The Washington times., 1911-06-20
CHAPTER XIX.
Grigg Calls on Jefferson Davis.


by her uncle's bedside wher
she heard Binah berating some
body in the hall. The nanny
whose age and mejestic bearing gave
| other servants. was always Jealous Il
| tress.
'Doan' yo' git obstroplous aroun' me
boy! she was growing. What fo' yo
traRsin' in yeah? Yo' reckon yo's quail.
Lymus, deep and mellow voice pacifi.
| cal!y replied:
'T want to speak to missy"
GO on outen de house, nigger, eh Ah
But Della had already opened the
| door.
What is 1t, Lymus?'' she asked.
| moment
Il done dat job fo' yo', Missy" said
he:
Only dat yo' needn't to be afeerd."
And, turning quickly. ne left her before
anything more could be said.
This was the sole glimmer of hope
that comforted the girl for many a day.
The morning after Floyd's reprieve,
Philip Vaughan had taken to his bed,
| and there he had stayed, too weak TO
Sit up for any length OF time. Discour-
able cause. had undermined the old gen.
tleman's feeble health; his was not the
nature that would endure protracted
anxiety and the sense Of disgrace. He
spoken to, sometimes plucking at the
covers and signing heavily.
Occasionally he rallied a little, when
he would ask to be propped up with
pillows, and then, tuchng his beloved
violin under his chin, he played dreamy
His physician, DR.. Garnett, shook his
head over the case, and said some
means must be found to cheer him. So
Della tried to divert him by reading to
Scott's romances and ballads. but now
the fictitious adventures, especially the
passages of war and bloodshed, seemed
only to disquiet him. and often he mo-
toned to her to stop.
Pardon me, my dear" he murmured
at such times. Your voice is very
sweet TO listen to. but that stuff is quite
horrible"
But what would you like to hear.
"Oh, anything-anything at ALL" he
answered wearily. Let me rest a
while"
, During this illness he never men
toned Floyd's name, and probably 70
mind soon rallied from the shock which
had been dealt IT by the trial and con-
viction. he scarcely realized what haAI
happened. Della found herself left al =
most alone IN Ine struggle 10 save neI
brother. 1t was the most fearful period
of her life, an agony of suspense, yet
one might have supposed from her man
ner that she was resigned to the i'm
pending tragedy. Pale and grave, and
gentle Of speech. she went slowly about
the house to her accustomed duties, her
head, with its glory Of beautiful dark
hair bowed slightly down, her eyes
usually seeking the ground. On the
street, when she was forced to appear
ont of doors, she seldom recognized any
one. although she looked up eagerly at
passing faces with an expression In her
eyes that haunted those who saw II.
The short and dreary February crept
Grigg intended to come to her aid. Sew
eral times toward the end Della sum
moned Lymus, and when he appeared
looked fixedly at him. =,
''Ah doan' know muffin, missy, said
the man, shaking his head in rather a
sulky manner, "'ceptln' what I done
toll yo' befo'"
In the last days hope dw1ndled to =
ghost and then died The last Ia eSs1, day Of
and still Grigg had not acted.
Della smiled bitterly at her folly In
having clutched at such straw as a
Yankees promise. During the day
further reprieve for the doomed young
officer. They had got the venerable
pastor Of st. Paul's Episcopal Church.
DR.. Minnegerode, who was said to hay g
great influence over Jefferson Davis. to
sternly refused to postpone the execu-
Meanwhile the hours surged remorse-
lessly. on Della returned home at
was then about 8 o'clock in the even
ing. a cold. damn and cloudy night.
She let herself in quietly at the front
door by a key which she carried, and.
49,
hfoGsS the sent house P eo heP
room. There in the darkness. falling on
her knees, she prayed. more for
strength to bear than for help now to
came back and pressed about her in a
sort Of mystical light: she saw him as
he was then. a laughing boy.
How long she had knelt thus among
her memories she could not afterwards
remember, but II had begun to rain
moderately outside, she could hear the
raindrops patter against the panes, and
the window had become glimmering
gray blur. She had the impression that
II was far into the night A timid
knock sounded on her door.
What Is itT' she asked slowly.
Missy" Binah's deep, soft voice re-
piled, "dah's ge'man downstairs to
The girls first thought was of a rela-
tive who had accompanied her during
the day.
us It Cousin TomT' she asked.
"Ah amt seed him. Lymus showed
him In.
well, I'll be down presently"
She bathed her eyes and temples, be-
cause they were aching, smoothed her
hair mechanically, hardly aware of the
action, and went, quiet as despair
Down the dusky stairs she felt her way,
lettering from step to step. It was cold
In the unhghted hall, for although
winter was not gone, there was no fire
in the house except In the dodgers
rooms; fuel had become very expensive
in Richmond:
Under its stress of poverty, illness,
and sorrow, the Vaughan establishment
had grown slack of discipline, and the
visitor had been left alone to find q
match. When Della entered the room
she perceived near one of the windows
the dim outline of a man rising from
chair. She stammered an apology in a
low tone, saying she was very sorry,
that there was a lamp on the mantei
which the servant should have lighted,
and that she would light II herself.
Thanks" familiar voice answered
out Of the shadow.
Just the one wordi
: Her hand went up involuntarily to
her throat; she felt as IL she were
choking.