Wichita eagle., 1888-09-27
NATELLA.

their hands.
The house was mansion at the south.
Getty, stop that whistling and run in
to nanny"
The prettiest little darky imaginable
laughed the joE ;est laugh, put his dusky
hands to the rich soil and began turning
somersaults out Of sight.
"Jctty, you Jetty," called rante; but
the little woolly head, unmindful, spun by
''Now, girls, come,' and linking her
arms in those of her two tall nieces,
Tante led the wy through the great hall,
and up the wide staircase to their rooms,
where, with a parting kiss, she left them.
"Theor'
The fair haired sister turned slightly.
'HTheoI'
Pauline dropped her gloves, hat, jacket
OF the sofa.
Are we dreamfng?''
Thouchtfully, 7 heo deity made tight
bunch CT her gloves, and with precision
worthy of herself tossed them direct in
the face opposite I'm not, but perhaps
you are"
Pauline started The words We're
scornfully spok ell. Moving over to the
window q'lietly, she rested her hands on
its ledge nd leant far out Her sister, in
the room, began hastily setting things to
rights.
The day was one of exquisite beauty.
The air, he aFily laden with acacia sweet
ness, stirrc bat slightly. Pauline, wea-
rly brushi n% away her clinging hair as
one dreami NJ, rested motionless at the
window. Day was passing into night.
The bushes, the trees. thickly clustering,
dotted the large garden with their heavy
shadows. The thick foliage Of the trees,
1,-.tl Ii. NJ r--1e1
A great acor RI leaf swept timorously the
soft cheek pressed to the hard wood of the
window, swept il again and again. The
old tree Gle ST to the house and shading
many Of lis rooms, could, by stretching
far out the long, slender branch, keep the
leaf tapping gently. The girls blue eyes
were opened vide, but she seemed to no.
tee nothing. The long journey had tired
her unduly. .She was resting. \ parrot,
she heard him chatter, chatter, tiresome
bird, in the room above. Acorns drop
ping, she heard them plainly, one, two:
two one. The birds everywhere were
singing, each a different song. What a
rustling they did make among the leaves!
Fighting some five or six were busy at
Il, swirliug in now great circles, then
small ones, a I'd at each other. So close
they came to the head below them that
the air they made ruflled all her hair
But still she moved not. The birds on
the ground b eneath the window wildly
chirped rs the peczed for worms. She
heard the slow, heavy tread of some one
walking thro ugh the grass Looking
sharply, she sa W plainly powerful negro
coming TO the house. "a slave''-she
breathed the W ord He neared the house,
stopped and entered a side porch. A straw
hat drawn low over his forehead had kept
his face from Y lew. But instnctirely she
knew it was a line one. A figure, grace
full, slight, came hurrying by. Pauline
leaning out still further, waited.
''Natella?'
The figure stood motionless. The
shapely head m owed eagerly from side to
side, then droo-ed. When, as low note
of a bird, came the words, ''pas nainte-
nant.n
''Natella, look up! Here l am"
Pauline laughed at the fright, the sur
prise in the great eyes raised to hers. A
smile of wonderful sweetness was on the
red lips in a moment
"th. missy! Welcome Welcomer'
''See, Natella, Tante had written so
much about you that I knew you at once
You were not with the other servants
when we came|'
was sick and | staid with it."
''Natella, is you comin'?'
500 on" Pauline said.
With low bow OF her head she turned
away.
beautiful She is far, far loveler than
j had ever thought. \ creole. a slavel
Can it be possible?" She felt suddenly
chilled.
Under tie window it was Harold she
now saw walking, with his long easy
strides. He was out of sight in n moment
But still she heard the sound of his
spurs clinking, the whrling of his riding
whip still saw the tiny light cleaning
like fire fly on his finger, and remem-
bered the ring with the the solitaire Taute
had given hinl recently.
"Are you sick? What is it? Pauline, do
you hesr?"
Theo shook her roughly Supper? Did
you say it was; ready?" But her sister had
left the room.
''fIave been dreaming, or what is it, 1
feel strange, strange"
She dashed the cold water from the
basin again, yet again, over her face.
''HomesicllEn The laugh which fol-
lowed had tremor in it. Pauline was
barely 16.
room, with its armor and stiff backed
chairs, seated at the table, the family waited
for her. The supper was long and merry.
Tante and Pauline talked together, while !
Theo and Harold made the slender glasses |
CULVER with the merriment Of their laugh |
ter. The low windows were opened wide, |
and from her seat Pauline looked out at |
the dark, moving bushes and saw the /,
stars cleaning sharp in the heavens. She /
noticed as she sat more quiet than the /
others-was she not the youngest of them |
nll?-that the kind eyes of TaRte rested |
with a look Of love on Theo and on Har-
old. ''She is thinking they viii marry"
Pauline thought.
The supper was ended, and only too /
soon the evening had gone, when the first
night IN a southern land for these girls
from a distant cline, visiting the home of
their father and his fathers. had passed.
Pauline and her sister, when mounting
the stairs TO their room, were stopped by
their aunt, calling:
''Girls," she said, coming into the hall. |
az have told Natella she is to wait on you:
SO take her as your own. You viii find
she is useful. "
Tante smiled graciously. She had given
them her favorite maid. As Theo blew out
her candle that night, some hours later.
she startled her sister from her sleep by
asking sharply:
''Do you know who this girl is Tante
makes So much of-the one she calls Ma
tella.''
Pauline raised herself on her elbow.
mo, but l shall tomorrow" fell back
between the Dilloyvs aDd Siar1f