Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-04-23

IOlly, rigging u ucIocilb uau OIL uSSfSu
to speak, but was tongue tied by dread
Of some unconscious betrayal. A novel
emotion had grown in few tragic
hours, swiftly as the Hindoo juggler's
mango, and, sweet as 1t was in the run
of her young blood, she choked at the
thought as an insult to pride and duty.
To look at her troubled features In the
glass made her palm tingle to slap the
face Of the image in her torment, and
then she would quiver at the thought
of the gallant fellow and moan that she
was an ungrateful wretch.
Uncle Jonas, bursting with intense
admiration for this special Yankee, was
grunting over his hoe in the garden and
hailed Wentworth, moodily pacing the
lane:
"Tze done glad dat all de UniOners
isn't lax yo' uns, mars. Den we uns
c'u'dn't a ait yo' uns up lax awgs attn
cohn t'oder day. Fo' Gawd, but Mars
Wat hissif c'u'dn't a druv back dose
vile beastisses wat tried to rob de
Brundage place lax yo'. Meh ole mars
gone now, an Missy Polly she heart
broke. wy, Mars Yank, she cry an
cry an cry. see 'er wen she dunno,
an un'stan' meh young mistis lax meh
own chile. She cried lax babby, tn,
wen you'd wandehed off in de lane,
crazylike, dat night, an she nussed yo'
on 'er buzzum an 'el yer aid wen we
brought yo' back on de rails. Yassir,
dat's wat she du' do she'd allus call
ed yo' one ub de Yankee dawgs, TO she
jes' cracked wild her gran'pa's death"
This indiscreet babble, which Uncle
Jonas proceeded to expand, filled a gap
in the young mans memory which
amazed him and sent thrill Of incred.
ulous pleasure through his veins.
Could the impossible have come to
pass? The fancy was shock that al
most dizzied him, and so all that after
noon he sat on the bank by the shining
water under the well remembered oak
brooding over the thought
Polly had just received letter from
her brother, sent out by an orderly
from Richmond. ''By the way" he
wrote, 81 have succeeded, with General
Stuart's help, in persuading the war
department to send your awkward
guest into the Federal lines. You may
expect an ambulance at almost any
moment, for fear he should not be able
to ride. He will come up here and go
down the river to HarrisOn's Landing
under flag Of truce"
"You must see Mr.. Wentworth at
once" said Aunt Pamela, IAN, Polly,
you must he gracious an tell your
thanks to our benefactor, for you've
been very cold to the poor, deah fell
lah."
The crisis had come which couldn't
be shirked, and Polly faced 1t with
trembling knees. which belled her es-
sentially fearless temper. Wentworth
had heard the clank of a scabbard and
instinctively expected news. He had
risen from the bank as Polly slowly
approached, hamadryad turned to pas
sionate, quivering womanhood.
"My Orothah writes" she said un-
steadily. "that you must be ready to go
to Richmond, to be sent through the
lines, Mr. Wentworth. An. oh, | want
to say how good an brave you've been.
an don't think I've been ungrateful.
But you know - spose twas very
wicked-how used to hate, an 1t was
hard to-
"That's all right, Miss Brundage. !
can understand. Please don't worry
about it. It's not very easy to say
things sometimes. My God. no! And
for me"-he was warm and cold at
once-"parting takes something out Of
life. If things were different, l could
speak, but | must be silent" Tom
raised his arms and reached out as II
he would clasp vanishing hope. The
swift gesture sent an agonizing pain
through his half healed side, and he
staggered. Instantly the girl forgot
everything and held him fast on her
shoulder as she had done once before
and the world was gone to her in one
great swimming thought.
Tom pulled himself together and
looked into the glorious gray eyes
which looked into his without disguise
and heaven opened in their shining.
"Polly, Polly" he burst out, may
say Polly now?" A little ripple Of mis-
chief rausover her face and shaped hel
mouth into a murmured Eyes" which
seemed like O kiss.