The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-04-13

even negroes. Inate no crlteTlOn.
never encouraged him to come here, or
made the place pleasant for him. But
you are 90 perverse. and think yourself
SO much cleverer and more capable Of
judging than people Of twice your age
and experience, that there's no doing
anything with you. | wonder what
Hector would say. il he were alive, Of
the way you manage your affairs and
the scrapes You get yourself into. I'd
write this man note myself and forbid
him the house, except that, as likely as
not, you'd turn on me and say that the
house was yours. not mine.r
Mary's eyes were beginning to sniol-
der and her face to pale. The lines
about her mouth hardened. and in her
low voice there was CULVER Of intense
anger.
AUNT Cornelia,r she said, "you are
taking a most unwarrantable and I'M
justiiable liberty not only in repeating
to me all the idle, impertinent gossip Of
the neighborhood concerning me and
my affairs. but also in taking part in it
yourself. As You say, this house is
mine, and l shall receive in it whom
please and when please, and treat
them always with such courtesy as in
me lies, SO long as they do nothing to
forfeit my esteem. You had better not
intermeddle in my affairs, now or at
any time in the future, for tell you
frankly that / neither can nor viii en-
dnre it. As to my husband, you have
no right to bring up his name in connec-
ton with the wicked gossip Of a set Of
scandalmongers. can answer to my
own conscience for my actions, and ]
am accountable to no other tribunal"
Miss Cornelia quailed little, but she
had been too long the family tyrant to
surrender at the first charge.
1.-THE man is Of low birth" she snap
ped Indignantly. He isn't fit associ-
ate for You. It's disgraceful, his being
allowed to visit here.
Mary's eyes blazed. IF the man were
the son of scavanger. born in work
house and reared in the streets and had
no faint of crime upon him, | should
treat him like a gentleman if he came tc
my house, SO long as he conducted him
self like gentleman while in it. That
10 all have to say on the subject, now
or at any other time; and as this discus
sion is bootless and exceedingly disagree
able, 1 must beg you to drop it."
Mrs. Beverley spoke firmly, emphat-
ically; but she reckoned without her
host. or rather without her Cornelia, il
she counted on request to drop the
subject ending the discussion. The old
lady was for moment stunned by the
comprehensive democracy of her niece's
statement. but only for moment; rally
ing all her forces, she took the field pre-
pared to do battle for her own way until
she should rout her adversary or wear
her out. Mary, knowing by experience
what was coming, settled herself to en-
,dure with what patience she might.
For twenty minutes the battle raved
and ragged and howled, until poor Mary
was driven to wish herself deaf and
dumb and senseless. She stood to her
guns and defended her position gal
lantly; but such contests always ex-
hausted her. mentally and bodily, and
the victories she achieved were as de-
pressing to her as defeat could have
been. La one of the pauses of the:
engagement Miss Cornelia suddenly
brought her heaviest gun, held in re-
serve till now, to the front. What do
you say to this she demanded, produc-
ing crumpled envelope from her pocket
and spreading it out right under Mary's
eyes. It bore the New York postmark,
and was addressed in neat, clear hand
to Edward jackson Anthony, Esq"
II picked that up in the ravine yester-
day afternoon when was coming home
from my walk. It was SO near dusk |
couldn't seei the name without my
glasses, so put it in my pocket and for
got all about it until put my dress on
this morning. As soon as laid eyes on
it remembered that boys whole name
Edward jackson Anthony. ought
to have remembered it before, because
my brother Hector named him after an
old college mate. It was his looking SO
different from the rest and calling him
self Ned that misled me. That yellow
fever report was false, it appears, and
your fine Mr. Anthony resolves himself
into Jack Anthony. our overseer's son.
Will you forbid him the house now?"
No, responded Mary positively. Il
wonder You dare ask me such thing,
when you know that his father was
with your brother in that awful charge
at Shiloh, and that he saved my hus.
bands life at the risk Of his own.
Those very brothers-t the slothful men
3ou scorn-died, saber in hand. fighting
s..r =, SIDE with Hector and Archer
and Randolph and Boiling for us and
for Virginia.
Perhaps you have known of this al
along" sneered Miss Cornelia. almost
foaming with passion.
Il have known it good WHILE" &C
knowledged Mary briefly; mot eve
since hare known him, for Mr. An
thony does not thrust his affairs on an,
one. He waited for fitting opportu
nifty, and then he told me, as a gentle
man should. He isn't ashamed Of hi
origin. and he has no cause to be; hi