The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-28
CHAPTER IT. The Return of Two Warriors.


 When the great contest began. Nan
 was close to B and Gabriel was 14. Ce-
 phas was younger; he had lived hardly
 as many months as he had freckles on his face They wandered about together, always accompanied by Tlsma rid, all of them being children in every sense of the word.
 And then, in the course of dime came
 the collapse of the Confederacy. and this march of time brought about gradual change in the relations between Nan and
 Gabriel. Somehow, and to her great dis
 gust, Nan awoke one morning and was told that she was a young woman, or
 dreamt that she was told. Anyhow, she
 realized all of a sudden that she was now too tall for short dresses. and too old to be playing with the boys, as If she were one of them.
 She asked herself a thousand times why she should now begin to feel shy of | Gabriel, and why she should be so self
 conscious. It was all puzzle to her,
 and as Nan grew shy and shyer, so the
 newly Gabriel grew more and more timid and the two soon found
 themselves very far apart without know ing why. For a long time Cephas was
 the only connecting link between them.
 He had not the least notion why the two friends and comrades were inclined to avoid each other. He only knew that he was not having as pleasant time as fell to his portion when they were all going about together with no serious mo- tions of life or conduct,
 When the war came to close Gabriel
 was nearly IS, and Nan was II. though she appeared to he d year or two younger. Regularly she used to hunt Cephas up and carry him home with her for the at- nd ba pf hand Gabriel
 manifested a great fondness for the little fellow, who enjoyed his enviable popu- larity with a clear conscience. It was years and years afterward before the se- cret of his popularity d9wned upon him. If he had suspected it at the time his pride, such as he had, would have had q terrible fall,
 One day, it was the year of Appemat- tox, and the month of June, ,Cephas heard
 his name called, and answered very
 promptly for the voice the voice of Gabriel, and it was burdened with an invitation to visit the woods and fields that surrounded the town. And Cephas | leaped from the house, glad to escape from the domestic task at which he had been set. They roamed about the green wood and oyer the hills and fields. and finally found themselves in the public highway that leads to Malvern. | Cephas found a cornstalk. and with hardly an effort of mind changed 1t into
 fine saddle horse. The contasion seized Gabriel and though he was close upon
 his 18th birthday, he secured cornstaiK, which at once became a saddle-horse at | his bidding The steed that Cephas be- strude was comparatively gentle, but Ga ! priels horse developed a desire to take | fright at anything he saw, and his exam pie was soon followed by the steed that ! Cephas rode. The two boys were so bus | ily engaged in trying to control their I perverse horses that they failed to see a big covered wagon that came creeping uD the h:l beIiLd them. So, while they
 were cutting up the,r queer capers. the big wagon, drawn by two large mules, was plump upon them. As for Cephas, | he dldn | care, being at an age when such capers are permissible but Gabriel 1 bushcd when he discovered that his child l ish pranks had witnesses. and he turned a shade redder when he saw that the occupants of the wagon here, of all per
 sons in the world, MT. silly Sanders and
 Francis Bethune.
 Both of the boys would have passed
 on, but for the compelling voice of Mir.
 Sanders. Why, it's little Gabe, and he 8
 little Gabe no longer, And Cephas ain't
 growed a mite. Hello Gabe! Hello Ce- phas! Howdy, howdy?'
 1 Francis Bethunes salutation was some
 what constrained, What Is the matter
 with Gabriel?' he asked.
 It's a thousand piies. Frank" re-
 marked Mir. Sanders, that Sarah Clop-
 ton wouldn't let you be a boy along with
 the other boys; but she coddled you up | jest like you was a gal"
 Bethune blushed hotly, while Gabriel
 and Cephas fairly yelled with laughter and there was a little resentment in Ga- birels mirth. But l don't see what could
 possess Tolliver," Bethune insisted.
 "Shucks, Frank. you wouldn't know of l he was to write it down for you, an Nan
 Dorrln ton would know wrout any tellin'
 You aint a bit brighter about sech mat ters than you was the day Nan give you
 thumpin'"
 | At this Gabriel laughed again, for he
 had been an eyewitness to the episode
 to which Mir. Sanders referred. A boy
 has his prejudices, as older persons have | theirs. Bethune had always had the ap- peararce of being too fond of himself; l when other boys of his age were playing
 and pranking, he would be primping and