People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-06-23
CHAPTER IY.-CoNTINuEp.

CORTLAND lifted his eyes with affected
CONSERVATION. IF this is in the light
of another mysterious warning, Miss
Dows, warn you that my intellect is
already lettering with them. Last
Sunday Miss Reed thrilled me for an
hour with superstition and Cassandra-
like prophecy. Don't things ever hap
pen accidentally heTe-aud without
warnings?"
II mean" returned the young lady,
with her usual practical directness,
that 'Tave Reed remembers a good
many horrid things about the wah that
she ought to forget, but don't. But"
she continued, looking at him curious
ly, "she allows she was mighty cLs up
by her cousins manner to yo'."
81 am afraid that Miss Reed was
more annoyed than | was" said Court
land. 81 should be very sorry if she at
tached any importance to it" he added,
earnestly.
''And yo' don't, continued Miss Sally.
"No. Why should p" She noticed,
however, that he had slightly drawn
himself up little more erect, and she
smiled, as he continued: 81 dare say
should feel as he does if l were in his
place" !
But go wouldn't do anything under
hand" she said, quietly. Ashe glanced
at her quickly, she added ,dryly: Don't
trust too much to people always acting
in yo' fashion, connie. And don't think
too much nor too little of what yo' hear
here. Yo're just the kind of man to
make good many silly enemies-and
as many foolish friends. And | don't
know which will give yo' the most
trouble. Only don't yo' underrate
either, or hold yo' head so high yo' don't
see what's crawlin' around yo'. That's
why, in copperhead swamp, horse is
bitten oftener than a hog"
She smiled, yet with knitted brows
and such pretty affectation of con-
Germ for her companion that he sudden
ly took heart.
81 wish had one friend | could call
my own" he said, boldly, looking
straight into her eyes. I'D care little
for other friends and fear no enemies.
"Yo'rerig connie, " she said-osten-
cautiously slanting her parasol in a mar
Vicious stimulation of hiding a purely
Imaginative blush on a cheek that was
perfectly infantine in its unchanged
pink-''company talk is much potter
than what we've been sayin'. And
meaning me-for reckon yo' wouldn't
say that of any other girl but the one
yo're walking with-what's the matter
with meY'
He could not help smiling-though he
hesitated. "Nothingl but others have
been disappointed"
And that bothers you?"
81 mean Ihave as yet had no right to
put your feelings to any test, while
Poor Chef had, yo' were going to
sayl Well, here we are at the GENE.
teryl / reckoned yo' were bound to GO
back to the dead again before we'd
gone far, and that's why l thought we
might take the cemetery on our way.
1t may put me in more proper frame
of mind to please yo'."
As he raised his eyes he could not re.
press slight start. He had not no.
ticed before that they had passed
through small gateway on diverging
from the road, and was quite UMPIRE.
pared to find himself on the edge of a
gentle slope, leading to beautiful val
ley, and before him a long vista Of
&ombs, white headStones and low
crosses, edged by dropping cypress anc
trailing feathery vines. Some of then
had fallen and been caught in long
loops from bough to bough, like funeral
garlands, and here and there the tops
of isolated palmettos lifted cluster OF
hearse-like plumes. Yet in spite of thi.
dominance of somber but graceful
shadow, the dropping delicacy of darl
tasselled foliage, and leafy fringes, the
waving, mourning wells of gray, trans
lucent moss-a glorious, vivifyine
southern sun smiled and glittered every
where as through tears. The balm O.
bay, southern-wood, pine and syrings
breathed through the long alleys; the
stimulating scent of roses moved will
every zephyr, and the heavier odors O.
jessamine, honeysuckle and orang,
flowers hung heavily in the hollowS. L
seemed to CORTLAND like the mourning
of beautiful and youthful widowhood-
seductive even in its assembling trap
pings. provocative in the contrast o
its own still strong virility. Every
where the grass grew thick and lux
qriant; the thick earth was teeminy
with the termination of the dead belev