The Portland daily press., 1897-11-16
(Chapter II continued)

hair stir with CONSERVATION. The letter
had arrived week ago; perhaps he was
in Pineville at that very moment She
must go at once to the Jeffcourts-it was
only mile distant Perhaps she might
be still in time; but even then it was q
terribly short notice for such meeting.
Yet she stopped to select her newest hat
from the closet, and to tie it with the
largest of bows under her pretty chin;
and then skipped from the verandah into
q green lane that ran beside the garden
boundary. There, hidden by hedge, she
dropped into long swinging trot, that
even in her haste still kept the languid
deliberation characteristic of her people,
until she had reached the road. Two or
three hounds in the garden started joyous
ly to follow her, but she drove them back
with portentous frown, an i'll aimed stone
and a suppressed voice. Yet in. that back
ward glance she could see that her little
Eumenides-Mammy Judy's children
were peering at her from below the wooden
floor of the portico, which they were
erasping with outstretched arms and
bowed shoulders, as if they were black
caryatides supporting-as indeed their
race had done for many year-the pre-
doomed and decaying mansion Of their
Master.
Chapter III.
Happily Miss Sally thought moro Of her
DrGS6QU MISSION Ullitn tilC p0SO ClIOIo O1
her people The faster she walked the
more vividly she pictured the possible
complications of this meeting. She knew
the dull mean nature of her aunt and the
utter hopelessness of all appeal to any
thing but her selfish cupidity, and fore
saw In this fatuous essay of Corbin only
an aggravation of her worst Instincts.
Even The dead body of her son would not
only whet her appetite Tor peounlaTy ven
I,,+ virrn GIVES
Of their emotional and Ignorant neigh
bour. She had still less to hope from
Julia Jeffcourts more honest and human
indignation but equally bigotted and
prejudiced intelligence. 1t is true they
were only women, and she ought to have
no fear Rof that physical revenge which
Julia had spoken of, but she renecte1
beauty and what was believed to be
truly Southern spirit" had gained her
many admirers who might easily take her
wrongs upon their shoulders. If her
father had only given her that letter be-
fore she might have stopped Corbin's
coming at ALL she might even have met
him in time to hurry him and her
country. In the midst of these ref1ec-
tions she had to pass the little hillside
cemetery. 1t was spot of great natural
beauty, cypress shadowed and luxurlant.
1t was justly celebrated in Pineville. and
but for it's pretentious tombstones might
have been peaceful and suggestive. Here
she recognized figure just turning from
Its gate. 1t was Julia Jeffcourt
Her first instinct-that she was too late
and that her cousin had come to the
cemetery to make some arrangements for
the impending burial-was, however,
quickly dissipated by the young girls
manner.
''Nell, Sally Dows, you hercl who'd
have thought of seeing you today. Why,
| Chet Brooks allowed that you danced
every st last night and didn't get home
till daylight. And you-you that are
| going to show up at another party to-
night, too! Well, l reckon l haven't got
| that much ambition these times. And
out with your new bonnet, too.'
| There was slight curl of her hand
some lip as she looked at her cousin. She
was certainly more beautiful girl than
Miss Sally; very tall, dark and luminous
of eye, with brunette pallor of COM
plexion, suggesting, it was said, the re-
mote mixture of blood which was one of
the unproven counts of Miss Miranda S
indictment against her family. Miss
| Sally smiled sweetly behind her big bow.
''If you reckon to tie to everything that
Chet Brooks says, you'll want lots OF
string, and you won f be safe then. You
ought to have heard him run on about
this one, and that one, and that other
one, not an hour ago in our parlcur. l
had to pack him off, saying he was even
making Judy's niggers tired" She
stopped and added with polite languor,
II suppose there's no news up at yo'
house either? Every ything's going on as
usual-and-you get yo' Californian draft
regularly?''
A good deal of the white of Julia 8
beautiful eyes showed as she turned in
dignantly on the speaker. II wish,
Cousin Sally, you'd just let up talking
to me about that money. You know as
well as do that 1 allowed to Nav ]
wouldn't take a cent Of it from the first
I might have had all the gowns and
| bonnets" with look at Miss Sally s
| bows) 81 wanted from her; she even
offered to take me to St. Louis for a rig
outfit I'd been willing to take blood
money But I'd rather stick to this old
sleazy mou' MIN for Tom" (she gave a
dramatic pluck at her faded black skirt
ethan .faunt round in white muslins and
China silks at ten dollars yard, paid
| for by his murderer.
"You know blacks yo' colour always
taking in your height and complexion,
Jule'' said Miss Sally demurely, yet not
without q feminine consciousness that il
really did set off her cousins graceful
| figure to perfection. "But you can't
keep Cup this gait always. You know
some day you might come upon this Mr.
| Corbln.'
He'd better not cross my path," she
said passionately.
"I've heard girls talk like that about E
man and then get just green and yellow
after him." said Miss Sally critically
"But, goodness me! speaking of meet
| ing people reminds me L clean forgot tt
| stop at the stage office and see abou
bringing over the new overseer. Lucky
met you, juliet Goodbye, dear. Come
| in tonight, and We'll all go to the party
together And with little nod she raj
off before her indignant cousin coule
frame a suitably crushing reply to he'
| Parthian insinuation.
But at the Stage office Miss Sally ONLY
wrote few lines on card, put 1t IN III
envelope, which she addressed to MIR
Joseph Corbin, and then seating herse)
with easy carelessness on long packing
box languidly summoned the proprietor.
"You re always on hand yourself a
Kirby station when the kyars come in tt
bring passengers to Pinevllle, Mr.
| Sledge?"
Eyes, Miss"
"Yo' haven't brought any stranger
| t1Well last week Squire Farnham. o