The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-08-24
MITCHEL.

a DeO TOT the nlSnt.
 An elderly lady, with two white puff curls on either side of her face, looked up from a book she was reading. Her appearance was dignified and refined.
 ''The young man looks quite like a gentleman, if he is a, countryman," added the daughter.
 "We must be very cautious, Laura; you know how we are situated; your father and brother away and no man in the house, we can't let strangers sleep here. But they may have some thing to eat, and perhaps it might do to let them sleep in the barn if they look right"
 "where shall they have their SUD- per?"
 Have it put on the hall table down stairs.''
 The daughter paused a moment and thought.
 '''Do you know, mamma, can't ex- actly feel satisfied to put the elder brother in a place given up to the servants
 "What nonsense, Laura! We are talk ing a great risk to let them into the house at all.v Heaven grant that the horses are not all taken before morn ing. The man may be in league with band of guerrillas, for all we know"
 The daughter .withdew, for the mo- ment quite impressed with her moth CTS prudence. As she stepped out on the veranda Mark rose respectfully and stood looking into her black eyes with his blue ones. Her mothers eau tion fled away before that honest coun tenance.
 "You can have some supper" sine said, If you care to eat it in the lower hall, and you can sleep-you-you can sleep''-
 Mark was lowing his thanks.
 Would you mind sleeping in"- She paused again.
 "The barn? Certainly not"
 "You know these are troublous times," she said apologetically, and we are alone. I mean we haven't many men in the house, she quickly added, conscious of having made known the households weakness to a stranger.
 Mark smiled. The young lady was looking at him as he did so, and she thought he had very charming smile
 ''We will sleep, anywhere you choose to put us. Leastaways we afn't pur- ticular."
 The first sentence was spoken in his natural way; the second in dialect. Marks manner of speaking to her was singularly mixed.
 'I suppose your men are fighting our battles,' he remarked to relieve an awkward cause. a
 Papa is away"
 Have you no brothersY'-
 "Yes, one; he is fighting for the Con- federacy."
 "And your father-is he at the war;"
 "No; papa does not care much about the war"
 Perhaps he's a Union man."
 ''Well, yes. Papa is Union." Mark concluded to hazard surmise. "Was he driven out?'' he asked.
 t'Not exactly,' she said, with a frown. He's gone north, though" story to stranger, who was gradu- ally getting good deal of information Her father had come to Chattanooga from the north years before, where he had married a southern woman. After the opening of the war, on ac- count of his pronounced Union senti- ments, he had been warned several times to leave, and his family were much relieved when he was we'll away from the danger that threatened him. "You are divided" said Mark, "as we are. Now, my leetle brother hyar's a Union boy. Pm Confedrate.'' There was pause, and the girl, re- marking that she would see about their supper, turned and went into the house.
 1t was quite dark before supper was announced. The mistress of the house came out, and as Mark saw her eyins them both he knew that she came to have look at them. Fortunately for him, the darkness prevented her get. ting a good view of him. Mark at once commenced to probe mothers heart by dwelling on the tired condi- tion of little Jakey, and kept it up till the lady was quite unwilling to send the boy to sleep in the barn. She in wardly resolved that the child should have comfortable bed.
 Jakey ate a hearty supper-the heartier for the delay-and the two wayfarers were shown up stairs to a large room with a big bed in it. A few sticks were lighted on the hearth to dry the dampness, for the room had been long unused, and there was a general air of comfort. Jakey, who had never seen such luxury, rolled his little eyes about and wondered. But he was too tired to waste much time in admiration He was soon in bed and asleep.
 Mark took his pipe and went down to the yard to have a smoke. Going back to the barn he entered into con- versation with an old darky sitting on barrel by the stable door and evil 6ently master of the horse.
 "Fine night, uncle"
 'Ias, bery fine night, sah."
 That's not very good tobacco you're smoking, uncle. You'd better take SoYpo n fh;c