The morning call., 1892-10-02
,reek," said CORTLAND. grimly. He never
Tres Of talking of it to me; so suppose /

yo. Cun'nel. recBoned I'd waltz over and
bring along the boy" pointing to grizzled
negro servant of sixty who was bowling
stead of using hack. haven't run much
on horsefesh since the wah. Ha! ma!
What didn't use up for remounts reckon
yo'r commissary gobbled up with the other
live stock, eb?" He laughed heartily as if
and again cIapped CORTLAND on the back.
LET me introduce my friend. MIR. Drum
mond. Major Reed" said CORTLAND, smil-
ing.
"Yo' were In the wah. sir?"
Mol" returned Drummond, hesitat-
ing. he knew not why, ana angry at his own
embarrassment.
"Mr. Drummond, the yice-presdent OF
the company" ipterp0sed CORTLAND, cheer
fully. was engaged in furnishing to us the
sinews of war"
Major Reed bowed little more formally.
.Aiost of us heah, sir. were in the wah
some time or other, and If you gentlemen
will honah me by joining In social glass at
the hotel across the way, IL introduce you
you to Captain Prendergast, who left leg
at Fair Oaks
Drummond would have declined, but sig
nfcant pressure at his arm from CORTLAND
changed his determination. He followed
them to the hotel and into the presence of the
one-legged warrior (who turned out to be
the landlord and barkeeper), to whom
OOuTtdHQ WAS UildliOusiy introduced by
Major Reed as "the man, sir, who pounded
my division for three hours at Stony
Creek''
Major Reeds house was but few MIN
utes' walk down the dusty lane ana was
presently heralded by the baying of three
or four foxhounds and foreshadowed bv n
dilapidated condition Of the picket fence
and succeed gatefront. Beyond it Stretched
the wooden Doric columns of the usnal
Southern mansion dimly seen through the
broad leaves OF the horse chestnut trees
that shaded it. There were the usual istless.
black shadows haunting the verauda and
outer offices-former slaves and still at
tached house servants-arrested like lizards
in breathless attitudes at the approach of
strange footsteps, and still holding the
brush, broom, duster or home implements
they had been lazily using, in their fixed
hands. From the doorway OF the detached
kitchen connected by gallery to the wing
of tho mansion, Aunt Martha" the cook.
gazed also with saucepan clasped TO her
bosom and her revolving hand with the
scruobing cloth IN II apparently stopped on
dead center"
Drumm0nd, whose gorge had risen at
these evidences OF hopeless ineapacity and
utter shiftlessness, was not relieved by the
presence OF Mrs. Reed-a soured. disap-
pointed woman of forty, who still carried in
her small, dark eyes and thin, handsome
lips something of the bitterness and antac-
onism OF the typical Southern-rghts woman
nor OF her two daughters, Oetavia and
Augusta, whose laDguid airabiliousness
seemed a part OF the mourning they still
wore The optimistic gallantry and good
fellowship of the major appeared the more
remarkable by contrast with his cypress
Swallowed family and their venomous pos
sibilites. Perhaps there might have been
vein of Southern insincerity in his good
humnr.
Paw" said Miss Octavia, with gloomy
confidence to CORTLAND. but with a pretty
curl Of the hereditary lip. sis about the only
reconstructed one of the entire family.
We don't make 'em much about yer. But
I'd advise yo' friend, Mr.. Drummond. IL he's
coming here carpet-bagglng. not to trust too
much to paws reconstruction Ii won't
wash" But when Courtlahd FASTENED to
assure her that Drummond was not ''car-
pet-bagger'-was not only free from any of
the political intrigue implied under that
balefu title, but was a wealthy Northern
capitalist simply seeking investment-the
young lady was scarcely more hopeful. II
suppose he reck0ns to pay paw fer those
niggers yo' st0ley' she suggested, with
gloomy sarcasm.
No" said CORTLAND, smiling; "but what
If he reckoned to pay those niggers for
working for your father and bim?"
If paw is going into trading business
with bm-if Major Reed, So'th'n gentle
mans going to keep shop he amt such a
fool as to believe niggers will work when
! they amt Obliged To. That's been tried
over at Mirandy Dow's-not five miles from
here-and the niggers are half the time
bangin' round here takin' holiday. She
put up new quarters for 'em and tried to
make 'em eat at a long table like those low
down folks up North. aud did away with
their cabins and their melon-patches. and
allowed IL would get 'em out of lying round
too much, and wanted 'em to work over
time and get mo- pay. And the result was
that she and her niece and lot OF poor
whites. Irish and Scotch, that she had 10
pick up long the river, do all the work.
And her niece Sally wds mo- than half
Union woman during the wab, and up TO
all No'thern tricks and lodges and swearin'
by thsm-and yet for all that the thing
won't work"
"But isn't that partly the reason? Isn't
her failure great deal due to this lack Of
sympathy from her neighbors? Discomfort
Is easily sown and the negro is still weighed
dewn by superstition, the fifteenth amend
ment did not quite knock off all his chains"
Yes, but that Is nothing TO her. For II
there ever was person in this world who
reckoned she was just born to manage
everything and everybody, IL is Sally
Dowsp
sally DOwsl" repeated CORTLAND, with
a slight start.
Eyes, Sally BOWS Of Pnevile."
You say she was half Union, but did size
have any relatives or-or-friends in the
war-on your side? ANY who-were killed
In 0attleG
"They were all killed, reckon, /" returned
Miss Reed. darkly. "There was her cousin,
Jules Jeffcourt. shot in the cemetery with
her beau, who, they say. was Sally's, too
there was Chef Brooks ana Joyce Masterton
who were both gone on her and both killed,
too; and there was old Captain Dows him.
self. who never lifted his head again after
Richmond was taken and drank himself to
death 1t wasn't considered healthy to be
Miss Saly's relation in those times or to be
even wantin' to be one"
Colonel CORTLAND did not reply. The face
of the dead young officer coming toward
him out OF the blue smoke rose as windy
as on that memorable day. The picture ard
letter he had taken from the dead mans
breast. which lie had retained ever since;
the romantic and fruitless quest he had
made for the original IN after DAYS and the
strange and fateful interest in her which
had grown up in his heart since then. he
now knew had only been lulled to sleep in
the busy preoccupatiOn of the last six
months. for 1t all came back to him with re-
doubled force. His present mission and its
practical object his honest zeal and its pur-
suit and the cautious skill and experience
he had brought to it, all seemed TO be sud-
denly displaced by this romantic and un-
real fantasy. Oddly enough it appeared
10 be the only reality in his life-the rest
was an incoherent, purposeless dream.
'1s-is-Miss Sally married?" he asked.
collecting himself with an effort
Married? Yes-to that farm of her
aunt's; reckon that's the only thing she
cares for"
CORTLAND looked up, recovering his nsual
cheerful calm. "Wel. / think that after
luncheon I'll pay my respects to her bns-
band. From what you have Just told ma
the farm is certainly an experiment worth
seeing. / suppose your father will have mo
objection TO give me letter to Miss DowsP"
To be continued
Copyright 1892 by the author