Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1897-12-02
Friend or Enemy
FRANK H. SWEET.

ginia. Already the light. soft green
had given place to deeper. more ma
ture. shades; and everywhere the
air was filed with the odor of the
cherry and apple blossoms. On
the mou ntain sides the dark green
Of the pines was relieved by gorge
Gus masses of dogwood and azales
and flom trees and bushes and rIy-
er banks came the calls and twit-
terings of busy nest builders.
But something was lacking.
There was a stiffness, an oppres-
sion. in the air an apprehension of
something unseen. The plantations
and farms and truck patches had
not awakened with the spring The
fields and meadows were still silent /;
and there were no shirt-sleeved men
bending over the plough handles,
calling cheerily to the horses. or
haloOing to one another across the
ziezag fences.
At the side entrances of the man
sions we're no horses, saddled and
bridled, waiting for whoever might
wish to visit town or to take a can
ter across the fields. There were
no groups of young men aud maid
ems on the piazzas, no laughter on
the roads; no merry-makings, no
marriages. The mansions were
closed and gloomy, with only an
occasional frightened face at door
or window. And in the corners of
the fields, and in the barns aud
sheds, were ploughs and harrows
and miscellaneous farm tools, grown
rusty from long idleness.
Half way up on the northern
slope of one of the mountains was
grassy, V shaped plateau, which
extended between two sharp spurs
like protesting wedge. Along the
out edge, and in vagrant masses
and belts on the slope below, were
mountain laurel and dogwood, dark
patches of hemlock and pine. and
lighter hues of chestnut and oak. I.
And winding among them. like a
silver ribbon. was the flashing. noisy
waters of a mountain stream.
The plateau contained less than
dozen acres; but it was watered
and protected, and it afforded a
magnificent view of the northern
end of the valley. Colonel Blair
had selected it from all the coun-
try round as :he best sight for a
simmer home.
But on this fair April morning
the mansion was closed and silent,
like it's neighbOrs in the valley be-
low. A few Iegro children loungrd
idly about the back piazzas. and a
tall mulatress was coming listlesslv
across the yard with a brimming
pail of milk. Out in the fields
were adventurous hens and turkeys,
and an occasional COW; but there
were no horses or mules to be seen
about the place.
After a while one of the front
blinds was thrown back. and the
fair, thoughtful face of a young
girl appeared. Presently she step
ped through the low window and
walked to the piazza railing. Be-
low her the valley was bathed IN a
soft, transparent mist of white and
purple. Sweet perfumes came to
her on the early breeze. and in a
mountain ash in front of the man.
sion an oriole was pouring forth his
soul in an ecstasy of song But the
young girl did not heed it. Her
head was slightly bent forward, and
she was listening to the dull, con-
tinuous booming which came from
the lower end of the valley. She
saw nothing but the ominous cloud
which rose sullenly above the thin
land mist.
As she leaned ont over tie rail-
il & the sunlight stole into her hair
aud rested on her pale cheeks. She
was very beautiful and stately. only
in her eyes was the fierce light OF