The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-12-20
THE COLONIES CHRIST
MAS MORNING.
BY ROBERT g. V. MEYERS


a thin lock of iron-gray hair strayed over
the side Of his forehead. The outer office
was full Of anticipated Christmas cheer.
Bob. the younger clerk. whistling
shrllly, now and then laughing TO
his coAfrere, who was married and
had children, and was determined to spend
hls whole months salary to night for the
young ones. Beyond the outer office was
the street; there we're piles OF Christmas
greens there, and forest Of pungent-smel-
ing trees around which mothers ana
fathers chartered, and smaller Try looked
on. their hearts IN their mouths lest only
the lesser spruces should be bought, and
those that could not, by any possibility, be
got into their homes. left for the purchase OF
more stirring parents than their own.
Turkeys, fruits, sweets, merry voices,
hungry eyes-all that the day before
Christmas brings to naughty and unruly
world.
But the colonel was obllvious to every
thing but the paper he held In his long,
veined old hand 1t was a mortgage for
$4,000, and might be foreclosed Tomorrow,
except that Christmas Yves a legal holiday.
But the day after would do.
"The colonel has gomez suddenly sang
out Bob. to some one who has entered the
outer office.
The colonel started-had the mortgagor
brought the money!
He opened the door leading to the other
room. A hush fell there. Bob, who was
fixing an awk ward bit of mistletoe In his
button-hole. slid his hand up to hide it.
al thought you'd gone. colonel" he said,
with his frightful new-time nonchRlance.
Here's young man with package"
The colonel took the packege-a box Of
ordiac for hfa -yv,,,oh
relieved that the man who owed him "a, 900
had not brought the money. BE put the
mortgage into his pocket and passed
through the room.
THE compliments Of the season, gentle
men," he turned TO say 30 the clerks, and
with bow TO them passed out into the
street.
He linped a little from his old war
wound and made his way through the
throngs of holiday providers, as he bent his
steps toward the station.
An organ. with worn-out monkey with
an Italian at the end Of its string, suddenly
broke into jubilant strain" Dixie.n
Did the colonel see the fields of long ago
and the bronze torsos moving through
theml Did he hear the twang of banjos, the
scrape of fiddles, from the cabins dotting
the territory that had been his, his fathers
and his grandfather before him2
n buauOM IAOooCA paul. n HOUudu
no longer young, with faded eyes partially
shaded by a rusty Grape veil, was beside
him. She had little wreath of holly in
her hand. The colonels form went up to
its full hight.
Mrs AndersonI" he said, stifiy. Had
she wsylaid nina scheme of her hus-
band's--to ask for stay Of proceedings in
the matter of that mortgage9
Colonel" she said, 81 saw you from
A. - "a l.
peace. May wish you peaceful Christ
mas dsyp
He bowed, his hat in his hand-he could
not move before the lady did.
"Good-by," she said. Your train is
slre TO be crowded to-day" Then, as the
organ came nearer: "You hear that tune2
IL think it was the tune influenced me
most to speak to you. am going to the
cemetery with my wreath. MY children lie
there, you know. Well, peaceful Christ
mas, COLONEL Good-by.n
The colonel went on bis way, andJyet this
was the woman he had once hoped to make
his wife, the woman his friend had taken
from him, the woman he meant TO render
homeless the day after tomorrow. He had
barely time to make his train. He found a
a seat in the crowded car, and sank into it
Wiping his forehead. The light in the west
was very beautiful 1t opened a space in
the frosty ether till one might almost say
he saw beyond accepted vision into that
which to sac should blind him with it's re-
vealing. His eyes on this light. the colonel
shifted around in his seat.
Why must that woman waylay him and
wish him peacel How old she looked And
she had once thrilled him with her youthful
beauty. He could recall the first time he
had met her. She came from New York to
visit the Morison's when he was taking his
handsome mother to balls and routs. His
mother had not liked Alice from the first.
81 smell the groceries her father SELLS"
madame had said.
Madame was a woman of action.
He shall marry Jane Imbray," she said
"Count dEvrieux admires her too much. u
But Alice and her father went to Europe
about this time, and that rather dssipated
madame's fear. Besides, Count d'Evrieux
went over to madame and Jane Imbray
petted the younger man till everybody i'm
pressed 1t upon him that be cared for her.
Then one day madame's son had a vision
as he rode his horse, Chedar. The magnollas
were pertaining the country for miles
ground; a red bird piped on the hedge: the
field hands droned a plantation melody: a
little branch tinkled its way over some
sharp fiints. Suddenly Chedar pricked up
his ears, and his rider heard the fall of a
hoof near at hand. Then out from the
covert of glistening green, seated upon a
snow-white steed, Alice Ramsay, In soft
blue habit. rode into view.
After that it was all over with the plans
of his mother.
"Do you know" said Nine Stamford.
THAT the count vastly admires Jane
ImbrayY
Her son flushed to the eyes, looked sternlv
at her, and said not a work But madame
raised her right hand and smoto him upon
the face.
She hated Alice for being the cause, as
she thought, of Jane Imbray's acceptance
of the counts addresses. When, toward
winter. Alice returned to New York. Siam
ford's ring was on her finger.
That winter madame was suspiciously
calm, and took TO reading the papers with
singular avidity.
Along about Christmas time Stsmford's
old chum, Anderson, came back from a five
years incoming in German university
where he had gone TO study political econ
omy and drop out OF the active energies OF
the world.
Mime. Stamford had never cared for any
one but Mme. Stamford and her son. Sh,
now believed that her son had poured int
his friends ear all the happenings of tn,
past year, and that the young men laughed
at her for her still holding on to youth, To-
her romance with Count d'Evrieux, and the
manner In which that romance had termi
mated. She read the.papers, and thought.
In January Alice Ramsay came again &
have Anderson meet her.
Then madame became attentive TO An
derson.
t'VVhat stranoa tbinos ara taL;rc, DIoo. g.