The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-25

fast by my sides Perhaps, too, you
yourself on occasion have been stung
of high impulse and fain would soar
with a poem; ana then, when you
I stretched for flight, found no furnish
ment of wings Most folk have been
| thus crowded upon by eXaltations, and
were prey to thoughts for the express
sion of which their hsping natures lack
/ ed facility. They had the sinew, but
not the soul. There was verse in them,
/ but with 1t no presentation dress of
word or ornament of rhyme. They
Gagged a tune of music in their hearts
and failed of those notes asked for to
announce its melody.
Still, our Peg, for wrom we toiled-
/ the General and land intrigued and
made new friendships and broke old
| ones, and who was in her fortunes the
! beginning of policies on the Generals
! part so lasting in Importance to the
state, shall not go untold. l must make
/ what effort lies in me to give some
| notion of a beauty that claimed so
| much of potency in equations of gov
eminent solved of our times.
For myself, and | take no shame for
II, | say freely that of the charges laid
against her by common tongue, l was
convinced of her innocence by the mere
/ beauty of her face, just as the lowell
ness of that Greek girl aforetime con-
Vlnced the judges and wrought a ver-
dict in her favor. There be flowers
so purely beautiful as to refuse and re-
flute a stain; and such a blossom was
the lustrous Peg O'Neal.
was first to meet with her at this
| time; and while l had not condemned
her in my thoughts-to condemn
woman is, for a man, the coward part!
if | found myself possessed of views
at all, they leaned to her disfavor. l
h. III
white soul suffering wrong; but l also
knew the General to be mercurial, and
a bnndly passionate recruit when once
enlisted. Besides, his own wife had
been throughout her life-and she most
vlrtuous!-so lashed of SANDER, that
his blood was ever up and about the
defense of any whose wailing wrongs
resembled hers. The Generals attitude
were never the offshoots of cold wis
dom; he was one who believed the
worst of foe so soon as it was told,
and the best of a friend before ever it
was told at all. Wherefore l would not
accept the Generals decision touching
Peg, more than l would take other con-
clusions from his hands.
My conservatism and Just slowness
cut. however, no figure, since, as 1 tell
you, with the moment l clapped eyes
upon her, l changed TO be her knight
her champion; and thereafter / matched
even the torrid General in fire for her
cause.
1 was in talk with the General when
news reached me of Peg waiting in
the parlor for a meeting. 1t was Jim
who bore me word: he peered around
the corne of the door and with rolling
eye as one who brings bad tidings,
beckoned me into the hallway.
What is it?" 1 demanded, impa-
tiently.
l should tell you, perhaps, that Jim
was more than twenty years my senior,
and nearing on to three score years and
ten. This may explain that attitude of
mentor, not to say protector, or my
morals which it was his pleasure to
hold towards me.
What is it? Speak up!'
Jim shook his grizzled head, and his
look was loaded of reproof.
See we're, Marse Major" said Jim;
dish yere amt Tennessee where you
all kin do as you please. What you
reckon now Marse Central would gwine
say to sech cat-an'-fiddle doin's?"
And now what's wrong?" l inquired:
humbly enough, for l was much be-
| meath Jim's sway.
"Marse Major, femme ask you" said
Jim, and with that he fixed me with
his old eye like an inquisitor; femme
ask you: Does you-all send for to meet
young LADY,"
1CA NeAAAAly AlOif L ICplGhs CO YOU
think I've come to Washington to meet
young ladies?" This last Indignantly.
How kIRpw what you do?" retorted
Jim, sullenly. Ever see a boss in a.
new parstur' Ever see how he r'ar
an pitch an buck-jump an kick up?
How L know what you do?'
Get to the point" l said, and I drew
on fierce expression. for 1 was run
ming low of patience.
mo use, Marse Major, for you to
go dom 'neerin' with JIM" and the
scoundrel shook his head admonishing-
ly "I'll fotch up at d pint fas' enough.
l tells desc yere niggahs about dis no.
tel that If any one comes squaderin'
round to see you-all, an speshul, if any
Of them evil-minded women-folks
comes round, to let me know9'
What do you mean with your evil
minded women-folks?"
That's all right, Marse Major; Jim
amt heer'n d. Bible read for mighty
likely sixty years an not know of them
evil-minded women-folks. King Solo
mon, an him d wisest man, was min
gled up in d midst of a whole passed.
of 'em. An so, when a minute back
one of d house niggahs comes up to
me an let's on thar's a young lady in
d parlor who's waitin' for you, / al
lows I'll take a look, an try an rum
mage out what she wants. With that,
1 kinder loiters into d. parlor like I'm
sent a urrent; an shot, Marse Major
il thar don't sot girl who's that beau
tiful she's plumb redic'lous.
" BE you-all wantin' to meet d Morse
Maori 1 says.
"She say. Yes; I'm d wife of his
friend. Mr.. Eton.'
Mr. Eton,' 1 says, who lives down
south of Nashville at Franklin Cot
House?'
"She say, Yes; Tn Mrs. Eaton
Course / knows dish yere amt so.
An I'm particular skeered about you,
besides, since she's so handsome. It's
d. beautiful ones makes all d trou-
BILE; a homely woman amt no more
harm than squinch owls. that's Jim's
sperience. But nacherally, Marse Ma
ior, don't tell dish yere girl he's lynn;
I'm too well brought up. So 1 says:
1--WE knowed Mr.. Eaton since befo'
d. las wah with O. British what Marse
Gen'ral done whups at Moo Aw-leans;
Mr.. Eaton's a kin to my Marse Major
I've been down by his place a hun red
! times at Franklin; an you hyar me,
| honey! they amt been no mention
about you bein' his wife in Tennes-
see.'
"She smile bit at this-she's seemin'
a trifle sadlike-an says: Mr.. Eaton an
me, we get married only bout a month
ago in Wash'ton.' An so she tell me