The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-06-08

''No, didn'. You seddown an lemme
tell you. Ez nigh ez I ken mex out, hit
was Yankee"
ga Yankee?"
81 said Yankee. Lawd, they've been
plenty enough of late! l knowed him
| fur Yankee that minute he opened his
mouth; they can't talk nachral, like
US southerners. This Yankee was a-hunt-
in Nick Thorne," pursued Roxanna, sig
nifcantly. "P'r'aps you know somethin'
bout him"
81 know nothing whatever about it, ="
said Winifred. stifiy.
''Well," Ro1anna continued, 'I was
skairt ter ask what fur he was a-huntin'
of Nick; but KEEP my eyes skint, an
found out he was preachin' ter git Nick
ter mex hit up with the colonel, an then
1 was riled! l had brung Nick ter my
way O thinkin' that he could live an die
'thouten his kin, an l didn't want no
Yankee meddIin' with my business.
Mo'over, I s'picioned the colonel sont
| him
s'No such thinge' Winifred contradict
ed, hotly.
"No; foun' out mighty soon ez hit
warn't the colonel" Roxanna said, and
! paused; but her listener sat with averted
| countenance, and would give no sign;
whereupon Roxanna boldly declared,
''Hit was you.'
That is not tue" cried Einifred.
''Bless yo' soul, mol! returned Rox-
! SGrIo Nd to- -;Io1
He amt said SO; but Lawd, child, hit
don't always need word o mouth ter git
yo' arrands done; an when that air CAB
gifted Yankee argyfied with Nick Thorne
that you held 20 heart sOt on gittin' yo'
| brother home agin, give in, an con-
fessed them letters, an told Nick ter
write home, pintly, which I hadn't ex-
pected ter do nothin' of the sort"
IL she expected any show Of gratitude,
she was doomed to disappointment.
do you mean to tell me, said Wini-
fred, Indignantly, that my brother
would not have written without your
consents"
''No," said Miss White, with sober de-
ciSion; Il amt no SIGH fool ez ter IN
dertake ter tell befo'hand what the on
sartin sons O. Adam mought or moughtn'
do; but this | kin tel, an amt doubtin'
ter say hit: Ef ever that circulatin' Yam
kee gifts back ter Thorne ELL, hit won
be ter argyfy with me, nor yit with Mic
ThOrne, though hit mought be with the
colonial p'r'aps." And she cackled
Shrilly.
HE will never come again!" Winifred
declared, with burning cheeks.
''Some is easy got rid of an some amt"
said Miss White, sententiously. 81 amt
blind, an in these six months what I've
been ter Thorne Hill I've seen one what
amt comm back-not in hurry, Paul
Henry amt. 1 know the looks of them
kind. l don't set up ter be a prophet,
bat nit weights me heavy ter give you
this warnin', Winifred Thorne-when he
comes, that friend O yourn," and Rox-
anna stretched out her hard and bony
hand 20 clazn Il girls fott fngess, -
dunno nothin' bout you, but hits goin'
ter be orpeasin' ter the colonel"
He is not coming again" Winifred
insisted. 1--WE don't want him" And
she drew her hand OFT of Miss Roxanna's
sympathizing clasp Id went away in a
tumujt of painful emotions. She con-
confessed to none. hardly even to her
self, that her brothers return had not
brought back the old JOY Of her child
hood. "Brer Nicholas" was at home
again, but she wa lonely still; some
thing was lacking, she knew not what,
or would not seek to know.
Yet, as the unoventful days went by,
and season gave piece to season, Wini- |
fred, if she was Il glad with the old |
Joy that once she ho@ed for, in her broth |
er's return, had begun to find sweet |
content. She understood at last that her /
aIdent soul had demanded more than |
was possible inter the circumstances,
and she no longer expected from Mich !
olas tho absolute devotion she had given |
him. She had learned the SOLDERING les
son THAI life, even Che most securely or /
dered life, is subject to the memorable
law of change.
Lottie, the cousin she loved best, was
living in a distant town; Paul Henry, |
who had declared himself heart broken !
at his pretty cousins obduracy, was
married now, and settled in Savannah, /
where Bess Henry spent much of her T.
time-and all this had come to pass with /
in two years after Nicholas return. Yet, /
though Winifred's life in these days was /
not gay, neither was it dull; for no life /
is dull that is filed with duties. This
sacred truth had Winifred learned from I.
her old aunt in New York, and she had
the wisdom now to make TO herself many
sweet, small duties that kept her hands /
busy and her heart at rest. Hardly
dav passed that she lid not visit old Gill
bert and Nom Bee with some little offer
ing-a practice that excited Roxanna
Whites -ehement disa pproval. Them
two old free niggers," she was wont to
declare, will devour the colonel's sub
stance. lessen that girl maTries somebody
what kin moderate her. But hit'll rile
the colonel the day she makes her choice
The trees were bare for the second
time since Nicholas home coming, when
Winifred went out, one afternoon. TO
visit Nom Bee. The wintry sun was
the west when she came back;
the air was crisp and invigorating, and
she prolonged her walk through the
grove, where she sat on the horse block
to await her brothers return from town,
Just as she had done, many q time, when
a child. The happiness OF those blessed
days seemed, all at once, TO come again,
and she sang aloud for joy.
Soon Nicholas rode IN al the great gate,
md he vss not alone: il needed but z