The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-11-21
the slushy sand or bumped against the

Mrs. Vernon understood the unex-
pressed thoughts of the girls, and felt
that fine sympathy which makes the
true mother so clear and tender critic
of her daughters love. She beat
back, though she could not forget her
own distress in her desire to console
and inspirit those budding hearts
upon which the first rude wind Of
trouble was blowing.
1t was while she was usiEg her best
endeavors to distract their attention
from the subject of the war that the
carriage suddenly stopped, and she
heard some one speaking to the coach
man in sharp, nasal voice.
"Kem all the way f'om town, hev
YEP" the man was saying. "An' wat
air folks a-doin' up thar'?"
"I cayn' say, seh," answered the
coachman, whose English was OF the
thin, mincing, creole kind. II, oayn'
say vat ,zey do" = g..
"An' who ye got inter the car'ge
thar'?" ...
"I hev' ze madame an ze
ma'm'zelies, seh." -.
"Oh, weeming, air they? An whar'
air ye a-taking' 'em tot", ~,
''To re plantaseeon, seh." u
"What pertic'ler plantation air ye
a-taking 'em to?" y. F.:
1T ees Mess'u Vernon's seh."
"Humph! Let me take er squint
inter thet air vehicle; 80,
Mrs. Vernon recoiled, from the wiz
ened, wrinkled old face that was just
then thrust close to the carriage VIM
dow. Mademoiselle de j. Sezannes
screamed shrilly. q sS.
"Beg parding, weeming;* beg yer
marciful parding" EXCLAIMED The
queer, looking Old fellow, touching
his 'coon-skin cap. "Don't ye be
uneasy or afeard; Enos Peevy amt
agoin' to do ye no harm" ~
He shifted the long, heavy rifle by
o quick, deft movement, so as to letit
rest more easily in the hollow of his
bony shoulder, at the same time a
huge quid of tobacco was rolled from
one side of his mouth to the other.
@"Oh, no, no, weeming folks, I air
your friend; don't ye git sceert. Hit
air my jooty, ye know, bein' a scout
fer Gineral Jackson, ter kinder squint
inter car'ges an things ter see watts
in 'em; but, I don't hurt nobody nor
nothin'." - Is! IL. ~.
He looked very kindly into the faces
of the ladies and chewed his tobacco
with great eomplacenoy.
+ Mademoiselle, de- Sezannes began
! to speak tolubly to him in French; ;
but he onlygrinned andscratched his
head. - a.'"> -
"'T ain't no use a-Aingin' thet air
sort er stuff at me, young oman. Up
in Tennessee we jes' talks thet same
old Language wat we allus did" ,
stYou say you are scouting for jack
SOM" suavely inquired Mrs. Vernon,
merely to collect herself. ~ 80 :,
'fYas, mum; the Gin'ral an me
runs together. Wharsomever ye fin
him yell stagger: on to me pooty clost
'roun' thar. He calls me Ole Eyes;
but my name air nothin but Enos
Peevys".
s'Thank you, sir. Good morning.
Drive on, ,Catulle." Mrs. Vernon
smiled and bowedfto the man as gra
ciousN as il he had been courtier.
The coachman, obedient to the Or
der OF his mistress, started the horses
on at a, brisk gait.
"What queer person!" exclaimed
Mademoiselle de Sezannes, when they
were we'll away from the spot. "tTen-
nessee must be q strange country if it
is inhabited by that sort of people.
"But he had kind face and an en-
gaging way despite his odd dress and
comical dialect" said Mrs. Vernon,
''and should be ready to trust him, at
time Of danger" :. - .>.-i
ooh, but he's hideously ugly" T.
"No, not ugly, my dear; only out
landish- looking. I noted his features
carefully and found them of almost
Grecian regularity. 2Old age and ex-
posure have wrinkled and bronzed
him; but he has clear, honest eyes
and good face, on the whole" 8.
Mrs, Vernon urged the discussion
III order to draw the minds of the
girls: away from the recent channel, OF
thought, Pauline WAS inclined to.
side with Mademoiselle de- Sezannes
and say that the scout did not strike
her as a person to be implicitly be-,
lieved inn He must have had some
| interior design in stopping the car
riage. ! It was very easy for a man to
call himself . scout;she might be a
robber or even an English spy. Ger,
tainly he had found out by most adroit
work who they were, where they were
going and what they had in the, car
riage. Perhaps hetwould come that
very night and rob them of their
money and jewels. s -. W
.,. iTo BE >CoNT1NUED.j .e
|: - Wills OF Some Wemen. il