Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-07-02
CHAPTER II.
The Girl From the North.

Within an hour after her arrival Mt
the gubernatorial mansion, Nellie
Crance was completely mistress OF
the place. She romped along the wide
halls, ran up and down the stairs
three steps at a time, burst unan-
nounced into the library and put to
fight a legislative committee In con-
ference with the governor. She wait
ed for no introduction. Why should
she? Was she not the daughter Of
the greatest man in Mississippi, and,
in her estimation, the greatest in the
world?
For the first time Jim, the govern
or's body servant, found his exclusive
prerogatives questioned. 'She's a tu-
lip" he soliloquized, as he watched
her fitting about the house. "Ef she
aint 1 DON know er flower wen 1 sees
it,"
"Who lives over there?" she in
quired, pointing toward a big stone
house half hidden among the trees be-
yond the garden.
Mis- Fairburn," replied the negro,
leaning against one of the tall Corin-
THAN pillars of the broad veranda.
Miss Fairburn," echoed Nellie, re-
garding the neighboring residence
with evident curiosity.
der Fairburn."
"Oh! And so she's widow. Is she
nice?"
"Oh, yassum, she's powerful NICE"
"Goody! I'm going to run over and
see her"
The old negro shook his head. II
wouldn't, Miss" he said. "ef 1 wuz in
yo' fix"
why, what's the matter with me?"
she cried, glancing at her pretty
frock. Don't look all right?"
"Oh, yassum; but dat aint it. Yo'
know dar aint much visitin' gwine on
twixt de Cub an desc yere folks.
Dey's monstrous high-headed. Dat
lady ober dar wouldn't walk on de
groun, at all If dar wuZ anywhar else
t walk. She wouldn't foh fac
Sometimes she jest dom tech de
groun' 'cept in de high places"
1.-The stuck-up thing!"
"Yassum."
"Well, she needn't put on any airs,
guess. Pa is the biggest man in this
state and he used to be the best auc-
tioneer in Chicago, too"
"Is dat so? 1 nebber heered him
say: but he's no man to boast and
brag bout hisself, anyway"
AS they re-entered the house 1t was
clear that she had given her father a
new claim to greatness in the eyes of
the negro.
"Wen, how do you like it?" asked
the Governor, with a comprehensive
sweep of the arm.
Its just perfectly elegant" was
Nellies ecstatic reply, an expression
which among boarding-school girls
the world over is accepted as the
highest possible form Of praise.
Make yourself at home" he ad-
ded. "Jim and I've got to go down to
the state house now for a while. If
you get lonesome you'll find plenty of
! books in the library"
But 1 don't care for books" she
exclaimed, petulantly. II had enough
of that at school, I'm going with you.
mo; not to-day" said the Govern
or, laying his hand upon her bronze
head. I've got some very important
business to attend to and must be
alone"
1T can't be so very important" she
protested, 'if you can do it alone. I've
heard so much about state houses all
nv life and I've never seen one. Are
they bigger than neutrality-suspicious.
Why not let me go?"
mot to-day" he repeated, kindly
You shall go down with me in a day
or two, when I get my affairs in lit
tie better shape, and then I'll show
you everything and you may take pos
session"
She followed him down the hall
clinging to his arm.