still, stern, sad
mother-here in these two rooms,
the "library wing" which was all
that remained of the old Middleton
n House, two large rooms, with tire.
4 mendous ceilings and great windows
closed with solid wooden shutters,
tall mantelpieces and one or two
ID worn pieces of haircloth furniture
Back and front were brick pavements
4 with plastered ceilings supported on
VI rows Of succeed pillars.
n Rose sat in the front, on the step
Il leading into the room that was din
ing-room and parlor in one. The
sun had set, and gray shadows were
N n,1auino nuar tha opaat aloxol ty anu5.