The Savannah morning news., 1903-12-20

consult you. She might have been un.
happy yet, and he never happy at ALL
Then, gravely, following pause:
/ Watch dog, you are dull beyond de-
/ scription.'
| When I reflected on my blind infer
ence of criticism against the General
and his wife in her grave, l was will
! ing to concede as much. However,
took refuge in saying nothing, wait
| ing for my blunder to blow BY
After a moment, and as we walked
in a wide grassy place side by side,
Peg took up my hand. Finding the
round, white mark where the wound
of her leopard tooth had healed, she
gazed on it a moment and sighed.
, Then, before L could stay her, she
kissed it.
Pegs mark" she exclaimed, as
though she conversed with her
thoughts; Pegs mark for her slave!"
! Then lifting up her eyes to mine: Il
love that mark; so much of you
! love" Then hiding a rogue of smile
! which began to creep about the cor
ners Of her mouth, for she would be
amused, it would seem, over the con-
4 fusion into which her caress had
thrown me-"Tell me, slave, do you not
wish now it were a great hideous scar
| to overwhelm you"
"And wherefore?" I asked. I could
! see how she meant to tease me with
her mockeries, and would give her no
answer to go upon. Il regard that as
! a very excellent scar as it is said l.
II would not have it larger for good
| deal"
ooh, believe me-" cried Peg, her nose
! to the sky in a moment; II would not
make it larger for the world"
With that, and wearing mighty air
| of insult. she went about swiftly, and
| e-xrII, hi 20. cd
l bring from her until we reached her
house. At the gate she paused and
offered me her old, teasing look.
do you pray, Watch-dog?" said she.
"I canot make that boast" 1 replied.
you should begin at once" she re-
torted. you should pray for quick
ness and a little wit" Then, seeing
ME to rurmage about in my thoughts
\ for a clue to this: But have no fear,
| Watchdog; L shall never let the Cen
eral know how you condemned his
! wife"
This gave me ease again, for then
| caught her meaning. However, 1
needed no such assurance, since I
| knew of none to own Pegs tact, or
one less likely to go upon that error
with the General she would pledge me
! her word to avoid.
| The summer was running into au-
tumn and the General no better. There
had been good days and bad days, and
for weeks on end we were made to
swing between hope and fear like a
pendulum. And 1 believe he would
have died, too, if it had not been for
Peg to tend upon his pillow like a
daughter. What a joy 1 had of the
girl! My soul would fair reach out to
take her in it's arms for that tireless
| affection Wherewith she surrounded
him. While she could help, she was
about him like an angel; when he turn
ed his head for a little rest, she would
be with ME in her big chair by my
desk.
And yet, when the days drew on
! themselves the GOODNESS of October, and
one should have looked for him to
mend, the General fell suddenly away
to the last flicker of his strength like
a candle burning out 1t was then
the doctor gave him that warning how
his time was near, and put us upon
our guard to meet the worst. I may
tell you my heart was as so much
wood under my ribs, and gloom dwelt
in the house like a ghost.
1t will have somewhat a foolish
sound, but, as I live by bread I think
it was our Peg to save the General
out from between the paws of death.
Not by her care, though that was above
description, but rather with thought
she one day laid upon him.
Child, 1 shall surely die" the Cen
more than once during my rough life;
but this time is my first to really know.
| Now I see that 1 shall die" Then
he asked her to read song from the
hymn book of his life. "They are al
ways an ease to me- he said.
Pegs eyes were running tears, and
she had her work cut out to smother
her sobs. For all that, she bore brave
ly up.
you will not die" cried Peg. and
shall read you, instead of hymns,
how the Vice President means to pull
the country to pieces with his Charles
ton plots. Will you die and make him
President in your stead-endow him
with the power for his treasons?"
Peg told me how she had no design
in saying this, and that Calhoun was
in her mouth no more than an excla-
nation. And yet had it been the pre-
scription of a whole college of doc
tors, it could not have exerted a whole
| somer effect.
The General had told me he would
! die; and 1 had stood in daily terror of
it; and yet neither had once fallen to
consider-and this smacks of the fool
ish for both of us-how his death would
raise up Calhoun to take his place.
The truth is I could never bring
myself to plan or look beyond the Gem
! erals death; my thought, however fear
spurred, would run no farther than just
|
pace beyond. The Generals death
would seem the end of things, as it
might be a second deluge. And per-
haps he, himself, fell into similar
frame; only with him it was but his
building on that all-swallowing hope
of meeting with his Saint Rachel, never
again to be parted. That crowded out
all else
Letting conjecturings go adrift, how
ever, the bald fact remains that it was
Peg, after all, who came first to make
us take a thought in advance and con-
slider where the Generals going would
place the country with Calhoun. re-
member how the General lay back on
his pillow after Pegs outburst of warn
ing; and next how his glance began
to collect it's old-time fire.
by the Eternal!" this in whisper
"I will not die and leave the people
helpless with those traitors. / must
either live my term out. or live till 1
hang Calhoun. The country must be
safe before 1 CO."