Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-08
THE LAST OF THE VARDENS
--OIsD -JULIETTE'S STORY,
Written Exclusively for The Evening Star.

doah, with no sound to disturb the quiet
of the summer day. save the murmurihg
of the pine trees as they whisper to each
| other some tale. perhaps, of far other
scenes than these of days when the peace
full valley was such scene of human
strife that the birds and bees. and even the
sweet wild roses that thrived there in I'M
molested possession, disappeared, TO return
| in after years and find a picture of utter
| desolation. To be sure, the soil had been
| enriched by the blue blood of the south,
| commingled with that of the brave boys In
blue, they fell together, fighting, each
for a cause which each thought right; but
the record of the brave deeds of those who
persisted then lives in history, while We
have put behind us, with a determination
to forget the bitter feelings of sectionalism
which possessed us for time, and it as
only now and then that some relic of the
past appears to remind US of that unhappy
period, and then our thoughts are only sad,
not angry ones.
1t was while sojourning for short time
in the mountains overlooking the ShenAn-
doah valley that l came across one of those
living relics She was only a poor old negro
woman. who had been a slave, anu who
even after a quarter of a century of free
dom, had almost failed to realize that she
was free There was nothing particular to
recommend her to ones notice or call at
tention to her forlorn situation. She had
been left all alone in the world-in her own
words, THE last of the Vardens, and
Judging from the grand air with which she
announced that fact, would have scorneG
the idea that she needed sympathy or pity
as she stood amid the ruins of what mad
been a grand old southern home before the
war-the home OF the Vardens.
'aAn that remained of the house, two
tumblng chimneys, was overgrown by some
kind of vine, which gave a sort of pic
I'm IN ne fOrSaEpn
little to the left and just in sight of where
| the house had been was an Enclosure, in
| the center of which stood tall monument
surrounded by: Sualler graVsstones, mark
| ing the last resting place of the Vardens,
who seemed to have turned their back
| Upon their earthly possessions and laid
| their joys and sorrows all away beneath
| the shadow of the great monument, leav-
| ing but one. poor, crooked, feeble remnant
| of their departed greatness to occupy the
| rest Of the estate and keep their memory
green in her faithful old hart
IN 1t-was "a warm day in June that / stood
| within the gates of Rocky Mead, the
place was called, and listened to a part of
| the family history of its former owners
I from the lips of old Juliette. who invited
me to a seat under a large tree. then seat
ing herself near by. after apologizing for
sitting In the presence of a white lady, she
said. Use powful glad to see white folks
cep'n de common trash wat Ibis down in
| de valley. De fus families is all dade
] cep'n de Campbellses. Dey place is mex to
| we alls. Our. family war de bes in Fur
| ginia." AS she said this she Strengthened
| herself as much as age and rheumatism
would permit. But" she continued, sadly,
| dey's all gone; all but me. Ibis down at
de ole quarters. do da ism much lief, oney
one cabin, OATS mon big enuff 70 ME. mos
times; but wen gifts de raligy in legs an
hams. den de worl ain big enuff. But I
has to stay an look after de place. kase
Use de las one lef OBJ de family, an wen
L meets ole Marse Richard in de mex worl
| he's boun to ak me bote de ole place. Fus
| thing he gwine say, 'Juliette, you allus
would be de las one. but reckon ives all
together now, an We unite in prayer,
| jes as he ulster cherry evenin. Marse Rich
ard war a mitey good man. Ole miss. she
de boss. She ulster say nobody cher gwina
conker her, an shore nuff, nobody nebber
| did. She done all de conkerin'. II war al
long o. her dat my Miss Mary war forced TO
marry Marse Campbell's son, an den all
de trubble come.
|. My marster hab two sons. Marse Dick
an Robert. Dey jine de army one moInin'
an Miss Mary tease de life nearly outen
me to go wild her down de valley whar de
fghtin' war gwine on. She say she jis
wanter see der las OBJ Dick and Bob. All
de time l know she dyin' to see Capn
Hunter, kase she dade in lub wild him. am
me and Capn Hunters boy. Long Jim.
was cotin', too. But We all knowed ole
miss don sot her min Miss Mary mar
taryin' Marse VIII Campbell. He war orful
rich, but he war ugly as Satan-and OATS a
fact. Miss Mary, so sweet lookin' dat all
ue young men IN luD Wlu ner and she did n
care for none Oh EN-. only Cap'n Hunter,
and she say she gwine marry Jack Hunter
or nobody. Ole miss say de Hunters did n
b'long to de fust families and eff Cap'n
Hunter tempted pay 'tention to airy chile
OBJ her'n she posed to Interfere. SO cose
We dasn" let her know at Cap'n Hunter
were down dar In de cave under de hill wild
Long Jim,' wa!ten for me to fotch him a
letter from Miss Mary, jes' IL he didn't
| know she gwine break her neck amost to
see hissef. Cap'n Hunter war de grandes
lookin' man l cher sot my eyes on. He
eyes fairly dance when he saw us bofe
comm and he jes TUX Miss Mary up in he
arms and hole on to her and promise never
let her go no more.
th;"BGt she blush all ober her face and he
say Jim TO take d, horse down to the
stream ana cool him of; so we TUX de horse
up in de woods back OBJ de cave and tie him
I to tree whites me and Jim sot down on
the grass. Bimeby we heard a big rumblin'
scum lex thunder. and saw de smoke in de
valley and Capn Hunter comm runnn'
tcdes us wild Miss Mary lookin' like CHOSE.
Cap'n Hunter kiss her han and squeeze it
tight. and say, Goodbye, little sweetheart
and she say, Goodbye, Jack Den he Jump
| on his horse an rode away down into de
noise and smoke. Miss Mary watch him
till he all gone. Den l mines her dat eff
Gle miss fin us out she gwine mex trouble
| for us. So we come back to de house
Aunt Maria met us at de do and says:
'Deys company In de parlor.' De minister
an ole Marse Campbell wild his son and
ole miss, dressed up wild her white lace
cap on. Ole Narse Richard away at de
wah. Miss Mary say she want be by her
self. en- eff anybody AK for her Use to say
| she have headache. kase she wouldn see
| de Campbellses den. But, honey ole miss
| didn' ak me nuthin. She jess walk right
| in an say: Put Miss Mary's bes' dress
on her, Juliette.'
Den she tole Miss Mary somp'n' bote Ole
Marse Campbell gwine TEX all de Ian IN de
house kase Marse Richard owe him SO
much money, an den she an marster have
no home in dey ole age. an it break her
fathers heart eff he cher come back and de
| place gon' out de family, an she say eff
sne love her father she gwine come right
down an get married to Marse Will Miss
| Mary hub her father MORN anything, an
| ole miss talk an talk, and Miss Mary
keep her eyes on de big diamond ring dat
Cap'n Hunter Civ her in de mornn n, wiles
| de tears rolin' down her cheeks an she
ak dey no other way. an her mother
say dat wen she marry Marse VIII he
gwine mex her present OBJ de notes wild
Marse- Richards name 'em. Den de
Campblleses place be jined to ourn, an 1t be
de biggest state In de county. An she tell
her how lex her father git shot in de wah
an brung home an dey ism no home to
come to. SO dat settle ii. Miss Mary sot
| crful still for minute lex she thinkin', an
| den she,say: Ese ready for my fathers sake,
| jes' for him. She wouldn't put no other
dress; but she say wait for me here
Juliette, an she walk down in de parlor
an went down and peep froo a crack in