The Portland daily press., 1892-09-06
A FAIR BLOCKADE BREAKER.
ByT. @. De Leon.


The minister only smiled at the per-
sistent badinage of the youth; the wife
of another great man-herself bril-
liant musician-approached the piano,
surrounded by an admiring group, and
as the secretary joined it Bessie West
chester slipped her arm into her cous-
in's and passed into the deep bay win
dow.
Anything more?" she asked, eager
,ly, as the shadow of heavy curtains
yelled them from the buZzing throng
without.
Eyes; everything is ready the boy
answered low. Carroll Meredith got
back from Prince Georges this evening
Old Pete recrossed last night; the river
is clear, anfI am going down ducl1ing at
two o'clock in the morning"
ST am so gaadr' the girl murmured,
feelingly. "She is SO wretched at the
delay"
'eThere is no moon; and no picket, that
I know Of" Mckee went on. "Still,
thought it safer to get passes for myself
and boy had that dapper Yankee,
Maj. Bond, for supper, to get them.
L ifcbe 10 utAC lOedoOA4 w csSS <@bOs
"You dear, good boyv' The girl held
out her hand warmly. "But what risk
for you'll"
The clear face of the boy grew grave,
but he retained the little hand gently,
as he answered, with earnestness:
"Rislz for me! Bess, you forget the
grave peril for her. You forget, too,
that would risk something really Sc
.rious-ten times this-for your His
other hand covered the little one he
held.
Her face was turned away, and she
withdrew her hand-but very gently
as she answered, in half sigh:
'sHush, Willie. We are not speaking
of that now. But do thank you, with
all my heart. Tell me, she inter
rupted herself suddenly,-'swas mamma
really talking seriously with Peyton
Fitzhugh?"
Seemingly in deep earnest" Mckee
answered. Coming suddenly on Miss
Nina and me, she stopped, but not be-
fore had heard her say: But you are
Virginiau: your place is thereI and had
caught his reply: Perhaps; but moth
ing is doing this weather. may go
across, and Then he caught sight of
us and stopped to shake hands with me-"
''You're welcome!'' the girl said, wit
a toss of her head. 81 am glad he did
not, with mel mistrast that man,
Willie. His name and race should make
him southern soldier; yet he stayed
abroad long, and now dawdles about
Washington and Baltimore as a society
man, while his brothers are sleeping in
snow and eating mule fesh!''
'sWell, scarcely that bad" the youth
retorted, with smile. "a letter old
Pete brought Carroll from Gilmore
Howard is full Of muffin worries and
starvation dances in Richmond Lordl
I nearly forgot! This is for her, the rum
ner said it was for your mother; but
could not catch her alone" He drew
tiny folded slip from his pocket, glanc-
ing warily out to see if prying eyes
noted Its transfer to Miss Bessie's fair
hand and it's quicker disappearance in
her bosom.
81 don't like Fitzhugh's course, my
self" he went on; land hope your
mothers lecture may wake him up"
'tNot if his own self-respect sleeps"
the girl retorted, bitterly. ssHe doesn't
look like bastard in war;
"Nor laggard In love, neither, if
can judge-a man." Mckee urged. ga
face like has must have the soul of a
man behind it. Then he's SO lately
from Europe"
'sThree months she broke in. Scam
paigns are planned and won in less
time! It had been more graceful to
stay abroad than to return only to
lounge about union clubs and toady
Yankee officials"
''Perhaps he came here tonight on
their account" Mckee answered, with
one of his quizzical lifts of his eye
brows. "But wasn't he soft on Ter
once3 It seems to me that at Capon,
her first summer out"
A quick, warning gesture cut off his
speech and wheeled him to the light, as
Mrs. Gray approached, leaning on Fitz-
hughE arm. 10
The latter's quick eye rested but an
instant on the young man, flashed back
to the girl, and then his face-raised
from the low bow-was as vacuous as
the average beau's when he said:
"It is so long since we met, Miss
Bessie, that ! told your mother, though
I leave on the midnight train for Wash
ington, that I must stop to felicitate
you on times perfected process of chang
ing the little girl into the woman"
He extended his ungloved hand; and
the girl, putting her own into it with as
much of frost as her sunny nature could
condense, noticed, woman-like, how
brown and firm it was.
"You were too good,'' she answered,
quietly. "And perhaps, in times name.
1 should thank you for the implied
compliment to him"
"Indubitably, not" the virginian ex-
claimed, courteously. s'It was but his
bounden duty; and, sometimes little
slow, time ever fulflls that"
"You compliment him again." she re-
piled, more ccldly. $50 few do their
fboanden duty nowadays"
81 have asked Mr.. Fitzhugh to join
our little party to philadelphia for