Willmar tribune., 1897-05-11

;ster to their spiritual necessities.
Their religious faith was identical with
that of his flock !; it was in political faith
that they differed. One might decline
70 sit at meat with them, but could
hardly decline to sit with them at wor-
ship. They could be forbidden to eat
with the elect, but the elect would not
forbid them to pray. Even in the sane
tuary, however, only hostile or averted
looks were vouchsafed to Col. Sweet
and Capt. Vlnton when first they sought
its doors; but. in the course of few
months the women found that their SOL
diers-their husbands, brothers, or low
ers, whom the war had spared-wer.
actually fraternizing with the Yankee
invaders, and that between those who
had done hard and honest fighting on
either side there was springing up firm
and honest friendship. The irrcconcil-
ables were limited, apparently, to the
noncombatants. When the squadron
was ordered elsewhere after six
months sojourn at Quitman, the popu-
lace was astonished to find how much
the troopers were missed and really
needed; for even Yankee custom hal
been acceptable in the stores and Yam
kee contributions welcome in the
church. Business had brought CO...
Sweet to Summers Office, and in tho
course of frequent visits cordial rela-
tions were established. and Floyd WAL
ton could hardly treat with disdain a
soldier and gentleman whom his
patrons welcomed, even had he long
retained the disposition to do SO.
The command had not been gone 4
week before men were unaccountably
wishing it back, and when it reap
peared, with certain additions, it was
actually welcomed by people who would
have secuted the possibility of such Il
thing the year before. This time Col.
Sweet announced to the rector that his
wife and daughter would speedily fo'-
low, and were even then in New Orleans,
awaiting his instructions to come. Thu
hotel was no place for ladies in those
rough days; the rector went to Mrs.
Tower, and Mrs. Tower no longer re-
sisted the inevitable. Floyd Walton,
going to tea one lot June evening, was
astonished to find himself in the pres
ence of two ladies, one of them a pretty
girl of perhaps is, and to be presented
10 Mrs. and Miss Sweet. Within 4
week the young fellow was spending his
evenings at the Towers, and within the
month was hopelessly in love. Then
came trouble. He hadn't cent in the
world. She was a soldiers daughter,
and presumably poor. Whether she
was poor or not, he, at least, had moth
ing to offer, and, having nothing, held
his tongue, though he could not hold
his peace. That was gone.
That was a wretched summer and
autumn. The fire ragged along the gulf,
and cholera swooped upon the garrison.
Sweet got his wife and child away to
the mountains. They left suddenly,
while Floyd was on a brief visit to his
mother and sisters. It was December
when they came back. Meantime Judge
Summers had abandoned practice and
gone live at his old home at Sand
brook. Mr.. Todd could offer young
Walton no help; there was no money
in law business just then. Matters
at Tugaloo were going from bad to
worse, and Walton found himself abso-
lutely without money to pay his board.
That made no difference to Mrs. Tower.
SEe told him his mothers boy was as
welcome as her own, and made him well
come where fascination all too strong
already held him. Something in Jen-
ME Sweets gentle manner had changed.
She was nervous, ill at ease, and sought
to avoid him. Something in her
mothers manner, too, was very differ
ent. And one day the truth came out.
The frequency with which letters be-
gan chasing one another from the north
explained the whole thing. Jenny had
met her fate that fatal summer among
the Virginia mountains, and was en-
gagged to be married. Mrs. Sweet re-
ferred to the happy man as "a wealthy
gentleman from Philadelphia, few
years older than Genevieve, but most
charming person." Genevieve herself
said little or nothing, but looked none
too radiant. Col. Sweet said less, but
looked much at her.
Then Floyd Walton found another
boarding place, and one where the in
huences were worse. He threw up his
position in the law office and took an
humble clerkship at store. It paid
him enough to board and lodge him,
and here, from serving his customers
with drink, he got to serving himself,
and to associating with regular set,
some young townsmen, some soldiers.
There were stories Of gambling and
quarrel even before Col. Sweet found
that Jenny, the apple of his eye, was
dropping in that southern climate, and
sent her, with her mother, north "for
good" The next thing heard of Floyd
Walton was that he had gone to New
Orleans with q discharged soldier; and,
even while grieving over her. boys in
frequent letters and evident hopeless
ness and depression, Mrs; Walton re-
ceived a missive one day that left her
PROSTATE. She went alone to Quitman
as soon as able to move, and came back
within 4s hours looking years older,
and both the girls soon knew that she
had Darted with the diamond earrin os