Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-02-24

the shaded lamp and the glowing wood
fire, had a quaint picturesque charm
which appealed even to the unimagina-
tive nature of the man outside. 1t was
different from any room to which he had
ever been accustomed-as far removed
from the gorgeous pomp of his late =
perience as it was from the n sim
plicity of his boyhood and Ell ly man.
hood. 1t was room that had grown
old in the keeping of one race; it was
tender, harmonious, full of associations.
The lofty ceiling. the tall mantel, under
whose narrow shelf man of ordinary
stature could stand upright, the vain
scoted walls and the old fashioned fur
niture, all told the story of contentment
and conservatism, of respect for associ-
atoms and obedience to traditions.
Even the active man of the present
felt the subtitle charm of the past, as he
gazed into the old room and let his ewes
wander from the antlers above the door
to the family portraits on the walls.
The light touched the faded gliding of
their frames and made a faint golden
glmmer here and there against the dark
ness of the wainscot. He knew them
all, those pictured men and women-the
founder of the Virginia branch of the
family, in curly wig and lace ruffies.
the statesmen, soldiers, men and women
of repute who were little Mary's GRANDPA
theirs and grandmothers and greatuncles
and greataunts.
When he was an unkempt lad in
homespun and used to steal over from
the overseer's house across the rayine to
play with the dainty little daughter of
the Beverleys, she used to tell him
stories about them, for she was an ear
nest child, older than her years. He
had forgotten all the stories and had
never cared much about them, but he
had never forgotten the narrator
There were changes in the room which
his eye was quick to note-slight changes
such as grow into most rooms with the
passing of the years. a soft red cover
with an arabesque border covered the
old piano on which Miss Cornelia Bev-
erley, the elderly young lady of the house,
used formerly to practice scales and
tinkling, threadbare old tunes-Miss Cor
nelia, whom his boyish soul had alb
horred because she treated him exactly
as she did the little negroes. with i'm
periousness and condescension. and if
differences arose preferred even them
before him. He wondered what had be-
come of her, and whether she was dead.
and rather hoped that she was
Against the wall, in the recess by the
fireplace, underneath the portrait of the
Revolutionary soldier, five modern
fsabers were fastened into sort of star.
between the points of which hung five
Worn gray caps. Anthony ticketed
them off-Mr. Beverley and his four
sons, Hector, Boiling, Archer and Ran
dolph. There had been ten years at
least between little Mary and her young
est brother, he remembered. Within
| the first few years of his absence had
come the civil war, and he knew that
Mr.. Beverley and three of his sons had
laid down their lives for Virginia. He
knew also that, since the ending of the
strife, Hector Beverley had married and
died, leaving behind him some children
and widow.
The center of the picture of which the
old room formed the background was a
woman sitting by the hearth rug read
ing. Anthony had been conscious of her
presence from the first, although an awk-
ward shyness had prevented him from
looking squarely at her, and sent his eyes
rowing about the familiar objects of her
surroundings. His bold, assertive nature
chafed Under the unaccustomed re-
straint. and he shook himself and
squared his strong shoulders as though
Kidding hin self of a visible oppression.
If this was little Maryland he hoped it
was-he would take a long look at her,
and discover into what manner of wom-
an she had developed.
The lady was sitting by a small table,
with her profile toward the window,
but partially concealed by the shadow
of her wrist, for her head rested on her
hand and her elbow was on the table.
Her figure was full and womanly, her
dress plain and well fitting, and her gen.
eral appearance indicated height Her
book lay upon the table within the circle
of the lamplight, and she bent over it in
an attitude of deep absorption. There
was something grand and gracious
about her that impressed itself on An
thony and made the wish in his heart
grow stronger.
by George. if that's Mary" he NUT
tered, pressing his face to the glass,
shed stand to fellow as steady and
true as she used to do in the old days
when every damned niger in the yard
used to laugh at her for playing with the
overseers brat, and Miss Cornelia used
to twit her with her taste for low COM
pany. Mary didn't care a continental
| for any of 'em. She was stout of heart
and straight of grain for a little kid.
tiod bless herr
Now that he was here, he was fain to
admit to himself that this was what he
had come for; that as all the romance
and beauty of his bare, prosaic boy
hood had been gathered around Mary
Be&-erley the child, so, when scarcely
L L f 1. e.