The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-07-08
A BACKSLIIDlElRo
BY MARTHA MCCULLOUGH
Copyright, 1899, by S. S. Mcclure Coz

benevolent despotism. He, however,
stood out so stoutly, his contumacy
was the fly in the ointment. He was
the parsons next neighbor, and, like
himself, owner of big grass farm
and breeder of race horses.
Parson Gentry loved his horses next
to his God and his daughter Peggy.
In spite of his cloth, he trained the
best of them, and entered them i'm
partially for all the big events. He
made you see nice distinction with
regard to the sport of kings. A horse,
he held ~might run for money as inno-
Gently as pillow for it. Sin came in
with the betting. That was distinctly
among diversions. which could be
used in the name of the Lord
Cawson Cooke. the contumacious
one, was painfully given to it. He
would bet, indeed, upon anything,
from the speed of his best four-miler,
to whether the corners in a given
string of fences would count out odd
or even. He was a handsome fellow
slim. blond, well set up, a dead shot,
a fine dancer, possessed wlthal OF a
singularly winning tongue. Half the
caps in the county had been set for
him ever since he left off rundabouts,
but he went scot free until he saw
Peggy Gentry, who was as dark as
gypsy, and as dimpled as cupid
The main line of social cleavage in
grass country society was religious.
The larger part of the Virginians and
Carolinians who would come across the
Blue ridge to occupy and possess 1T
had been either devout churchmen or
xhn hath n
presbyterians. A smaller moiety held
that there was no God and Tom Pain
a prophet 1t fiddled and danced and
played cards as energetically as the
larger half played and sang. The
race course was sort of neutral
ground, where those who prayed and
those who played could meet with
out loss of caste.
Peggy and Lawson, however, did
not meet there, but at one of the pious
Christian parties where old-fashioned
kissing games were the only diver
sion. When it came Peggy's turn.
she chose out Lawson. 1t astounded
her a little he would not kiss her
9ips but ONLY her hand After that
neither of them played again. When
they parted at her fathers door-he
had insisted upon riding home beside
the Gentry carriage-he took her hand
and said impulsively. Promise me
that YOU will never play again.
Peggy smiled at him saucily and
murmured, II can't promise. Sitting
out is so stupid sometimes" Law
son smiled too. ut least You'll prom
Use not to play until yous see me
again. he said. Peggy nodded and
dimpled she was sure in her own
mind that would not be half a week.
1T turned oout to be half u year.
Lawson started next day for Virginia.
His grandfather's estate was to be
distributed. and he made up his mind
TO stay until everything was settled.
Apart from that he wanted to be
very sure of himself before he adven-
tured further in what he felt to be
a vital matter.
He pondered it all through his long
rides-600 miles and bacl<-for this
was in the good old days when there
was not even a stage coach across the
Appalachain chain. Yet when he got
home toward the end of June, he was
no nearer a decision than when he
had begun. He was perfectly sure
he loved Peggy as he would never
love anybody else. The point at issue
was. ought he to try winning her?
Her father, he was certain, would
never let him have her, unless he
could bring himself to accept religion.
The parson had been preaching at
him. hot and hard ever since he came
to mans estate.
Resides there was the matter of the
bull calf. Lawson swore impatient
lv when he thought of it. He must
have been an awful young idiot, to
set on foot the foolish scheme. But
IL had not seemed foolish then-only
exquisitely humorous. to tether a lusty
yearlng in the pulpit whence Parson
Gentry was expected to preach. True
the parson had turned the joke by
making the creature point the moral
of a fine and moving discourse, on
''the beasts which perish" All the
same, Lawson knew there was in his
mind sediment of irritation, so grit
ty it might provoke an explosion.
Curiously he had no doubt what
ever as to Peggy herself. although
she was a noted fiirt, who it was well
known might pick and choose among
the best There had been that in her
eyes, dropping before his own, in the
futtering of her sou hand. the deli
cious under tremor of her voice. which
warmed his heart and made his pulses
leap when ever he let himself recall
il.
Parson Gentry had his own training
track and spent all the fine summer
mornings beside it, meditating on his
sermons and watching his horses. AS
Blue Bonnet, the pride of his heart,
pulled up at the end of four miles,
fighting for her head and evidently
full of running, he smiled estatically,
and said to the boy who rode her:
MY soul! Looks like she could lose
the best of 'em today-even if she had
a church on her back, and they only
the steeple-eh, Isham?"
''Hit do dat" Isham responded. Il
amt feared er none on 'em. 'ceptin'
tits dat dar Roxy Ann ODER ter Cookies.
She de one Bonnet is sh' 'nough GUT
ter beat, but | bet my game rooster
she kin do hit"
Tut, tut. Don't talk of betting" the
parson said. Isham had slidden down
and stood stroking Blue bonnet's lean