The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-11-08
BY ALFRED HENRY LEWIS
Copyrighted, 1908, by
A. j. DreXel Blddle.
Entered at Stationer's
Hall. London.
sSSHSASSS8SSAAaA5AagH


put out an effort and brought herself
to bay. I've nothing to ask; not much
to say, neither. 1 know what the Cen
eral would do; my husband has told
me. l know. too, what it will mean
of SANDER and insult and suffering.
And yet-I've prayed upon it; prayed
and again prayed!-I must go forward.
l cannot, nay, I dare not, become a
bar across the path Of my husband;
dare not poison his success"
All this time I had been holding to
her hands, for 1 felt her great beauty
and it made me forget the name of
time. Besides, this was no common
meeting, but rather the making of a
league and covenant between folk who
were to be allies throughout a bitter
strife. l think she noticed my awk-
ward and scarce polite retention Of her
fingers, for she withdrew them, while
a little flush of color painted itself in
her face. Still. she did not do this un-
kindly; and, may say, there was moth
ing of sentiment in my breast which
cried for rebuke or rendered her aught
but honor.
Pardon a freedom in one twice your
years, but you are wondrous beautiful"
These were my first words to Peg. Mr..
Eaton has come by mighty fortune"
MY beauty, as you call it" said she,
with just the shadow of a smile that
IOlQ IiOIE VI pain THAI SldulltSS, Has
been no good ground to me and borne
me nettles for a crop. l had been
happier for a wholesome plainness."
Then we settled to a better CONVERSE
ton; and the while her sweetness was
growing on me like a vine and l be-
coming more and more soundly her
partisan with every moment.
MY husband is much honored," said
she at one point, land deems himself
advanced nv what the General would
offer. Also, he sees nothing of the dark
ness into which I stare; he sees only
the high station and the power of it,
and the way shines to his feet. But
1 know what society will do; 1 have
not been child and girl and woman in
Washington without experience of it.
Folk will turn from me and ignore me
and seek to blot me out. If it were
none save myself to be considered, l
would abandon the field; / would hunt
seclusion, cultivate obscurity as If it
were a rose. But am l to become a
drag on the man who loves me and
gives me his name? Am 1 to be fet-
ters for his feet-a stumbling block be-
fore him."
"There is no need of this apprehen-
sion" said I; you should have a high
er spirit, since you are innocent"
Innocent, yes" she cried, and her
deep eyes glowed; Innocent. yes! AS
heaven hears me, Innocent" Her man
ner dismayed me with what it I'M
yelled of suffering. Then in a lower
tone, and with a kindie of that cynic-
ism to come upon folk who, working
no evil and doing no wrong, are yet
made to find themselves fronted of ad-
verse tides and blown against by winds
of cruelty, Innocent, yes; but what
relief comes then? l am young; many
are still children with my years. And,
thanks to a tavern bringing up"-here
was hardness now-"I have so seen into
the worlds heart as to know that 1t
is better to be rogue called honest,
than honest and called rogue. That
is true among men; l tell you 1t is
doubly true among women"
To be open about it, l was shocked;
not that what Peg said was either
foolish or untrue. But to be capable
of such talk, and she with that loving
patient month, showed how woeful
must have been the lesson. But it
gave me none the less a deal of sure
ness for the level character of her in
tellect, and l saw she carried within
her head the rudiments of sense.
What is it you would ask of me?"
said l, at last. II can only promise
beforehand anything in my power
Il would ask nothing" she replied,
save the assurance that you will be
my husbands friend and mine. 1 see
grief on its way as one sees a storm
creep up the sky. OH" she suddenly
cried with a sparkle of tears, my hus-
bandl He must not be made ashamed
for me! Rather than that, 1 would
6ie!"
Peg bowed her f1ower-like head and
wept l, sitting lust across, doing moth
ing, saying nothing; which conduct was
wise on my part, albeit 1 hadn't the
wit to see it at the time, and was sim
ply daunted to silence by a sorrow l
knew not how to check. 1t was a tenn
pest, truly, and swayed and bent her
like a willow in a wind. At last she
overlook herself; she smiled with all
the brightness of nature, or the sun
after a furry of rain.
"It will do me good" she said; land
when the time comes l will be Drawer
than you now think"
When Peg smiled she gave me a
flash of white behind the full red of
her lips. Then 1 noticed a peculiar
matter. She wanted the two teeth
that one on each side of the middle
and the eye teeth. When 1 say she
wanted these, you are not to under
stand she once owned them and that
they were lost These teeth had never
BEEN where six should have grown
there were but four; and these, set
evenly and with dainty spaces between,
took up the room, each claiming it's
Just share. The teeth were as white
as rice short and broad and strong,
and the eye teeth sharply pointed like
those of a leopard There cleaned,
too, a simmer of ferocity about these
teeth which called for all Pegs tender
ness of mouth, aye! even that sad
ness which lurked in plaintive shadows
about the corners, to correct. And yet
what struck one as a blemish went on
to be a source of fascination and grew
into the little ladys chiefest charm
these separated sharp white leopard
teeth of Pegs.
When I came into the room I was
thinking on the hardships to the Cen
erals administration; now l regarded
nothing save the perils of Peg herself
With that on my soul started, man.
fashion, to talk courageously.
After all, what is there to cover
FROM" said I. You know society, you
say! doubtless that is true. l confess
l do not, since this is almost my first
visit to the town. But l know men,
and of what else is society compound
ed? Their heaviest frown. if one but
think coolly and be sure of ones self,
should not weigh down feather"
why, yes" she cried, you know
men. But do you know women? Men
are as so many camp followers of So
ciety; it is the women who make the
fighting line. And oh! their shafts are
tipped with Venom!"
at cannot be so bad!" l insisted. 80
called society, which must take on
somewhat the character of come-and-
90 with the ebb and flow of admins
trations, begins with the White House,
does 1t not?'