The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-03

Shall send word for her?" ask
ed. Mighty ready was I for any rea-
son that should bring Peg walking our
way.
1T is what I would PROPOSE" said
he. 1.-THE sooner Peg knows of these,
her troops, the sooner she can sketch
her line of battle. Send your Jim; he
has doubtless learned the way to Pegs
on those rose errands."
The Generals humor would court a
risk of being overtaxed with a too
much concern for those roses to Peg.
Some day might ask him to observe
as much, and to seek newer reason
for his testing. There is such a word
as threadbare, but in conjunction with
mo floral sendings to Peg, which-and
properly-still went on, and his endless
references thereunto, the General would
appear TO live in Ignorance of it. How
ever. l did not proceed for his en-
llghtenment at this time, but put ii off
to more sour leisure and a cloudier
day.
Jim was sitting near hall window,
ruefully considering the snow through
the pane. Jim's tropic blood would
shrink from winter, and as though in
| sympathy with what were probably his
| feelings, he crooned in a most dismal
vein:
Rain come wet me, sun come dry me,
Take keer, white man, don't come nigh
me-"
us that another of those inspirations
OF Polly Hines of the Postum Trot?" 1
asked.
why, no Marse Major" said Jim;
ats a good OF Cumberland ditty jes'
| in NxI1a hasc {,1Iy
in of d'folks in Tennessee. 1t sort o.
heps Jim to see 'em. Thar's times
when, If Jim sings long enough, d'folks
| back thar nacherally seems to rise right
up befo' Jim"
Those are surely advantages" said
I, land If 1 thought it might bring
me such fortune, 1 would strike up a
] tune for myself. Since you appear to
| be In touch with them, tell me what is
going on among our people at home.'
Jim, with his own color and on a
capital made up of dried snakes head,
the smoke-cured cud of COW. and the
| several feet of rabbit-'a graveyard
rabbit, cotched in d'dark of d'moon,"
Was Jms deScription-set up you
should understand, for a seer In a COM
plant spirit of fun, 1 was wont to coun-
tenance Jim in these weird assump-
| tions.
Tell me what they do in Tennes-
| see," l repeated.
"Jims afeerd to try, Marse Major"
said Jim shaking his head as one who
| d1strusts his powers. "You-all can see
yourself, that camped yere as we-all be,
millions an millions of miles away,
| tellin' what goes on in Tennessee amt
easy. Under d'most fav'ble conditions,
| it's what Jim would call a long shot
an limb in d'way. An you hyar Jim!
thar amt been no fav'ble conditions
| cirklin' round him since ever you turns
d'key on that demijohn. Jim amt got
over thinkin' you-all acts plumb hasty
about that demijohn, Tarsa Major"
| We'll, perhaps 1 did" said l. land
so far as dollar will go"-here toss
| ed Jim Mexican-"towards repairing
! the injury, am ready to make amends.
| Meanwhile you are to take this note
where you take the flowers"
Jims confidence in Peg had long ago
been established, and he was no more
| ploughed of those fears which arose to
| furroW him during our earlier days
| at the Indian Queen. He promptly
| took my note-one which employed the
Generals name-and with it the Mexi-
can coin, and went about his errand.
It's monstrouS remark BILE, Marse
Major" said Jim, as he pocketed the
| silver, "how money does 'liven an
Timber man up. Now that dollar shore
makes Jim feel as spry as a gray
squirrel; it mos certainly do!'
L was not without my alarms for
Pegs coming; but when she tripped in
upon the General and myself, it was as
| balm to my bruised nature to feel on
her part some quick leniency towards
| me, and a certain tacit sweetness
| somewhat sorrowful, but none the less
| good-to which I had been alien since
the day 1 laid those witless structures
upon Eaton for that he was conceived
without soul. This gentle attitude
l "a q
weather, touching everything with
sunshine, and the hour took on a sud
! den pleasant value. Peg could not fail
to see the change; and even the Cen
eral would be aware of that improve
ment.
Now you must have brought June
| in your apron" said the General, play-
ing with Peg. "In any event, you have
thawed our frigid friend here. He has
| been frozen for days, and now YOU see
his face glows like harvest home"
III that be true" laughed Peg-quite
her old beautiful laugh, too, and not
a laugh contrived solely for the Cen
eral, but with share for me-'if that
be true, l must show more pains to
come often, and not make my stay so
short as has been my wont. did not
know that l was such a blessing"
The General would make Peg have
her old chair by my desk, which show
III
little-how he was observant beyond
what I had supposed, to be thus sharp
on that small point of where Peg would
sit when in confab with me. When
| Peg was throned in her old place-and
to my eyes, she filled the room with
a kind of glory-the General drew up
his own chair so as to put us three
to be the corners of a triangle.
1--WE have brought you here" uuoth
the General giving his face a droll ex-
| preston by which one might tell him
to be in frame of amiable lightness
1--WE have brought you here, the good.
thawed Major and l, to make a despot
of you. We draw towards New Years
Day, when our society Redsticks will
start upon the warpath. We desire to
put ourselves and our White House.
and all we have, besides, in your
hands. You have but to publish your
orders, and 10! we carry them out Be-
ing now set to rule over us, the Major
and 1 perceive with joy he is quite
warmed through-would crave your
commands for him. AS for myself.
| you have had only to lift your finger
to dispose Of half my kingdom since
ever that day when I lay dying and
you revived me with the name of Cal
/ houn."
When he said this, the General
beamed on Peg in his tolerant, paternaI
fashion, while for my side / sat silent,
yet the happiest one of all, since /
| was growing sure and more sure with
every moment how my Peg of the old
| days had of a truth come back 1
I - - 49,