The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-27

pects-but nobody knows, except the min
ister,'' he said. THE people at, the party
thought Swan was only fooling-as she
was when she called herself Mrs. Ben
1sham. Ben is mad about her-but she
will hardly look at him now"
You are sure of that?" Maj. Hill:ard
asked. Morris smiled, half angrily, half
confidently.
Swan would break her fiddle over his
head If he even looked love at her" he
said. But tell me, governor, do you
mean to disown me? You would be JUS
tilted in doing it,"
God knows-perhaps-I do not" Maj.
billiard said. But promise me. my son,
to keep quiet, for three days longer"
The shiftlessness of all the river bend
settlement reached its towering in the
Hinton house. Ii was tumble down.
log structure just on the edge of the
water There was a low rail fence about
It, Where the gate should have been
the rails were stretched apart. "Po
whites, they bound ter stick ter po' white
ways" old Nat Hinton said to Maj. Hill
lard as that gentleman walked through
the gap, upon the morning after Morris
confession.
Old Nat leaned against the jamb of the
big room door. hitching up the single
string gallus that supported his patched
trousers, He was cOdtleSs, anu Hdu One
shoe half off. A stubby black pipe sent
up a mighty reek from one corner OF his
moush. He had small shrewd. far-sight-
ed eyes All the lower half of his face
was shrouded in a fleece of beard that
reached nearly TO his waist.
yes, po' white ways" old Nat repeated.
Them thar fine gals o mine, now. MaJer,
ef they was yourn, you'd ruther see 'em
dead AN earnln' good money, jest a-tick-
lin fiddle an banjo strings. But they likes
Il. an l likes hit. Tell yer, 'twould
take er heap err money, eff any Teller want
ed ter buy us outen business now"
.sHow much?' Maj. billiard asked. He
had caught old Mats drift and felt in
tuitively that old Nat sensed his own err
rand.
'.Wellv' cid Mats tone was reflective.
..I emme see! Hit would take err big pile
yes stree! er big one. The bands with
better in $500 a year ter me- my own self,
not countin' whut them air children
wastes On thar nanny, an hne Things
fer thar own selves.
Il viii give you 81. 600 in hand and 1,0O0
a year. for life, IL you'll take them all,
go away--and never come back" Maj.
billiard said. Old Nat laughed provok-
ingly.
THAT does sound liberal" he said.
"But IL amt! o, no. it amt. not a-talll
Why II aiu't half the wuth o. the dover
in nothin' about all the money an mig
| gers"
My wife is the only person who could
| claim dover in Wake Forest" Maj. Hill
! Hard said slowly. and certainly, shall
never marry again. My son, although my
natural heir, has-nothing but what
| choose 20 give him. 1t might happen that
would choose-to give him nothing-not
even enough TO keep him from starvation
"But-but you won't never, never do
that O, Major. please say you won't
| never do that" a soft young voice cried
| from behind old Nat Old Nat stepped sui
lenly aside. You better so on in, and talk
your talk out" he said. You aln't nc
| need ter beat about the bush. l knowed
as soon as seen you comm whut had
| suspcloned wus the fact--so. Yer boy
! is my son-in-law, and you don't like II.
Well, now. whut air we goin' ter do about
| it?"
IAN a man can do 10 save his only
SON" Mai. billiard said, stepping within
the dingy room, which even Swan Hin
| tons Surprising beauty could not illum-
| inc out Of sorddness Swan was slender
| as a reed, yet had a figure of exquisite
| curves. Her skin, under the dashes OF
| sunburn, was Of a fine creamy pallor
| Lips intensely scarlet curving to true
| Cupid's row accented the pallor as die
l her dark appealing eyes. aud her croYE