The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-11-11

| the Tue CAuICu vas uNCOIdlSu
with bamboo vines, dogwood flowers
an the blossoms of our wild crab.
Many time since then has Whit of
| crab blossoms come to me, when out at
night, through the pines, or in the
early mornin' have l come suddenly
upon dogwood tree in bloom; an then
the inside of the church, as it appeared
that night, comes back to me, an, old
man that am, have the same sicken-
in feelin' around my heart that felt
as l watched blossom walk up the
aisle.
''In my heart | had alwayscalled her
my Apple Blossom so pink an sweet
an beautiful had she appeared to me.
That night was the first time had ever
seen her pale. She looked like slen-
der lily as she moved up the aisle all
alone. How straight she stood. an
how gentle she walked. with eyes all
the while fastened on the white prayer
book. She passed her maid of honor
and stood at the foot of the altar, but
there was no one to receive her. l
turned and looked toward the door of
the little room, at the left of the pull
pit, for a glimpse of Hal, but he was
nowhere to be seen. Lookin' back at
Blossom, who still stood waitin' with
downcast eyes, l became aware of
something unusual happening.
Clara, teo, was missin', an the brid-
al party an the people in the church
were all gain at the do through
which she should come. But in the
place of the bride came Tony, Miss
Chisholm's house boy, with note in
his ham. He hurried up the aisle an
landed 1t to Quintilian. Without
word he tore the note open an read
it, then handin' it to DR.. Dwight he
stepped toward Blossom. But he was
too late, for befo' he reached her she
fell forward in dead faint. 1t was the
middle of the next day befo' she re-
gained consciousness. Then followed
long spell of brain fever. an it was
late in the fall befo' she was well
enough-to be moved. Mrs. Skreene
now took her to New Orleans. an they
remained there until the breakin' out
of the war, two years later.
"At the secon' battle of Manassas
Quintilian was hot in the head. He
has been like this ever since. AT first
a piece of the skull pressed on the
brain, so after the war we took him
north and had it trephined, but this
had no effect beyond benefitin' his gen.
eral health. In the winter he sits over
the fire readin' an smokn', an in the
summer he sits in the pom.
"About ten years ago Clara made
her appearance here again with two
small children. Her first children had
all died. an she said that Hal, the year
befo', had gone on raid with a lot of
cattlemen, over the Mexican border.
an been killed. 1 told you, didn't 1.
that the night of the weddin' they ran
away and went to Texas? Well, that's
what happened, an nobody ever heard
from them until Clara came here hunt
in for her people. But they are all
dead or married an moved away years
ago, an I reckon she would have gone
away without anybody KNOWN she
had been here if she hadn't met Quin-
tilian comm up from the pom. Old
an haggard though she was, he knew
with him, an Blossom took her in an
treated her as if they had always been
the best of friends.
"Clara hadn't as much as dollar,
an said, at first, she would take her
children to Augusta an get work in the
factories; but Blossom an Quintilian
wouldn't hear of it.. They fixed up the
old Bailey house for her, an support
her an her children just as Mrs.
happened, as told you. some ten years
ago. but to Quintilian it seems but
few weeks or months. He has had the
house he built for her repaired. an is
under the hallucination that at the
end of her year of mournin' she will
marry him. Very occasionally he goes
with Blossom to see Clara-though he
fancies he sees her several times day
an she is as anxious as he for the end
of the year"
When the doctor had finished his
story we turned into the public road.
AS soon as the mule touched its hard
surface he pricked up his ears and
struck surprisingly swift trot.
Three years later went south again,
and took the same trip with the doc
tor, but this time the work at his kao-
lin beds was in full blast, and we drove
pair of housekeeping bays instead of
one mule. When we reached the
branch the bays were unchecked and
drank. but the doctor did not turn up
stream to the pond beyond the gall
and briar bushes. | asked for the rea-
son and he shook his head as he re-
piled:
''He is no longer there. 1t happened
last summer. One afternoon, when he
was goin' home from the pom, he met a
man who had tramped up the road
from Augusta. He was old and in tat
ters, but Quintilian knew him. and.
standin' there face to face with him,
the past all came back. That night
Blossom sent for me, but saw at once
that could do no good. 1t was but
the beginnin' of the end, which came,
thank God, swiftly. He was perfectly
rational, with all of his old-time brill
liancy an mental strength, but befo'
the end of the week we laid him by the
side of his mother.
II hear" he continued, after a few
moments pause, flicking the leaves of
the blackjacks with his whip. "that to-
night Clara an Hal give a big water
melon cutting as a comin'-out party