The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-10-24
CHAPTER XIV.
CONTINUED.

CONTINUED.
When General Andrew Jackson
came to New Orleans, he came as
typical Anglo-American, as oontradls-
ting-ished from the Latin creole. He
was a man of iron, rough, resolute,
imperious, even impetuous, with the
training of an Indian fighter and bor-
der chieftain, who had never known
Siefest. But here in the far-famed
bitv of romance, here in the warm.
languorous South, he found to his
surprise that these pleasure-lovlng
creoles, these descendants OF princes
and of buccaneers, these vivacious,
bicturesquely handsome men with the
soft voices and the courtly manners,
did not particularly admire and GER
tainly did not fear him. They rather
looked upon him as an interloper:
The up-country men were not IN good
tepute there, anyway. Burr and Will
kinson and Claiborne and whole
Elan of lesser fellows had given these
preoles great deal of trouble while
preparing the way to lift them into the
GREAT American Union, and now jack
son was looked upon as the arch in
terloper. But not few Of the in
hsbitants of New, Orleans who called
themselves French were in reality
English, Irish, German, Scotch or
Polish refugees; and at this partic-
alar iuncture, when the British army
was about to assault the gates of the
city, there were those among them
who were glad to have the sdamant OF
Jsckson's will and the prestige of his
courage and generalship thrust be-
tween them and the coming foe. One
of these was Mr.. Vernon. To him the
thought of an English commander
getting control of New Orleans was
the vision of absolute ruin. Not only
would it be the end of all his wealth
and influence, bat there would swiftly
follow q terrible visitation of so-called
Justice upon his head. But for this
he might have been Indifferent, as
were many of the population, or he
might have preferred British success
TO the domination of men like Jackson
and Claiborne.
he left the theatre on the night OF
the alarm with great burden of
trouble Expressing him. Fairfax had
observed before this that Colonel Lor-
Ing seemed to exert singular inau-
ence over Mr.. Vernon, or rather, it
looked as if Mr.. Vernon had some
deep interest in the welfare OF that
dark, saturnine man who was, as he
still believed, Pierre Rameau, the
robber. Both Mrs. Vernon and Paul
inc had noticed this remarkable in
timaoy and had more than once Won
dered together regarding it. On a
pertain occasion, Pauline had acci-
4 dentally overheard her father, when
tonferring alone with Loring, address
him with impatlence and speak as
though chiding him for some fault.
, ''By these rash acts," Mr.. Vernon
vas saying to him, on the morning
following the scenes recorded in our
last chapter, "you have made it prob
ably impossible for you to stay in this
country"
r. They were sitting facing each other
In the library; Loring had come into
the house by a side entrance from a
private alley.
ooh, well," was the careless an
swer, eff I can't stay can go. There
Ss Mexico; can return to my mines. "
Mr.. Vernon gazed steadily at him
with eyes that burned half wistfully,
half in anger.
But" he presently said, cit is
time for you to quit this rowing life;
get yourself under control, and make
the most of your talents. You are
still young, just coming into the pine
of life."
"I know-I've been thinking of it. "
p "But what does thinking amount to
If you keep on? No man ever did
acts more absolutely uniustifable or
more desperately foolish than"
"Oh, certainly, there's no use tell
ing me that; but I couldn't help it.
The only wonder is that Isdidn't kill
them both; I usually do"
! Loring spoke with an indescribable
expression; it was if he felt no special
Interest in what he was sayiug-ss if
it were hollow mockery for him to
speak at all. His eyes, his lips, the
7ines of his face gave forth hard,
hopeless, unfeeling light which
seemed to come out OF physical
rather than mental dilemma.
'I saw no excuse whatever for your
treatment of Ballanche," said MIR.
Vernon. ''It looked like piece of
wanton viciousness."
The old mans face had grown as
gray as his beard, and the wrinkles
:deepened strangely.
Loring sat upright, not rigidly, but
with certain animal elasticity of
limb and body which suggested sur
plus of vital force. He made no re-
sponse in words, and appeared to
throw off with some superficial effort
the whole burden of the subject.
"Of course it will be impossible
for you to Join Jackson now," MIR.
Vernon added, after long silence.
81 ohall probably go to the other
side," said Loring, with smile.
"Thc other side!'
+ "Why not? It's my best way to
make it even"
"But, in honor, you cannot do
that"
"Humph!"
"Moreover you know that for the
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