The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1891-01-16

steps, mar dragging, haif carrying MISSY
fantastic figure, clad in long white
gown, on her head little cap fashioned
of the broad, stiff magnolia leaves, pinned
together with thorns; in her hand a long
wand of spirea, with three green leaves
atop.
"Missle-virey, you see dis chile?' Glory
Ann painted. "Hit's time de wuz stop
put ter all dis projeckin' en- cavortin' in
de moonshine, mekin' b'lieve in sperrits,
en- witches, en- what not. Whey you
'spect foun Missy? Out un'er de soup
pernong arbor, flat on de groun', wild her
face kivered up, en- jes' a-howlin' all by
herself. en- plum skeered wild her own
foolishniss. Whey dat fool niger,
Amity, is, don't know" r,
II amt scared of nothin'," Missy pro-
tested, though her white face belied her
words. "I'm mad! That's what! And
| as for Amity, drove her off; she amt
no mo- good than If she didn' belong to
me. She don't know nothin bout play
actin; she won't understand; and 1 amt
goin' to have no mo- play actin of char
| acters."
AT this there was general laugh, and
Missy was borne wailing to bed.
In spite of all protestations to the con-
trary, Glory-Ann was confirmed in the
opinion that Missy had frightened her.
self with her own performances when
the child insisted upon saying her
prayers over and over again.
"'Tain't 'ligion, hit amt" the old
nurse commented to herself. " En- she
gwan have bad dreams"
Glory-Ann had an apartment of her
| own in the house of her daughter, Tom
Quash's mother, but being high authori-
ty in all childish ailments, she always
slept upon q pallet in Missys room.
Late in the night Missy awoke and
called: "Mom Bee! Nom Bee! Wake
ncr'
Nom Bee, sleeping the sleep of the
just, was hard to arouse, and scant of
sympathy. "Wha' de matter, honey?
Whyn't you go to sleep" she grumbled.
81 can't"' gasped Missy. "Somethin'
is goin' to happen"
"No, de ain nothin' gwan happen"
said Nom Bee, with sleepy security.
"You jes' dreamin'."
81 ain't dreamin'!' retorted Missy,
Indignantly. "And can't stay to sleep,
Nom Bee; tell me bout the rabbit and
the tar baby"
So Nom Bee reused herself to reciso
the dramatic adventure, which, long be-
fore the day of Uncle Remus's introduce
ton to the general public, had done duty
in Southern nurseries.
But Missy soon interrupted. "Pm
sick of the rabbit and the everlastin'
brier path she declared ungratefully.
81 wish it would be day."
"Hit gwan-be day-bom bye" said
Nom Bee, with a mighty yawn.
When day came, Missy was asleep, and
her aunt, upon hearing Glory-Ann's re.
port, would not have her called for
breakfast. 1t was the day for her music
lesson, but Missy slept SO late that the
trip to town had to be abandoned.
Flora's night had been no happier than
Missy's. She was very fond of her cousin
Nicholas, in way, and through the
darkness and silence her sentiments I'M
derwent reaction in his favor; but it
was a reaction in which Dosia had no
share whatever. Nicholas's marriage
was, in Flora's opinion, an injury not to
be forgiven by any of his family; but she
found herself wishing that, somehow,
the consequences of that rash step might
be visited upon Dosia alone, who was
so Flora Delieved-alone to blame. Do
STA, as a clever and useful dependent of
Mrs. Henry chat cousin Of the Thornes
on whom Miss Elvira leaned for guild
ance in all perplexities), was well enough,
Flora thought. She had grace, she had
beauty, she had fair education and
pleasing manners, and Flora was quite
willing to concede that if Cousin Myr-
tilla Henry chose to advance her protege,
Dosia might lay claim to some notice
from the social world of Tallahassee
but married to Nicholas! The thought
was intolerable. And the day would
surely come-Miss Flora was convinced
when Nicholas himself would bitterly
repent it. Surely some way might be
devised by which the secret marriage
might be secretly dissolved, and Nicho-
las freed from the bonds into which he
had allowed himself to be entrapped.
Dlolcy IlSHI w IL, tHc TurUlNdlS were
poor; they might be bribed to take them
selves off to parts unknown. And Flora
decided that it should be her task to
make Nicholas listen to reason.
In spite of sleepless night, she was
early at breakfast the next morning, but
Nicholas had already breakfasted and
gone!
"Gone where?' Flora faltered, consci-
Gus that she vas pale and trembling.
"Gone to hurry Furnival," the colonel
explained. "The workmen are losing
time"
"Oh:" said Flora, and the color rushed
back to her face.
"For all that, we are i'm no hurry to
have you leave us, Flora" the colonel
said, patting her hand.
Nicholas remained away until long af-
ter tea, and as Aleck Gage came not,
Miss Flora walked alone in the shrub
berry. Never yet had she been so eager
to welcome Aleck Gage, for her cousins
secret was fast becoming terrifying
burden; it seemed that she could not
live another day and bear it alone, and
there was no one to whom she dare tell