The Portland daily press., 1897-11-15
{ Chapter II Continued. }


the window peeped through the Sits of
| the Venetian blind and saw her youthful
admirer, more detected in the conscious
ness OF his wasted efforts and useless at
tire-mount his snowy young horse as
aimlessly spirited as himself and ride
away. Miss Sally did not regret this
neither had she been entirely sincere in
her defence of her mysterious correspon-
DENT. But like many of her sex she was
| trying to Keep up by the active stimulus
OF opposition an interest that she had
begun to think if left to itself might
| Wane. she was conscious that her cousin
julia, although impairment and illogical
was right in considering her first epistol-
airy advances to Corbin as youthful con-
vert religious zeal. But now that her
glrllsh enthu siasm was spent and the
revival itself had proved as fleeting an
excitement as the old Tournament of
Love and Beauty" which it had sup
planted, she preferred to believe that she
enjoyed the fascinating improperly be-
cause 1t was the actual result of her re-
| ilglous freedom. Perhaps she had vague
IDEA that Corbin's conversion would ex-
plate her present preference for dress and
dancing. She had certainly never fiirred
with him; they had never exchanged
photographs; there was not a passage in
his letters that might not have been per-
used by her parents-which l fear was
probably one reason why she had never
| shown her correspondence-and beyond
the fact that this letter writing gave her
a certain import lance in her own eyes and
those of her companions, it might really
be stopped. She even thought of writing
at once to him that her parents objected
to its further continuance, but remem-
| bering that his usual monthly letter was
now nearly due she concluded to wait I'M
til it came
1t is to be feared that Miss Sally had
little help in the way of family advice,
and that the moral administration of the
bows household was as prematurely de-
veloped and as precociously exhausted as
the estate and mansion themselves. Cap
tain Bows marriage with Josephine
Jeffcourt, the daughter of a "poor white"
| had been considered mesall1anco by his
family and his own sister Miranda Bows
had abandoned her brothers roof and
refused to associate with the Jeffcourts,
only returning to the house and an armed
neutralitylat the death of Mrs. Dows a.
few years later. She had taken charge of
Miss Sally, sending her to school at Nash
vile until she was recalled by her father
two years ago. 1t may be imagined that
Miss Sally's correspondence with jeff =
courts murderer had afforded her a
mixed satisfaction; it was at first ASSERT
| ed that Miss Sally's forgiveness was really
prompted by Miss Mrandy'' as subtle
sarcasm upon the family. When, how
ever, that forgiveness seemed to become
source of revenue to the impoverished.
| Jeffcourts, her Christian interference had
declined.
| For this reason possibly the young girl
did not seek her aunt in the bedroom, the
diningroom, or the business room, where
Miss Miranda frequently assisted Captain
Bows in the fatuous and prejudiced mis-
management of the house and property,
nor in any OF the vacant guest rooms,
which. in their early wreck of latter day
mahogany and rosewood, seemed to have
| been unoccupied for ages-but went di-
rectly to her own room. This was in the
''L," lately added wing that had es-
capped the gloomy architectural tyranny
of the main building, and gave Miss
Sally light, ventilation, the freshness and
spice of new pine boards and clean paper,
and separate entrance and windows on
a cool verandah all to herself. Intended
as a concession to the young lady's trav-
elled taste, it was really reversion to the
finer simplicity of the pioneer.
| New as the apartment appeared to be, it
was old enough to contain the brief little
recordsssofsh maidenhood, the childish
samples and pictures the sporting epoch
with its foxheads oppossum and Wild
cat skins, riding whip, and the goshswk
in cage, which Miss Sally believed
could be trained as falcon; the religious
interval of illustrated texts, Crock of
Ages, cardboard crosses and the certif-
cate of her membership with 'EThe
Daughters of Sion at the head of her
little bed, down to the last decadence of
| friyolity shown in the be-ribboned guitar
in the corner and the dance cards,
favours and rosettes, military buttons,
dried bouquets and other love cages on
the mantel piece.
| The young girl opened a drawer of her
| table and took out small packet of let
tiers tied I'D with green ribbon. AS she
did so she heard the sound of hoofs in the
rear courtyard This WAS presently fol-
opened the door to her father with the
letters still in her hand. There was
neither the least embarrassment nor self
| consciousness in her manner. IA
| Captain Dows specifically remarkable
only for certain odd combination of
high military stock and turned over
planter collar, was slightly exalted by
a sympathetic mingling of politics and
mint julip at Pineville Court House.
II was passing by the post office at the
| Cross Roads last week, dear" he began,
cheerfully, 'and Iathought Of you, and
reckoned 1t VS. about time that my Pussy
got one of her letters from her rich Cali
| fornian friend-and sure enough there
was one. clean forgot to give tito you
there today. didn't get to see i, P"t tsere
was any gold dust in it," he continued,
with great archness, and fatherly pinch
of her cheek; Though suspect that ism It
the kind of currency he sends to you
at is from Mr.. Corbin - said Sally,
taking it with a languid kind of doubt;
''and only now, Paw, was just think
ing that I'd sort of drop writing any
more; 1T makes good deal of buzzing
amongst the neighbours, and L don't see
much honey nor comb in it, .s...
En-" said the G aptain, apparently
more astonished than delighted at his
daughters prudence. "Well, child. suit
yourself! It's mighty mean though, for
was just thinking of telling you that
Judge Read is an old friend of this Col
onel Starbottle, who is your friends
friend and lawyer, and he says that Col
onel StarDottle is with u.s. and working
for the Cause out there, and has got
list of all the So them men in California
that are sound and solid for the South.
Read says he shouldn't wonder If he'd
make California wheel into line, too.''
81 don't see what that's got to do with
Mr.. Corbin,'' said the young girl, i'm
patiently, Ticking the still unopened let
ter against the packet in her hand.
fEWaII caiJ tho CaDtaip NTH ol.oo-