Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-05-10

Ne eagerly possessed herself Of the paper.
upon the causes Of the perturbation
All ong her white folks" that. had
long been manifest TO her subtle in.
stincts Her mistress and the governor
had been cerious and troubled. What
for; They who held all the world could
give! As for Mr.. Adrien, he was like
the butterflies for joyous Irresponsible
ty and gay indifference to the future.
H. was never serious or troubled.
At last Suzanne knew what II all
meant. For months past she had been
industriously piercing together word
and phrases and disjointed sentences
that had evidently been violently dis
located upon her entering the room.
Her indefatigable industry was reward.
ed at last.
Something tremendous was about to
happen. I. concerned her. Ii c. ncerLed
"niammy." It concerned her entire
race. She was triu-lphantly glad Of her
small stock Of lear4i2g, mere crIiahs
Of knowledge flung to her at second
hand by the Miss Gabr ella whom ,hey
all still missed and by Eben Martin =
daughter, Y no carried herself so loftily
now that Suzanne rarely held cfAversc
with her. But she was grateful TO both
the girls for what they had taught her
in that scrspyy fashion long Gg,.
Heretofore Suzanne's modicum OF
knowle6 70 had been he'd in the same
esteem as her mo; cum o. secondhand
fnery, CLEANED from her mistress ward
robe, something 10 be reserved for ;5--'Gnd
occasions on which she desired to over
awe and humble her interiors i'll the
quarter lot.
But it had o real value at last. It
helped her to co:lprehend the long,
closely printed columns i'll the afternoon
edition of the Sessumsport Herald.
which special messenger was sent to
fetch, and which Adrien read aloud
with e.aculatory excitement, emphasiz-
ing certain passages with triumphant
little huzzas and wild wayings Of the
moist sheet.
II was an enthusiasm, she observed,
which was not particii ,lted III by the
governor. IL point CT fact, for every
one of Adrien's ecstatic huzzas the gov
ernor returned something very like q
groan. Evidently that long column in
the afternoon Herald was full of portent
to the white folks. She would read II
over herself that night after tea was
over and she had combed her mistress
hair and bathed the soft, white, blue
veined feet that never tired rougher
| maths than those that wcund through
the rose garden Of the governor man
sion.
There were countless little services
for Suzanne to perform at the big house
before she was at liberty to go home
for the nigLt-home to Neck or Moth
ing, where nanny held autocratic
sway over Strong Martins domestic ar.
rangements. But when they were all
performed, the soft, waving white hair
tucked smoothly away under the lace
frilled nightcap, the cut glass carafe OF
orange leaf water placed on the little
stand by thu big canopied bed, black
Suzanne stole stoftly down stairs into
the darkened library, and, cropping her
way to the table, eagerly possessed her
self Of the p yer that meant 30 much to
her and to people.
She woull read it aloud to NANNY
first. Nanny was shrewd witted aud
long headed. She possessed the prophet.
| ic vision Of ''conger woman, " and &c
could foreteil the consequences OF this
great matter better than Suzanne could
possibly do.
1t seemed incredible to her as she
turned at tho side gate to glance back
at the grand white mansion towering
majestically above its glossy evergreen
strawberries that change or disaster
coaId ever conie to her white folks.
The very timbers that sheltered them
seemed az solid as the earth that had
given them growth, the earth, which
belonged by right Of heritage to the
Strongs forever and forever. Who would
dare assail such majesty Nanny
might say she could not.
Her way led her through the quartea
lot, pas. the great barnlike log struc'
ture which did duty for dancehouse.
She had forgotten it was Saturday
niaht. From between the chinks Of th<
inoaNly dsubed lnes jnus ltuaa q liaAa