Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-04-08

| lowed | called to you. You know tnt
rest. l am glad you are less in wine
and are more gentleman"
Il do not yet know my answer. ma
DAM"
| "Come!" she said and at once
knocked upon the door.
l shall not soon forget the surprise
which awaited me when at last the
door swung open silently at the hanc
of a wrinkled and brown old serving
woman-not one of our colored women
but of some dark foreign race. The
J faintest trace of surprise showed or
| the old woman's face, but she stepped
back and swung the door wide, stand
ing submissively, waiting for orders.
We stood now facing what ought tc
have been narrow and dingy little
room in a low row of dingy buildings
each of two stories and so shallow IT
extent as perhaps not to offer roo1
space to more than half dozen rooms
Instead of what should have been
however there was a wide hall-wide
as eacn building would have been from
front to back, but longer than {. hall
dozen of them would have been! die
not know then, what l learned later
that the partitions throughout this en-
tire row had been removed, the mate
rial serving to fill up one of the houses
at the farthest extremity of the row
There was thus offered long and mar
row room, or series of rooms, wnicf
now / saw beyond possibility of doub,
constituted the residence of this strange
woman whom chance had sent me to
address: and whom still stranger
chance had thrown in contact with me
even before my errand was begun.
She stood looking at me, smile fit
ting over her features, her stockinged
foot extended, toe down, serving to
balance her on her high heeled sim
gle snoe.
Pardon, sir" she said, hesitatinS, as
she held the sealed epistle in her hand
You know me-perhaps you follow me
i do not know. Tell me, are you a
spy of that man Pakenham?'
Her words and her tone startled me
l had supposed her bound to Sir Rich
ard by ties Of certain sort. Her
bluntness and independence puzzled
me as much as her splendid beauty en-
raptured me. l tried to forget both.
Madam, am spy Of no man, unless
l am such at order Of my chief, John
Calhoun, of the United States senate
perhaps, if madam pleases, soon of Mr
Tyler's cabinet"
In answer she turned, hobbled to a
tiny marquetry table, and tossed the
note down upon it, unopened. l waited
patiently, looked about me meantime
| discovered that the windows were
barred with narrow Stats of iron Within
although covered with heavy draperies
of amber silk. There was a double
sheet of iron covering tine door by
which we had entered.
Your cage, madam" l inquired. -
do not blame England for making II
so secret and strong! If so lovely a
prisoner were mine, l should double
the bars"
The swift answer to my presumption
came in the flush Of her cheek and her
bitten lip. She caught up the key from
the table, and half motioned me to the
door But now l smiled in turn, and
pointed to the unopened note on the
table. You will pardon me, madam,
I went on. Surely it is no disgrace to
represent either England or America
They are not at war. Why should we
be-" We gazed steadily at each other
The old servant had disappeared
when at length her mistress chose to
pick up my unregarded document
Deliberately she broke the seal and
read. An instant later, her anger gone
she was laughing saiy.
See" said she, bubbling over with
her mirth; Il pick up stranger VINO
should say good-by at my curb; my
apartments are forced; and this Is what
this stranger asks: that l shall go with
him, tonight, alone, and otherwise un-
attended, to see a man, perhaps high
in your government, but a stranger to
me, at his own rOOms-alOne! On, la!
la! Surely these Americans hold me
high!
"Assuredly we do. madam" l an
swercd. Will it please you to go in
your own carriage, or shall / return
with one for you?"
She put her hands behind her back
holding i'm them the opened message
from my chief. II am tired. am
bored Your impudence amuses me;
and your errand is not your fault
Come, sit down. You have been good
to me. Before you go, | shall have
some refreshment brought for you.
felt sudden call upon my re-
sources as | found myself in this sin
gular situation. Here, indeed, more
easily reached than | mad dared hoped
was the woman in the case. But only
half of my errand. the easier half, was
done.
To no Continued