The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1891-03-13

NJ utuH Z yOu yottotO NUM-
Col. Thorne had grown to love this
little lame daughter of his with a jealous
and exacting devotion, but Missy's regard
for her father did not exceed the limit Of
a dutiful respect, and yet the marked
changes that she found in him appealed
strongly to her tenderness. He had been
gray ever since she could remember him,
but his hair was white now, and there
were deep lines in his face and he had
contracted a stoop that gave him an air
of f~eebleness, but he retained the same
stern reticence, and his daughter, albeit
she was no more afraid of him now than
of old, shrank from him still with q feel
ing that was half regret and half impa-
thence. 1t was impossible for the colonel
not to see this, but it was his way to suf-
fer in silence.
And not only were the colonel and his
daughter changed in the momentous
years that had gone by since Winifred
was last at home, but Thorne Hill itself
was no longer the same. Missy found,
indeed the same house, the same grounds,
but half the broad acres lay untitled and
many of the familiar faces of the negroes
were missing.
what has become of them all?' she
asked her aunt.
"~Freedom," Miss Elvira responded,
with plaintive brevity, glancing up from
the pages of Bishop Ken.
Miss Elvira was much less changed
than Col. Thorne. She still wore the
sanie gentle, helpless look that had
tempted the childish tyranny Of her
niece, and she still read Bishop Ken
to the neglect of other duties. However,
she did 10Y lay aside the cherished vol
ume long enough to give Missy some
account of the Thorne Hill slaves.
"They didn't all CO." she said; ''the
| old ones who can't do much stayed, and
some of the most sensible signed con-
| tracts to work on shares. But we are
better off than many others. I'm sure l
don't know how your Aunt Pauline,
with Flora and two little children, is to
manage. Aleck was killed at Chicka-
manga, you know" And Miss Elvira
wiped her eyes.
Missy, who had seen only the pomp Of
war, was just beginning to realize its
misery. "We must live for one another"
she cried, with generous sympathy.
81 don't know as to that" Miss Elvira
objected, with a prudent hesitation.
"You know your Aunt Pauline likes her
own way, and we wouldn't wish to give
| up Thorne Hill to her sway. Then those
children with no regular nurse it
wouldn't be comfortable, Winifred. /
suppose they'll get Oh somehow, with
your father to advise. Cousin Myrtilla
manages very well with one of the twins
+! to look after what is left of her planta-
ton. Paul has a situation in a law Office
in Savannah and Judge Chadwick has
| taken the other one of the twins in his
Office. It's lucky that Lottie is engaged
| to be married to the judges son. l hope
| Bess may make as good q match, for it's
little enough Cousin Myrtilla can do for
/ them now"
Winifred listened to all this in sad 81
lence; she felt as If she had come, not to
| the old home she used to know, but to a
| strange new world of sorrow.
"Why they all wanted to quit, I'm
| sure I don't know-the negroes, I mean,"
Miss Elvira continued plaintively. "Your
father offered them every inducement.
but they'd rather starve OH freedom, /
suppose. Daphne was n of the first to
go. She is in town taking in washing,
and working harder than ever she did in
her life. / saw her last week, and she
looks as il she hadn't enough to eat.
Tom Quash-he married Amity, you
KNOWS a waiter at the hotel, and
Griffin Jim is a barber. I believe he
earns a good deal by odd jobs; yet he
declines to take old Dicey, his mother, to
live with him. Dicey is helpless now;
she can't walk, and she can't even feed
herself; so Griffin Jim thinks she is bet
ter off with us. I'm sure we don't want
been used to her so long" And Miss
Elvira began to weep afresh.
Sand Nom Bee?:' Missy queried, anx-
iously. Missy had been at home some
hours when this conversation took place,
and her heart was burning to know why
Nom Bee did not come to welcome her.
Miss Elvira wiped her eyes and stiffen-
ed herself. "Glory-Ann is with her
family in town." she said, with strong
| lOuI idtiiti tticu lac pOos
to have her stay here. He built her a
house and he offered her q COW and some
pigs; but Cinthy, that daughter Of hers,
wouldn't agree to it. She made Glory
Ann believe that we had designs upon
her."
Missy burst into tears. "Nom Bee
might have waited for me-" she sobbed.
"Oh, Winifred, don't cry" Miss Elvira
entreated, weeping herself. "It doesn't
do one bit of good. I do believe old Gil
bert himself would have left us il he
hadn't gone long ago"
81 don'tl" cried Missy. "And one of
these days he Is coming back; he is sure
to come back; he promised me-"
"Winifred? What do you mean ex-
claimed Miss Elvira, startled into an en-
ergy of emphasis most unusual.
'It was mo sent him away" Winifred
declared exultingly, reckless of grammar.
cit was me wrote him a pass. And 1
gave him my gold chain and bracelets