The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-04-11

affairs, Destiny. still mindful Of her IA
vorite, was coming up the stairs in the
guise Of uniformed postman and slip
ping through the slit IN the door in the
form of tnckish. white parallelogram
The dear old lady often serves as 30; ii
Is one Of her ways Of convicting rs Of
participation in the universal sin Of in
gratitude
Stewards correspondence was not 90
extensive as to make the arrival OF the
mails WEAKNESS to him. and 1t was
with cheerful alacrity that he rose and
possessed himself Of his letter. The post
mark Ground, staring and distinct. a.
unhurried village postmarks always areI
was that of some small place in Virginia.
and the handwriting was bold. heavy
and intensely masculine. Uses stub. :"
DAN thought, as he ran the blade Of his
penknife along the edge Of the envelope
Whoever can he be? don't know
anybody in Virginia" This proved &c
be mistake, as he found on CHANGING at
the signature, the sight Of which elected
an exclamation Of pleasure.
Dear Stewart" the letter ran, u
CHANGED on your advertisement in stray
Nation day before yesterday, and the
sight of your name made the memory OF
the old days crop up through the drift
pretty strong. ! want to tie together
again. Times have changed with me
since we shook hands last In Chippewa
Gulch. I've done some Of the things we
talked Of" Here followed q concise
sketch Of his fortunes and brief mention
Of his pecuniary success However
much boasting Ned might be guilty Of
orally, nobody could confront him with
written orations on the theme I'm
back in Virginia now" the letter pro-
ceeded, land have bought part Of the
old place ! told you Of. whereI was born
and raised, and where my father lived so
long as old Mr.. Beverley overseer. Per-
haps you'll remember about it. Queer
how things swop round, isn't it2 Any
how, I'm here, and I've bought the land,
and am going to knock up decent
house and settle down if things go as
want them. There's shanty that we
used to live in on my farm, but no
house? I'm in it now, and there's
q room for you besides, II you win
fall in with my scheme. The old
homestead is on the other part Of the
plantation, and the Beverleys own it
still. wanted it, but they wouldn't
sell; SO, as say, I've got to build, and ]
want You to come down here and put up
for a year with me and do up the thing
In style. Money is no object, but taste
is. and as ! have plenty Of the one and
you Of the other, we ought to make
success Of my house. | see that stone
and mortar are IN your line now. Come
down and pay me visit anyhow, and
as sdRn as you can, because never was
a hoA after DELAY. I'll meet you at our
.dognsRs Of station any day you name
and We can talk things over and arrange
about the business part. Bring gun,
and fishing tackle, and dancing shoes,
too, if you still banker after the petit
scoats The old state can show pretty
woman or two yet, and we've got some
sport left. in spite Of the niggers and the
claybank mongrels. The letter was
signed his faithfully. Ned Anthony
and across the top was scrawled hastily
IAN evident Observation-Disclosures what
DAY snail meet you.
Dan returned the letter to its envelope,
amused and pleased and interested. So
old Ned was back in the neighborhood
he had left twenty years before bare
footed boy without second shirt to his
back, in the plumed helmet and golden
spurs of knight Of Plutus He won
dered how his former chum had been
received in the stately, old fashioned So
ciety of conservative country neigh
borhood- whether they were gracious
or turned their backs on him because
of his father having worn shabby home
spun and superintended another mans
plantation and slaves and gone down to
his grave in ignorance Of written Ian
guage. He wondered also whether Ned
grated ON his neighbors, or whether the
original grain Of the man had COM
pacted with the growth of years and be-
come susceptible Of polish. To him Ned
seemed improved; he liked that open
reference to his father and his fathers
calling; it showed an absence Of that
meanest of all qualities, false pride.
There was delicacy about his reference
to his business matters also which did
not escape Dams notice-itwas so unlike
the Anthony of old Most decidedly. he
thought. his friend had improved
The little romance they had discussed
was doubtless in process Of completion
was rounding into the circle of mar
rage ring, as he had always said it
should. The cheerful tone of Ned's
letter. its hopefulness. this talk Of build
ing and Of settling down IF things go
as ! want them" all pointed the same
way. And Dan, who liked Ned, and
loved romance like schoolgirl, loosed
the reins Of his imagination and took a
breezy canter of conjecture and arrange
ment.
The things" to be bent to the con,
vquering heros viii were, Of course, pri-
marily Miss Mary Beverfeys affections,
and secondarily the aristocratic proclivi.
ties Of Miss Mary Beverleys family
with the Young lady the romance q,