The Irish standard., 1893-01-07

NMIv VI perhaps 10
! ! ! !. !. !
MH causeof it-Court
ga EY @Ms land called agar
AZ tx GfATENleM at the plantation
( }3WkN WlA\ within the week
NkNTQl.S NHpDaE7 But this, time he
mT1aATs7fS@ MA was accompanies
! 4 iEIlT vi by Drum N 0 d
III IIH NON + and was received
WI |sn wv by Miss Miranda
III |AH Nj N 'IHgT l||ij BOWS, a tai
Oh WIZ. ta4Yl 1!I' aquiline noseo
spinster of fifty
whose old-tirle politeness had become
slightly affected, and whose old beliefs
had given way to half cynical &C
septance Of new facts. Mr. Drummond
delighted with the farm and its man
sgement, was no less fascinated by
Miss Sally, while CORTLAND was now
/. discreet enough to divide his attention
between her and her aunt, with the re-
suit that he was far from participating
IN Champney's conviction Of Miss
Hiranda's unimportance. To the freed
men she still represented the old i1n-
placable task-mistress. and it was
evident that they superstitiously
believed that she still retained a
vague power Of overriding the Fifteenth
amendment at her pleasure, and was
only to be restrained by the mediation
nd the ood-humored and sensible Miss
Sally Courtland was quick to see the
value of this influence In the transition
state Of the freedmen and pointed it
cut to his principal Druramond's
previous doubts and scepticism, already
weakened by Miss Sally's destinations,
vanished entirely at this prospect of
.beneicially utilizing these lingering
evils of slavery He was convinced-he
was even enthusiastic The foreign in
vestors were men to be bought ont, the
estate improved and enlarged by the
company and the fair owners retained
10 the management and control. Like
most prejudiced men, Eru;nmond's con-
version was sudden and extreme, and
being practical man was at once acted
upon. At u second and third interview
the. preliminaries were arranged, and
in three weeks from Courtlands first
visit the Bows plantation and part of
Mai, Reeds we're merged in the
"Drummond syndicate" and placed be-
yond financial uncertainty. CORTLAND
remained to represent the company as
superintendent at Redlands, and with
the transfer of the English invest
ments, Chanpney retired, as he had
suggested. to smaller venture OF his
own. on plantation u few miles dis
tant which the company had been un-
able to secure.
During this interval CORTLAND had
frequent interviews with Miss Sally,
and easy and unrestrained access to her
presence He had never again erred on
the side of romance Or emotion; he had
never again referred to the infelM let
ter and photograph and. without being
obliged to confne himself strictly to
business affairs, he had maintained an
even. quiet. neighborly intercourse with
her Much of this was the result of his
own self-control and soldierly training,
and gave little indication of the deeper
feeling that he was conscious lay be-
meath it. At times he caught the young
girls eyes fixed upon him with mis-
chievous curiosity. A strange thrill
went through him: there are few situa-
tions so subtle and dangerous as the &C.
cidental condolences and understand
ings OF two young people of opposite
sex, even though the question Of any
sentimental inclination be still in abey-
ance. CORTLAND knew that Miss Sally
remembered the too serious attitude he
had taken towards her past. She might
laugh at it, and even resent it-but she
k,aeu it, remembered it, knew that he
did--and this precious knowledge was
confined to themselves. 1t was in their
minds when there was a pause i'll their
more practical and conventional con-
versation, and was even revealed in the
excessive care which Miss Sally later
took to avert at the right moment her
mischievously, smiling eyes. Once she
went further. Courtland had just fin
ished explaining to her plan for sub
stituting small farm buildings for the
usual half-cultivated garden patches
dear to the negro field hand, and had
laid down the drawings on the table in
the office, when the young lady, leaning
against it with her hands behind her,
fixed her bright gray eyes on his seri-
Gus face
II VOW and protest, connie she
said, dropping into one of the quaint
survivals Of an old-time phraseology Pc
culiar ito her people 81 never allowed
30 could give yo'se1f up to business
soul and body, as yo' do, when first
met vo' that dav''
why, what did you think me?" he
asked quickly.
Miss Sally, who had southern apti-
tude for gesture, took one little hand
from behind her. tossed it above her
Head with a pretty air Of disposing of
some airy nothing in a presumably mas
aeuline fashion, and said: ooh! that"
Il am afraid did not impress you
then us a very practical man." he said,
with faint color.
Il thought you roasted rather high,
so'nnle, to pick up many worms in the
mo'ning. But" she added, with daz-
sEling smile, Il reckon from what yo'
said about the photograph, 20 thought
"a wasn't exactly what yo' believed I