The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-11-13
rcopyrlrht. 1881. BY the Au.hor.l

jectedly. She'll mebbe die, and 50
will them that goes after her.
Would fear Of your own life deter
you from trying to save hersY''
It was Marshall who spoke.
II got my life to think Of" the mill
or blurted out. II got her gran father
to think Of, pore, blind, ole man.
S'posin I went for her, and me and her
both died. What'll become o. him then?
No, daddy" to the netmaker, who was
rapidly becoming maudlin when he
heard himself pitied, "s'long as I got IA
crust it's half yourn. Besides, Mist
Marshall, you don't know what Yallow
Jacks like, or You wouldn't speak SO
bold"
"Then you will not go after her
will not make an effort to save her
even at this early stage?"
"Mist' Marshall''-
"You do not love herl" cried Mar
shall.
"Does she love me?" demanded the
miller. "Ain't I got no feelins Of a
man? Would she 60 way If she keered
for me? Don't she go way to get rid O.
mo and the weddin? Amt there been
force work 'nough9 But love her! 1 love
her as I never loved no other woman,
nor never shall. There"
The netmaker was in tears.
"Shos a disbedient girl, he said,
"and she's give me world O. trouble
with her wills and her won'ts I'll new.
er hear her name mentioned. cast her
off-she's went ag'in an honest man
that'd make her good husband, and
she's deserted her ole. blind gran father
that's KEEP a home over her head the
best he could, workin day in and day
out to dot. Henceforrard I amt got
no granddaughter. Ell" Strengthening
himself, "lift mo down the family BIZ
Bile. Find me the place O. tho births"
The miller took the book from the fair,
white cloth Polly had ever kept it in to
protect it. "Now, her name," the net
maker said, and the miller guided his
gnarled finger to certain line. Here
l cast her off" Dampening his finger,
ut I'LL ~ uSIOSs d uuilC, 1CuNAA6 " AoAb
black smear upon the white surface. II
amt got nobody in all tho wide world
that s got my blood in 'em." And he fell
buck in the miller's arms, crying aloud
for Polly, his dead daughters child, the
girl he had worked for all her life.
Marshall left the two men. He wan
dered about the place for an hour or
more, ringing in his ears When he
returned to the house, the netnaker
informed him that as there was no one
to keep the house it would be forthwith
closed, tho miller having offered to pro-
vide for the forsaken old man for the
rest Of his life or until something
might be heard regarding Polly.
Marshall packed his bag. On the 9th
once more, q hot, sweltering CITY. A
pile of letters awaited him, for he had
not left any address behind him when
he went away in search of nature, and
the epistles had accumulated. There
was hut one from Jane Cristowell. Jane
told him that the viscount she had met
on the Adriatic had gone beyond all
precedent and begged her to admire him
sufficiently to accept him, the title Of
viscountess and house in the Faubourg
St. German. She had sent the viscount
adrift, and she laughed at him when
ever she thought of him. Then, after
all, did Jane care little for the man
she would marry? He softly laid the
letter aside. He staid indoors all day.
Toward evening he opened his bag and
emptied it of its contents. Out fell
handkerchief with pierre Of paper i'll
its folds.
IT took your mor.ey to pay for my
ticket to Memphis" wrote Polly. II
think you understand me better than
the rest, and maybe if I'd been in your
sphere we'd been more friendly. ldon't
love Ell and I can't marry him be-
cause
"Ahaw cried Marshall, shifting his
forehead. "What an idiot I have been
not to sec the truth. She writes, I
don't love Ell and can't marry him be-
cause love somebody else. Poor Polly,
you love somebody else and can't marry
the miller, and Jane couldn't accept
tho title of viscountess because She II
Jane loved me, would she write only Of
the viscount and how she couldn't help
laughing at him every time she thinks
Of him? I fear he was sans teeth, sans
everything, even bank account. For
give me, Jane, but l am not well ac-
quainted with you yet. But Jane has
lots of protectors-he father and NE
and whom has Polly? Not that cur
mudgeon Of grandfather, with his
mslodramatic striking of her name from
the family Bible; not the miller Has
she nobody to befriend her, nobody to
save her? She has. She shall not die ii
fool and snob can do anything. And
would Jane refuse to let me go to Mem
phis after the poor little womanT
That night he went toward Memphis
When he reached the city, he under
stood the horror Of a sickness he had
only hitherto read about. He heard
the tap, tap of the hammers on the rude
implanted coffins. He saw the long
trenches which were graves for 20 at
time. Sisters in black gowns and stiftly
starched caps fitted noiselessly past
him in the awful heat, entering houses
with the mark on them, He saw thieves
bearing forth valuables which only the
dead might claim. And where was
Polly?
He went from station to station. Even
the commission could tell him nothing.
He took to questioning the sisters when
no met them, for Polly's love of the I'M.
known man appealed to him as nothing
had ever before appealed to him. He
would find her, restore her to the man
she cared for, maybe set the man up in
business If he were poor. Yet how could
he be poor when Polly loved him enough
to die for her love-poor Pollyl
A sister approached him. He was
about to address to her the inquiry he
had made hundred times when she
forestalled him.
"Mr. Marshall?" she asked quietly.
"Sister, am searching for young
girl named Polly Lasher," he said i'll
return. For two days I have looked
for her here
II came from her." tho sister said.