The Press., 1894-06-28
DIANA'S VISITOR.

all put on their OverCoatS and the wOm- en their wraps. The doors were shut and the windows pulled down. The violets were hiding their purple petals under the broad green leaves; the golden blos- som of the Siberian shrub that, almond like, hung on its lcafess branches, seemed to be shivering. Only the brave snow white Roman hyacinths out ill the yard stood erect ill the cold clear air and brought thoughts of 'pure eyed Faith, white handed Hope and lowering angles girt with golden wings' Queer fancies about the old doctrine of the transmi grafton of souls seemed whispered by the tiny tinkle of one white bell, while tAe tintinnabulation of another hinted that the spirit of the lady in Comus had come again to earth and was visibly embodied in this beautiful flower.
 The unattending ears of Mrs. de Lan- cey, however, caught none of these sounds as she trudged past the stately old Graham place, where the hyacinths stood ill the yard ill great groups. Far other thoughts engaged her mind, while her eye sought her own cabin home on ''de tl,rr side de great house. ' "How long have you been living out here?" asked her companion, a straight, 1.-the, chestnut colored young man, well dressed and with certain self respecting air that was ul1nistalable.
 ''Ever sence de beginnent of de war times 1 bin Hv dar. Dar Whar all my chillern WIZ borned. Hit gwino on 19 year sence de las' one come. l jos' been lot cho She smart gal, she is, an she teachin school down ill Atlanta now. De chile done change her name so dat 1 doan' know who de folks tallzin bout when dey dress her. l name her Dromaly, arter de pictur ole nerster had bout Hector and Dromaly' hangin up i'll de dinin room, but she say dat mighty 1g'nant name, and she done change to Ruth. calls her Dromaky, an dat what I 'spect to call her. I'ze 58 year ole, de boss say, all you cyan't teach old dog new trick Ain't dat sop
 A kindly smile rested on the face of the young man who was so courteously carry ing Mrs de Lancey's black, shiny valise. His answer was an indirect one: "I think Ruth is beautiful name. Dromal1y, too, $een1s~ beautiful when it means ,-RuGnb'
 "Whar you come f'om, man? You talk sorter proper, like my gal do. l know'd soon as sot eyes on you when de train stop dar you wuz quality nig ger bedout you openin your nlouf. Now you done tote my cyarpet bag and done show de 'havior of d gint man, l know you bin fotch up right. I ain't got no disparagement' bout you. I knows quail ity folks when sees 'em. Dat de kind I bin use ter all my life. Dat de kind Dromaky bin use to, but us doan talk alike, 'kaze she got de vantage of eddi cation an book larnin more dan her mammy is. But she got good horse sense, too, dat chile is, an she ain t no more shame uv me dan eff I wuz high learnt 'oman lack de black folks is desc days. I fotch Dromaky up right. When she want to be runnin round wild, lack some de black chillern an de white chil- Tern, too, does, took holt uv her, did, an checktise dat gal tell I rectify her. Dat huccome she so 'spectable and 'spon- sibled now. Chillern got ter be check tised, manI'
 Again that pleased, quiet, happy smile played over the face of the young man, who had just reached out smooth, brown hand to take the rough, horny, age veined hand of Dromal1y's mother and assist her in stepping across mud dy place in the path that, turning aside from the big road, led by "nigh cut" to the whitewashed cabin among the clustering pines.
 'Is the nearest house your home-the one with the honeysuckle clambering over it and the jonquils ill the yard? How pretty they look!"
 'Dey bleedged ter look bright, dem blooms is, 'kaze Dromaky sot dem out when she want knee high to duck. She 8 mighty chile fur lovin flowers, an ole miss gin her dem roots, 'kaze de pig yard done overgrowed wid 'en, an she want mo- room for her hyacinths what you see bendin an wavin, bout yonder. Dromaky wuz de white folks favorite an de black folks ~favorite too. Wharsomever dat chile go she 'taches folks to her. She aim discontemptious an bigoty like some gals, an she got heap a fun bout her. ''
 By this time they had reached the gate of the little yard with its clumps of pines, it's patches of tender grass, its great bed of daffy fydown-dillies dancing ill the February breezes, and like the face of Lady Una making sunshine in shady place. The young man held the gate open for Diana to pass ill first, hesi- tated a moment, then went ill himself, saying, T will put your valise on the porch. 7"
 ''You got ter eat snack wid me, man. You done act de gentleman to me. You must CT come from de low country. De black folks and de white folks bofe down dar got raisin's and behavement. Dey ain't got no 'dayciousness an de disparagement dat de folks got up hyar in dis part de worl. Us used ter live down dar alter we comed f'om Freder- icksburg, fore we comed up hyar. Come long ill an eat snack wid me. Igwine meek some coffee an fry some meat, an Dromaky done stuff dat balise plumb full uv good things on one side. I gwine give you some, kase you got sich good raisin's.
 She seemed scarcely aware that her COulptI1OA ubu ItuS1y SpOhtA ululIS their long walk His very silence had been so full of sort of high bred defer ence and courtesy that she was perfectly at ease with him. Years before, when the father of this polite young man was slave and drove the carriage of Colo nel Porcher ill Charleston, distin- guished foreigner once said to his own CT: Rarely have met ill all my trav- els any man with such fine manners as your carriage driver There is something about him which makes me think of an exiled prince, and, what is to me perfect ly wonderful, his bearing while so re- spectful, does not suggest the. slave.
 With this inherited tendency, added to an education at Hampton, no wonder that Fontain Clayton had been classi fled by Diana as quality an no kin to buckra, 7 no wonder that he had found O, xxrav fr ho,. ,oa.dxy 1ilziror hor f17f