The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-12-27
PEGGY O'NEALI - = =! ~: u:


| might be, a lily on muck-heap!
These thoughts so played the tyrant
| with me as to take the pen from be-
| tween my fingers; | could do no work;
| but only sit and stare from the win
dow While my mind ran away to Peg.
Then l resolved to call Peg over; she
should adorn her throne at my desk s
| end; I would show her how, for all
| that cloudiness of sensibility on the
part of another, there still lived one
on whom her sweet hneness was not
! thrown away. | would dispatch her
a note by jim; l would crave her help
for my mails. This should bring her,
and be a fair excuse besides, since
it was not the beginning of such re-
quests. Peg had often aided me to get
my letters off.
Note in hand and ready, I stepped
to the rear of the mansion to summon
Jim. / could hear his high, patronizing
tones, evidently employed about the in
structiOn of the cook. The two were
the kitchen.
"Yassir," 1 heard Jim say, they has
black bass in d Cumberland, shoals an
shoals of EN- How much you reckon
that one weigh?" Apparently they had
a Potomac fish between them to be
the basis of discussion. How much
that weigh? Five pounds? You hyar
me, son, we uses that size fish for
bait back in Tennessee. DO Jim ever
catch a bigger one? Say; if Jim don't
catch a bass in dol Cumberland that's
bigger than COW, then Jim'l jine
d church! 1t was a heap eXcitin', cotch-
in that fish. He grab dhook; an
then he jeS nacherally split up an
down driver like OF Satan was arter
him for dinner; an then he done dives.
That's whar he leads d'wrong kyard;
for he bump his nose, blim on d'rock
bottom; an it hurt him so he jes'
turn, an next he comes lippin' up
through d'top of d'water an goes soar
in off into d'air for fifty foot. That's
when Jim sees how big he is. When
he gets up into d'atmosphere, he sort
O. shuck himself. same as you-all
sees hen waller in d'dust; an son,
you could hear his scales rattle like
shakin' buckshot in bottle! An at
d'same time that bass lams loose a
yell folk might nacherally hear a mile,
an which shorely sounds like d'squnll
of soul in torment. You hyar Jim!
that bass"
At this, l broke in on the revela-
tons of our black Munchausen with
my demands. AS he turned, 1 heard
him call back:
mo, I don't get him; he done bruk
d'hook."
Peg and 1 had been worthily busy
WIN my ielleIS LOT luIl ten minutes.
She was, for her, very quiet, almost
indeed to the line of a grave sad
ness, which after all should be the
aftermath of those tears of the day be-
fore.
If Peg were wordless, I, on my side,
sat equally without conversation. We
made tongueless company; but for that
very reason went with all the more
earnestness to the letters as though
they were the seeds of this silence.
"Well?" said Peg, with a sudden
ness, her hands in her lap. / stared
"Well?" she repeated. Then, when 1
said nothing, she would elaborate a
bit. well, Watchdog, what would
you have? You know these letters were
the merest pretext for me to come"
why, them said l. made desper-
ate because she snatched away my
disguise, why, then, 1 was in a fret
to look on you"
WAS it that?''
Sometimes l fear your husband does
not wholly understand you" II took
courage to go thus far; it marked a
point nightly forward of any attained
to in former talks.
Peg gave me one of those fathom-
less looks, narrowing her brow whim-
Slcally. My bluntness had not dashed
her spirit at any rate; indeed, it would
seem to have raised it,
GU fear my husband does not I'M
uerstand me?" repeated Peg. Now she
pdused an endlesss while, her eyes
reading mine like print / could feel
her searching me for my last promise
OF expression. You fear nv husband
uoes not understand me. And is he
10 De the only one? Is it there the roll
can ends? If that were true. | might
sustain myself" For all shadow.
o oas ue p piSt of brow. Peg got this
o1l wearlly enough, and 1 still prisoner
W her eyes Now, after a moment.
her vivacity would mount a little
You are right" she went on. 'I am
not much understood" A smile neenad
from the dimple in her cheek. What
would you think. Watchdog. were 7
10 give thick folk lessons in myself
eAp p-,ti myself to ounces as your ped
agogue gives lessons in a book?"
The lessons you propose should be
marvelously sweet" said 7 Then
with some tincture of my better cour-
| age; BY my souls hope! l should
De sure to go to school for those les
"Ah! do you challenge me?" cried
reg NOW 1t would be the old Peg.
FROM THIS hour you begin your studies.
Ll1e shall be never-ending lesson, and
Peg the lesson"
And 1 a student most diligent"
Peg came and stood close against
my shoulder where l sat at the desk.
Her color and her brightness had re-
turned 10 chase away the shadows.
with her fingers she parted my hair
where the froSts of two-score years and
TOUR were beginning their blight. She
made as though she considered these
| ravages of silver.
Finally, she spoke to me in way
tenderly good.
Watchdog, Watchdog, YOU have
eyes in your head and none in your
wits. You are blind wit, Watchdog.
blind-wit of no hope And YOU
would study Peg? Teach I never SO
lucidly study thou never so long, vet
| shouldst thou never know Peg, but die
| in darkness of her" Peg said this
with kind of murmur of regret. Then.
collecting direction: How many times
has Peg been with you? And vet
you have never seen her-neVer once
seen Peg. You do not see Peg now
While she stands at your shoulder. You
are a blindwit''
II | have not seen Peg" said I,
and If l do not now see Peg then
at the least my eyes have tasted Wis
ions above report"
Now you speak WE'LL" quoth Peg.
with an archness of pretended ap-
prevail.
Here, surely, should be the old. true
Peg. 1t was a delight to listen to
the bantering yet soft tones of her,
like walking in the May woods with
their new green and the new blossoms
painting the ground about ones feet.
What have / seen, them" / asked.
going back a pace.
What have you seen? A mirage.