The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-02-07
CHAPTER I.

'o-N@A NtNfnto aiioiAJ llAiCS ioly al
the colonel's after dinner talks, supple
mented by the best Havana cigars, wer
worth staying many hours for. TIL
young men in the county of Applegat
all regarded him with envious ADM
ration and always spoke Of him as I"
gentleman of tho old school,
Forced to define gentleman Of tn
old school, they would no doubt hav
described the colonel as "a man VIII
would sooner cut throat than lie o
cheat, would wing his man with til
most punctilious regard for the regula
tions Of the code, who ranked cleanli
ness far above godliness and had no
an ounce Of littleness in his whole com
position"
The oolonel's physical composition
was Of the most liberal description. H,
was big man with a clean shaven
massive lower jaw and beautifully
chisoled mouth, whose upturned corners
were more suggestive Of smiles thar
sneers.
His marked popularity among womer
made it perpetual marvel that he
should have escaped matrimony and
was still, at the age of IS, free to call
his men friends about him for sumptu.
GUS dinners, over which a butler in.
stead Of wife presided.
"a great big house, furnished Just ar
his mother had left il; servants trained
to anticipate his every want, q planta-
tion bringing him in an income for a
prince, and, oh, WE'LL" said the minis.
ter's wife, "it WAS simply inexplicable,
his not marrying There must be some-
thing behind it all"
Apologize authorities were of the
opinion that there was nothing at all
behind 1t. The colonel 8 life was known
to his old friends and neighbors as
clean story writ in large primer. He
had grown up in their midst right there
III THAT stately old white pillared man
sion, perched high OIL grassy terraces,
and, with tho exception Of two OF three
years spent in Mexico, where he had at
one time "gone into minos," his whole
life was fapiliar to local cbroniclcrs.
. twas only newcomers, like the min
ister's vito, who ever questioned the
methods Of lifo pursued behind the long
green shutters Of the Bascom house.
The county of Apologize aud the town
Of Cloverdell accepted the colonel just
as he was-a great big jolly fact, full
Of boundless charity for his fellow
man and always ready to make good
tho shortcomings Of others, whether it
was matter of finance or of moral
delinquency. He was the idol of the
Ladies' Aid society and tho Willing
Workers because he could always be re-
lied upon to make good any deficit in
the countless charities preoariously sus-
tanned by their efforts.
If there vas anything that the Clo-
verdell people did thoroughly under.
stand, 1t was Colonel Merriman Bascom
and his ways.
And yet tho colonel was about to
spring an immense surprise upon his
friends. He had piece of information
to impart which he thought warranted
a formal gathering. 1t was going to
prove a bombshell in the ranks of his
followers and perhaps ALLEVIATE the last
ono Of them.
Having entire confidence in his cook,
who knew we'll that it was as much as
her place was worth to send the NAL
lard ducks to table shade over or I'M
der done, and in his butler, who knew
tho exact number Of wineglasses to put
at each plato and was infallible touch
ing the proper sequence Of claret and
it was unusual for the colo
mel to display any anxiety concerning
tho dinner arrangements
But on this particular occasion he
fitted restlessly from his dressing room
to the dining room and thence to the
butler's pantry, tasting the half mixed
salad dressing and passing crude com.
nents on everything in the most exas-
fashion, getting snubbcd by
lis cook, which had the effect of send
ing him back to his dressing room,
where he resumed his interrupted toilet
with an absentminded indifference to
'esults, totally foreign to his usual pre-
'iso regard for appearances.
He endeavored to explain his feverish
cstlessness to the handsome, perplexed
acc that frowned at him from his mir
or as he tied his lavender silk scarf.
"You see, this is no ordinary dinner.
Z is crisis, an epoch, a turning point
n more than one life. What in the
leuce the fellows will all think of it I
ant even conjecture, but I'm taking
he only possible horn of the dilemma.
low l will get through with it is an
Their thing I can't guess. ,
These reflections seemed to superin-
nee sudden accession Of heat. He ,
Jung up the nearest window with VIC. E
INT energy, and, stepping out upon the
eranda, stood there, hopping his broad +
orehead until he had reduced his fresh
ambrio handkerchief to q moist, limp n
ag. S
This neccssitated a return to his bu.
,au drawer for fresh one. He saturat-
it with good cologne, tramping up f
nd down furiously, with the bottle in h
is hand. Manifestly the colonel's usu- !,
lily serene soul was stirred to its very fl
epths. Suddenly he seized two hair
'ushes and faced once more the elderly tt
entleman IN the mirror with an angry n
2nland d
Whose business is it but my own, "
,nfound it all? Tell me that" The
in the mirror glared back. ts
is great flashing gray eyes said plainly: Of
"You are i'll devil of q mess, old 81
How, and no one knows it better than III
do. I'm tremendously sorry for you, di
1T how can l help you out of it?'' fe
This uncomfortable state of affairs
sted until a high swung wagonette, hi
18th swiftly revolving yellow wheels, q
avn by two proudly stepping trotters,
un around the graveled carriage way, je
posting the first installment of the yc
lonel's guests upon the broad succeed yc
ont steps. ca
The cclonel's scorn for tardy din.
r guest was we'll known. No one ever tn
'ked his frown by keeping his table
lifting. Cabs, saddle horses, sulkies,
gcarts. followed the yellow wheeled
lgonette in rapid succession. Their
cupants were received at the head of ed
hoo