Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1902-10-11
CHAPTER XXI.-(Continued.)

The general was not to be deceived Dy
his nephew's apparent sympathy. lie 1g-
nored him, and addressed himself TO the
lady. "Mrs. Darlington, l forgive the
expression, since know your kind heart
and YOUR readiness to champion any men,
Der of your family. Believe me, III TINS
instance your advocacy is not merlted.
Against my will I have been convinced
that the young man whose cause you SO
ably advocate is man without the
strong principles which make character
Without these stable principles and nice
sense of the difference between right and
wrong. many a promising young man has
gone astray. l grieve to have to think It
of him."
IT am not to be deceived, sir, by your
parade Of sympathy" said Mrs. Caring
ton, scornfully. IF you do this thing
you merit the appelation. l say again,
It Is the work of scoundrel."
Madam, l cannot listen to such
words" Gen. Tazewell showed strong
disposition to retreat. II have never been
DO insulted in my life"
"Your memory fails you, then, Gen
eral," put in the paymaster again. Il
have no wish to recall a painful scene,
but think we'll before you make such an
assertion-at least while | am present
The politician paid no attention to this,
and addressed himself again to Mrs. Car
rington He was beginning to lose his
temper. Mrs Darlington, am sorry to
see a woman Of your position stoop to
the use of invective, no matter how great
the fanCied provOcation. One would think
that you had higher principles than to
champion common dishonesty and dissi-
pated manhood"
With these words General Tazewell
was retiring from the combat, when a
new assailant presented herself in Miss
Tazewell, who came upon him with a
suddenness that made him fall back a
step or two in sheer amazement. How
dare you say that?" she cried, fiercely.
when your brother, my father, lay at
the point of death, did you so much as
send him word of sympathy-he who
was made poor all his life by paying a
debt which was half yours by rights? In
stead of you, who was it stood by his
bedside2 who was it took care of the
plantation after his death? This same
Mr.. Darlington whom you are SANDER
ing and whom you wish to ruin. But you
shall not do it. My fathers property is
can raise what more is necessary on the
plantation My father was true to his
friends, as you never were. Were he
here to-day, he would do what / am 60
ing to do. What does Mr.. Darlington
owe you? 1t shall be paid at once"
But the general was now too closely
pressed on all sides, and, clambering awk-
wardly into his buggy, he drove away.
The winter passed away with no more
visits from the statesman to his home.
Maude gradually fell into the habit of
coming to Mrs. TazewelPs for his cup Of
afternoon tea, that backbone Of an Eng
lishman's comfort. On her part Fairfax
found him more interesting than she had.
he was no longer the provincial, horsey
Englishman to her, but member of that
world In which her interest lay.
In Virginia, spring is but a moment of
time There comes in April a sudden
warm day; the blue-bottles. a variety of
hyacinth, poke up their cold little noses
to the sunshine; there is a swelling Of
sassafras buds in the fence rows; peach
tree on a south slope hesitatingly puts
out a pink blossom, its neighbors burst
into bloom; the locusts show tiny fringe
of green; nature awakens from her yin
ter's sleep and clothes the pastures in
velvet, and before one can more than
take breath in the kaleidoscope change,
10! 1t is summer, and the corn is up.
81 have a letter from my husband
Mrs. Tazewell said one day, as Maude
STROBE up whipping his boots with his
whangce cane. He is to be Senator
from Virginia"
That's awfully good, isn't it" Maude
said, eagerly. We'll have you at the
Court Of ST. James yet. Fancy having
known the wife Of the American ambas-
sador on Virginia plantation among
her mules and corntields. Another Prin-
cess Pocahontas! I'll have to make a
special trip home, then, to see you in all
your glory"
And | have another from your land
lord, written from some unpronouncable
place in the South Seas" she continued.
Il will read you scraps Of it. He doesn't
seem to have received my last letter,
though" She read here and there from
a long letter. Parts of it she read only
in private, parts that recalled events still
vivid in her memory, though they seem
ed entirely out of her present life; and
again she wondered If he had received the
letter she wrote to him from Saratoga
They sat there until the sun began to
sink and the chill of evening to come on.
Maude stayed to supper, and afterwards,
as they were standing by the mantel in
the parlor, talking. they were startled by
CHATTER Of hoofs on the drive followed
shortly by loud knocking at the door.
Maude brought in muddy boy with q
telegram.
suppose my husband is coming
nome. Fairfax said, tearing it open. Il
am used to kilograms. What is this?
Very illF " she said, slowly, staring be-
fore her. He said nothing Of this in
ms letter Friday. l must so in the night
train, VIII You drive Inc to the station.
please?"
During the long drive through the night
Fairfax hardly spoke Maudc Thinking
her silence due to the sudden shock did
not interrupt her thoughts. But her Al
lence was not due to the shock. or to the