Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1892-03-12

'fohAo At1S J 0eA w ~ WI Wv y oe-A
self in something serious, Aurore,
either in housekeeping cares or a
course of improving reading Ifthe
feminine elements of the south is
not going to advance, would really
like to know what was the good OF
the civil war;"
THAT is what always thought"
Aurore asserted What was the
good of it-except to make US
poor ?"
Miss Maria sighed. This was in
need hopeless case.
: hope you are not grieying over
Cecil Nettoyer, she said abruptly.
He is most offensive young man
to me. You ought to marry plac-
fical man; some one to steady you
not poetry writing fellow of the
same kind"
Aurore made one of her faint. lazy
protests.
Cecil works, maman he keeps
up the old place nicely. It is only
in leisure hours that he writes poet
ry and plays on the violin.
"Well it stands to reason" Miss
Maria went on, "that if he spends
any time in the twenty -four doing
such things as that, he must think
of them the rest of the day. At any
rate. l feel that l did perfectly right
to forbid him to come here. When
you are twenty-five you can do as
you please, but till then I must do
what is my duty"
Il shall be an old woman at TWEEN
five," Aurore said languidly. $" We
are not like you northerners. But
We will not discuss the matter ma
man. What is to be will be, and
for one am content to let things
drift. have said nothing to you
about your putting poor Cecil out
of doors; but it was hard hearted
and not very reasonable.
Miss Maria turned away. The
thoughts under her auburn curls,
dressed in an old fashioned manner
and streaked with gray, were not
happy ones. She was endeavoring
to perform certain quiet abnormal
duties at the instigation of the Puri.
tan conscience, backed up by her
Puritan obstinacy.
Cecil Nettoyer was precisely the
genus OF young men abhorrent to
her soul. His warm, almost caress
ing, manner, his love of music, his
picturesque dress, all represented to
her combination Of weakness and
wickedness. She could not and she
would not see that he had practical
purpose under all his ornament, and
refused to give him the credit for
his proitably managed plantation.
"The place runs ITSELF" she was
won't to observe, unwilling to feel
that, though he played Chopin in the
evening. his knowledge of music.
He pleaded guilty to reading Daudet
through many a morning hour on
his front veranda but no man upon
the Mississippi was better served
than Cecil Nettoyer, or had more
perfectly the grasp of his own az
fairs.
He had q complacent philosophy
of his own, and the sense of humor
generally observed in men of strong
will power.
"All things come TO those who
watt" he was wont to observe him.
self, even Miss Maria"
Tildie was gathering blackberries
by the fence which separated their
plantation from Netteyer's. Her
basket was partially full, her yellow
sunbonnet hung on a height boring
bramble, and each individual braid
had assumed the strictly perpendic-
ular.
Presently her name was called,
and Mr.. Nettoy ers's countenance ap-
peared on the other side ofthe fence.
Now this young man was weakness
of Tildie's. He was her sole embod-
iment of the hero of romance, al
though she did not in good truth
know that there was such an article
anywhere. Human nature, even
when it happens to be coffee colored,
Graves instinctively for the ideal.
II am going away to Memphis on
the O'Clock boat, Tildie," Cecil
said. 81 would like to see Miss
Aurors and say good-by. What
will she be doing from clock I'M
til 81"
Tildie reflected.
" Miss Mira. she been a-mekin
her read to her pretty reglar fer the
las two weeks.
Cecil saw the case was hopeless.
The expression on his face touched
Tildie. The African cunning and
the Caucasian admiration stirred
within her.
"Lemme think, Mr.. Cecil Her
NAV are powerful mean to Miss Au-
rore bout you. There amt no
sense in it. | done say to Miss
Mira mo- times than one Mr.. Ce-
Gil Nettoyer-he an t no lazy man
he puts the right value on hiss'f.
Thar amt no niger that dares TO
play off on him, and he dun have no