The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-02-08
CHAPTER xxx. CContinued.) Bridalbin Follows Gabriel.

At supper Gabriers grandmother had informed him that three of his friends had come to invite him to accompany them to country dance on the further side of Murder Creek-a dance following neighboring barbecue. These friends. his grandmother said, were Francis .Be- thune. Paul Tomlin and Jesse Tidwea. They had searched the town over for Ga briel and were disappointed at not finding him at home. T.
 ''It is all very we'll to read and study, Gabriel, and I am sure l am glad to know that you are doing both," said his grandmother. but you must remember that there are social obligations which can not be ignored. You will have to go out into the world after awhile, and you should begin to get in the habit or IL now. You should not avoid your friends. l know how it was In my day was not fond of society myself, but my moth- CT always insisted that I should sacrihce my own inclinations for the pleasure or others, and in this way earn the only kind of popularity that is really gratifying And really believe I was the most pop ular of all the girls" The dear old lady tossed her head triumphantly.
 That is what MT. Clopton says" re- marked Gabriel. II am lazy, l know; I can loaf with a book all day long; but for the life of me, can't do as Bethune does. He doesn't read, and he doesn't study; he just dawdles around. and calls on the girls, and talks with them by the hour. He used to be in love with Nan (so MT. Sanders says) and now he's In love with Margaret Bridalbin; he's just crazy about her. Now. I'm not in love with anybody'-"Oh Gabriel!' protested a still, small voice in his bosom-''and I I dnt go and sit for hours at a time with Sally and Susy, and Bessy, and Molly" De- cidedly. Gabriel was coming out; here he was with strong views of his own.
 His grandmother laughed aloud at this saying, You are very much like your grandfather, Gabriel. But Francis Be- thune Is very foolish not to stick to Nan: she is such delightful girl. It would be very unfortunate, indeed, if those two were not to marry"
 If the dear old lady had not been so loyal to her sex, she would have told Gabriel that Nan had visited her that very day, and had asked a thousand and one questions about her old-tme comrade. Indeed, Nan, with that delightful spirit of unconventionality that became her so well, had made bold to rummage through Gabriel's books and papers. She found one sheet on which he had evidently be- gun a letter. It started out well, and then stopped suddenly: Dear Nan: I hardly know Then the attempt was abandoned in despair, and on the lower part of the sheet was scrawled: Dear est Nan: hardly know, in fact, don't know, and you'll never know till Gabriel blows his horn" This sheet the fair for ager promptly appropriated. saying to herself, Boys are such funny creatures"
 The conversation between Gabriel and his grandmother, as has been said, took place while they were eating their sup per. The youngster was not sorry that he was absent when his friends called for him. It was a long ride to Samples plantation. where the dance was to be-, and long ride back home, when the fid- dies were in their bags. the dancers Tagged out, and the fun and. excitement all over with. The Bermuda ftll was good enough for Gabriel. unless he could arrange his own dances, and have one partner-just one-from early candlenght till the grey of morning.
 It was late when Gabriel returned from the Bermuda hill later than he thought. Once in his room, Gabriel looked about for the book he had been reading during the afternoon. But the book was not to be found. It suddenly dawned on his mind that he had left it at the foot of the pig popIar The pooh was porro"eo one, and very valuable-one of the early editions of Franklin's autobiography, bound in leather, and after Horace and Virgil, was one of seven in Clopton's fa- Vorites.
 There was but one thing to be done. Gabriel went softly downstairs, so as not to disturb his grandmother, and made his way to the big poplar. where he was for tunate enough to find the book. Thanks to the sheltering arms of the tree and the leaf-covered ground, the volume had sustained no damage.
 As Gabriel recovered the book he heard a chorus of whistlers coming along the road, mingled with the sound made by