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

going to ask you TO teach me every
thing yOu wish-to be all that you de-
mand-which would be far better. You
have said we were good friends: | want
you to let me hope to be more. / want
you to overlook my deficiencies and the
difference Of my race and let me meet
you on the only level where can claim
to be the equal of your own
people-that of loving you Give me
only the same chance you gave the
other poor fellow who sleeps yonder-
the same chance you gave the luckier
man, who carried the wreath for you to
put upon his grave"
Sally had listened to COurtland's dec
laration with prettily knitted brows,
the faintest air of color and a half
laughing, half superior disapprobation.
When he had finished, she uttered a
plaintive little sigh. "Yo' oughtn't to
have said that, connie, but yo' and me
are too good friends to let even that
stand between us. And to prove it to
yo' I'm going to forget it right away
and so are yo'."
But l cannot" he said, quickly, "if
| could | should be unworthy of even
your friendship. If you must reject it,
do not make me feel the shame of
thinking you believe me capable of
wanton trifing. ] know that this
avowal is abrupt to you, but it is not
to me. You have known me only for
three months, but these three months
have been to me the realization of three
years dreaming" As she remained
looking at him with bright curious
eyes, but still shaking her fair head dis
tressedly, he moved nearer and caught
her hand in the little pale lilac thread
glove that was nevertheless too wide
for her small fingers, and said, appeal
ingly: But why should you forget itP
Why must it be a forbidden topic?
What is the barrier? Are you no longer
free? Speak, Miss Dows-give me some
hope. Miss Dows-Sally!"
She had drawn herself away, dis
tressed, protesting; her fair head turned
aside, until with a slight twist and mar
rowing of her hand she succeeded in
slipping it from the glove which she
left prisoner in his eager clasp.
"There! Yo' can keep the glove,
connie" she said, breathing quickly.
"Sit down! This is not the place nor
the weather for husking froAcs! Well
-yo' want to know Why yo mustn't
speak to me in that way. Be still-and
I'll tell yo'"
She smoothed down the folds Of her
frock, sitting sideways on the bank,
one little foot touching the road. "Yo'
mustn't speak that way to me-" she
went on slowly, because it's as much
as yo' company's wo'th, as much as our
property's wo'th, as much maybe as yo'
life's wo'thl Don't lift yo' comb,
co'nnle-if yo' don't care of that, others
may. Sit still, tell vol Well, yo'
come here from the moth to run this
property for money-that's square and
fair business That any fool here can
understand. It's no'th'n style. 1t don't
interfere with these fools family af-
fairs. 1t don't bring into their blood
any no'th'n faint. 1t don't divide their
clannishness. 1t don't separate father
and son, sister and brother; and even
if yo' got a foothold here and settled
down they know they can always out
vote yo' five to one! But let these same
fools know that yo're courtin' so'th'n
girl known to be union during the
woh; that girl who has laughed at
their foolishness; let them even think
that he wants that girl to mix up the
family and the race and the property
for him, and there amt a young or old
fool that believes in so'th'n isolation as
the price of so'th'n salvation that
wouldn't rise against vol There isn't
one that wouldn't make shipwreck of
yo'r syndicate and yo'r capital and the
prosperity of Redlands for the next
four years to come and think they
were doing right. They began to sus-
pect yo' from the first. They suspected
yo' when yo' never went anywhere,
but stuck close to the farm and me.
That's why | wanted yo' to show your
self among the girls. They wouldn't
have minded yo' flirting with them with
the chance of yo' breaking yo' heart
over 'Tave Reed or Lympy Morris.
They're fools enough to believe tfat a
snub or jilt from a so'th'n girl would
pay them back for a lost battle or a
ruined plantation"
For the first time Miss Sally saw
Courtland's calm blood fly to his cheek
and kindle in his eye. "You surely do