The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-12-16
NECK OR NOTHING.
By JEANETTE h. wALw0RTH.
Copyright. 1897. by the Author.l
fro BE CONTINUED

seer on Governor Strong's plantation, san
Souci. attends college with the GOVERNOR
grandson. Adrien Strong. He is suspected o
some college thefts in the closing term and II
ostraclzed by the faculty ana his fellow lstu
dents. Mamie Colyer. daughter OF professor
alone stands by him. CHAPTER IlI.-Gover
nor strongs daughter in law the widowed
mother of Adrien, has made Liza Martin
strong's sister, her protegee and educated hel
beyond her station. IV.-Mrs. Martin talks
plainly 10 Mrs. Strong about spelling Liza
The case is discussed at Sans souoi Liza
must be helped. but not brought in contact
with Adrien.
"Call it reconnoiter. These are war
times. They've pitched their camp right
by Gabriella's tomb. see the fire, not
much of one. They re just building it. I"
Liza shifted her own position with
noiseless restlessness
"That big tree trunk is between me
and everything 4" The song that had
floated to them across the wasting fields
of cotton had ceased abruptly, and the
e only audible sounds within the shrub
choked Enclosure was the swapping of
dried sticks broken by an unseen hand
to feed the new made fire. Presently a
vigorous revealing flame sprang into ex-
istence, giving the entire scene to the
two pair of eager eyes peering over the
rusty spikes of the iron graveyard gate.
With their lips close to each other s
ears they exchanged items of excited
comment.
"There are two of them
"A black man and a white one. "
1.-THE white one certainly looks as il
he belonged to a graveyard What
dreadfully hollow cheeks! And, oh, Lii.
"a, lookl His poor knees. He is hug.
ging them so close they are actually
showing through his trousers. F"
81 wish he would push his hat back Ii
I could see his whole face, / might
make out who he is. 1t can't be Adrier
Strong.
"Adrien Strong Heavens, moi Adri-
en- Strong is a dandy. Oh isn't that
just too heart breaking?'
Without the movement of a muscle,
with his head still dropping forward SO
that nothing was visible but the thin,
hollow cheeks and the long uncared foi
beard that almost touched the frayed
knees of his ragged, gray trousers, the
man had begun new song.
A plaintive, simple ballad. already
grown hackneyed about the camplres
where countless war weary heroes, rest.
ing beneath the sentinel stars, with nc
shelter other than the dark blue canopy
of the midnight skies, let their home
sick fancies wander back to the dear
ones left behind with an exquisite an
guish of longing that found utterauce
III song. But to those two listening.
watching girls it was all new and fresh
and thrilling.
''Who will care for mother now"
sang the wan faced wayfarer, resting
there beneath the laurel tree that shed
its blossoms over the silent sleeprs in
the little grayeyard-sang il in the per
functory fashion Of one who performs Il
deed more from force Of habit than from
any conscious effort, but his voice was
clear and sweet, and no false note jar
red upon the music loving ears Of his
auditors.
Mamie, silently weeping, softly sub
sided among the weeds ON the cemetery
steps and buried her head in her lap. II
was torture, but she would not lose one
note of that sweet, weird melody for
worlds
Liza, bent upon Identification, main
tanned her stand at the gate. When the
song was ended, she would go in boldly
and question that forlorn trespasser
touching Adrien Strong, who was to
come home in state some day, panoplied
in his battle worn laurels, brighter and
fresher laurels than those whose glossy
leaves, stirred by the night wind, now
waved their dark bannerets over that
wandering minstrel in tatters.
There was movement on the other
side Of the large beech tree that hid
section Of the little camp from her A
third party had been introduced into
the mystery, and the singer was inter
rupted by a slow, deep voiced protest
Come, old chap, that ditty is dole.
full enough when sung by dozen fell
lows around a roaring campfire, but
just now and just here it is too much
even for my nerves.
The singer glanced up at the speaker
with knitted brows. as if strenuOusly
endeavoring to link words and meaning
together, gave up the effort with a pa
thetic smile and resumed his grooming
with renewed energy.
"Adrienl Stop that, old man, you'll
soon be where your mother can care for
you. Do you know where you are, old
chap?"
At this new surprise Mamie had
sprung to her feet and stood by Liza.
whose hands were rigidly locked about
the iron spikes She was trembling VIC.
lently, and her smothered exclamation
of Mortified surprise was barely audible
my Godi It cannot bel Adrien
Strong come to that3 1t is too horribleP'
but the other one, Liar"
The darkness mercifully hid Liza q
cheeks from view. They were aglow
with the qnickening Of her pulses On.