The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-12-20

I
lie opened book that was In his hand
| and proceeded to read il The colonel saw
that il was Bacon's New Atlantis"-still
harping on bis modsi communities.
Now the next station was the colonel's
and both men resched the platform at about
the same time.
Down in the road was old Chloe, with the
mud-splashed wagon that should take the
colonel 10 the hall. Anderson would wait
ia the chill air for hours for the down
/ train, and discourtesy was abhorreut to the
4 colonel Nevertheless, no went down to the
wagon. grasped the reins from Chloe, and
made off so rapidly that the dusky woman
was nearly tumbled out.
/ The old mare logged along with the
colonel aad Chloe, the one servant of the
place, who had been a slave in the old time,
! and resented emancipation.
| "Lcokw said Chloe, after awhile. "Dar's
de star er Beth'lem," and began to sing:
MARY in de garden alrly,
| OH t'Other worr Is not like dis"
A star had come out above them, and
shone down like lighted flower.
Pretty soon the ramshackle fence was
reached, the gateway without a gate, the
rutty avenue to the piazza from which a
turkey few of screaming.
The wind was rising, that star looking
down, as the colonel entered the house, his
football waking the echoes. He lighted the
lamp aud hung his hat and overcoat on the
antlers that did duty as n rack He opened
| one of several doors on the side of the hall
and entered a large, empty room with a
little table drawn into the center. The
table was set for his solitary supper.
The colonel dropped into a chair and
waited till Chloe should have put away the
mare and the wagon. He rested his chin on
his hand and fell TO thinking. Anderson
| and he beth ought him now that the man
| had worn no overcoat-must be walking up
and down the platform waiting for the
down train. He would go back to the city
and tell his wife how unsuccessful he had
been-for, of course, this was all a precon-
| certed plan of those two.
And tomorrow those two creatures would
be homeless least day after tomorrow.
| He frowned 20 think that the morrow was
legal holiday-a day of grace
A shutter creaked, and the colonel looked
up expecting Chloe.
How dull the room was. His life was as
dull. Here he was in the house alone with
his childish and uncompanionable mother,
| year in and year out, summer and winter,
| hey-day and holiday. He should have had
SONS and daughters around him, brave and
! fair children, maybe grandchildren, for
whom the hall Tonight would be lighted; q
great pine tree with gilded fruit on it there
| in the middle Of the room; childish voices
coming of a day, the happiest in the calen-
dar of youth.
And whose fault was it that this was not
SOL Whose but the mans who had ruined
friendship years ago; the woman's VINO had
| so unworthily deceived a loving hearth
Another sound, and Chloe was bringing
in the fried chicken and coffee.
Dem tukkies KEEP me-" she said. "'Pears
dey spec dis am er sure 'nough Christmas.
Try dis pullet, ounnel; he done melt in yo'
mouf; he jes' ached to be fried Christmas
eve."
But the colonel had little appetite; after a
miserable attempt at eating he rose from
the table. "How was madame to-dayp he
asked.
'Gwine on disrememberin' ter-day,"
grumbled Chloe. BETTER eat dat pullet.
Cord knows my ole gums cain't tackle him.
hain't no light up dar, for the colonel
had crossed to the door. MADAME wouldn't
have none-she's done disrem emberin'n
The colonel went out into the hall, took
the lamp from the table, along with the box
Of confectionery he had brought from town,
and descended the stairs.
In the wide upper gallery fire burned in
the CRATE, and the rising moon laid long
| silver finger across the floor. A padded
chair was drawn up to the fire, and the
| colonel, setting down the lamp, went there.
| he looked down upon the wrinkled face
pressed up against the pillows. Eighty
five years old, and all that he had in the
world; all the love he had ever commanded
The mortgage papers in his pocket ratified,
and sudden twinge in his leg told him to
expect falling weather soon.
His leg HIS mind few off to Chatta-
nooga, and how near to murder he had been
that day. IAN eye for an eyen-the ter
tdLionisi His satisfaction had but a few
hours to wait IAN eye for an eye"
Chloe, in high pitched voice, was singing
| Christmas hymn downstairs, ne old hymn
that used to be sung on the plantation years
ago. He listened and thought Of the old
Christmases and the Gayety then.
Madame's hand moved little, and she
softly sighed. Her still bright eyes opened
and she looked up into the face bending over
her.
well, honey" she said, sis that tbs boys
and girls singin'l Chloe's been singin' all
day about Christmas-'W While shepherds
watched their fiooks.' Peace on earth and
good will to menp How is your wifel"
1t was. as Chloe had said, one of mad
ame's "disrememberin' days.
The colonel put the box Of candies in her
lap.
"a happy Christmas, mother, ;" he said.
"pve seen eighty-hve of EN-" she re-
| turned, quickly. MY mother died young.
Pm not so very old-aud do not rouge, it
| 10 NY own CO1lpIe4iOus ANU WAL uOG
again pay S700 for barrel o. -four; they
may burn our cotton, but l will not give
| in"
Her voice dwindled and her head dropped
the hand the colonel held becoming limp.
He sat beside her and waited for her to
| revive.
Did he see in the cracking logs the sum-
mers they had known when those logs had
been treess Did he hear, IN the sounds they
made in burning, the songs of the birds that
| used 10 perch on their leafy branches
He was thinking Of the day after to-mor-
row and his revenge.
| But back of that day were many yester-
days. and he could but think of them, con-
sidering what the coming day meant for
| him. Was it the burning logs made a scent
in the gallery almost ike the perfume of
magnolias2 The colonel almost heard a
little red bird piping on the hedge, the
| drone Of the plantation melody; almost be-
held vista of green leaves against a sum
mer sky, and then a white horse with a
blue-habited girl on it -
a hand strayed over to his, resting on the
back Of the padded chair.
Dear" said madame, ga shock upset me
to-day. A part of the wainscotin' there
behind you fell. The whole house is givin'
it is SO old, 80 old. And to-day there have
| been 80 many to see me- and wish me a
joyous Christmas. My mother was here
and she looked in my eyes and laid my face
against hers. and it seemed 80 strange that
l was so old and she was so young. And
| VOItr fathar- was Az, IL.