San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-07-02
A KENTUCKY PRINCESS.
Time, 1871


The perfection Of summer noon, when
acres of corn tassels seemed in a trance
and the blueness of far off hills suggested
incense rising, was not without its effect
ON Miss Sally Vandewater as she rode
toward Gen. Peyton's plantation. The
turnpike, stretching its ash colored rib
bon across the greenness Of the country,
rung like causeway of rock to the beat
of horseshoes. .... s..E
From this plantation or from that, as
hill or sweep of woodland revealed them,
shone marble stones in family burial lots.
Occasionally Miss Sally met girls or
young men ON dashing horses, who call
ed out gayly and cordially to her in
passing. But in all that blue grass re-
gion-where each member of every COM
Portable family has his own saddle horse,
gaited-there was not finer animal
than Miss Sally's PAGER. Caesar and his
fortunes were aboard when she mounted.
PAGER was her entire capital in life, car
rying her on visits among good families
whereby she subsisted, and furnishing
colts for her pin money. The camel is
not as much to the Bedouin. Had PAGER
failed Miss Sally in any point, she must
have fallen into those straits known only
to reduced gentlewomen instead of car
rying high head through all the best
houses of the county.
Yet Miss Sally showed no extravagant
gratitude for benefits received. She rode
PAGER at a steady hand gallop through
the sultry day, disregarding whinnying
cry of young colt behind and gentle
mothers distress, increasing her speed
past one pillared brick house set far up
an avenue. The woods about it We're
close trimmed and free from underbrush
like all stretches of Kentucky woodland.
Some evergreens made gloom close about
its caves, but not such gloom as the repu-
tation of the house itself. There lived
man who was said to have chain
stretched across his cellar. He bought
up slaves and handcuffed them in pairs
on each side of this chain until he was
ready to ship them to the market, when
band of musicians was employed to lead
their march, cheerfully playing Yankee
Doodle" Tine house was worse than
haunted. Both whites and blacks hur-
ried past its handsome rustic gate with
abhorrence-spot of mystery and abomi-
nation on those pleasant corn lands.
Miss Sally was anxious to get out of
Ger riding skirt at Peyton's and bully
the black boy who would come to take
her bride. The wealthiest slave owner
il Kentucky hardly exacted as much
leference. Everybody humored her, and
n country where hospitality was sa-
ed as religion her little visits of a
month or two were cheerfully received
even when they crowded dearer guests.
And though she had good traits concealed
under the naughty airs of nOmad, well
did she know how to crowd people dis
tasteful to her
When she turned in at Peyton's ave-
hue the white pillared house of her des-
tination seemed to doze. Miss Sally was
skipping one place in her rounds and
shortening her visit by week at another
that she might be at Peyton's in time to
witness everything which preceded the
wedding.
The quarters in a long whitewashed
row stretched feldward. Miss Sally
could not see the kitchen standing by
itself behind the great house. No drow-
slness had settled there. Stir and great
preparation were going on, not only for
the , o'clock dinner, but for the we'd
ding, which was only a week distant.
A yellow boy skipped out to help Miss
Sally at the mounting block; he would
have lounged to his master. With ap-
prevail she saw him pull his hat to her.
Miss Sally, you sho'ly bake you'self."
eyes, it's hot day, Peach. And if
you're concerned about me hope you'll
feel more concerned about PAGER. For
she's had the worst of it." Miss Vande-
waters anxiety about the welfare of her
property grew in the ratio of its ap-
proach to a crib.
''Samn rub her down." promised
Peachv. I'll tell Sam to give her a
good feed
You attend to it yourself" COM
manded Miss Sally.
But | amt stable boy" remon-
strated Peachy, Use house boy"
blouse boy or stable boy, you mind
what tell you. In my fathers time
and he owned fifty-our boys did what
ever they were told to do"
"Ya-as, NM" conciliated Peachy.
''And the poor little COLT" said Miss
Sally, making that infants discomfort |
ner own; Il don't want my colt kicked |
20 de&ta among lot of wild, shod /
heels"
lie 90 18th his nanny. No haum