Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1912-08-30
CHAPTER WI.
tenant cf Volunteers.

ing Sataiy So yet some word of for
,ivenr>S i'"m Hiss Ellen In my
,.alnnu nniiscntS | reviewed my visit
to- the lIlilinS. ana the letter winch
>l,. - condemned seemed to me to be
my least oifenSe. Though | under
stood her resentment and appreciated
the position She had taken. felt. how
ever. that had made a mistake in
chewing her and now wished that !
had remained at the Pines and con
fes>pd everything to Bud. | believed
tlrn, as | do now. that he would nave
Understood me better than Miss Ellen
had done and would have pleaded my
cause for me. though | doubt whether
he or any one else ut that time could
have shaken Srr determination not to
admit me to Ter friendship again
l would wake up each morning re-
solved to quit the state that day. but
before noon l would change my mind.
as l seemed utterly incapable of tear
ing myself from the neighborhood of
the Pines. | ever looked and longed
for some change of feeling which
might blunt the edge of my grief. but
none came, and my love seemed to
grow stronger each succeeding day.
1t was maddening to think that had
lost her, and what gave this sorrow
keener edge was the knowledge that
had forever put 1t out Of my power to
be of any service to her or to lend as
sistance to those she loved. l would
become a prey at times to the keenest
pangs of Jealousy. l had no doubt
that the squire would renew bis suit.
and | feared that she might be led In
her bitter resentment toward me to
accept his hand in marriage. ] wrote
her several letters begging for her for
giveness and II she could not grant
me that to try at least to understand
the feelings which had prompted me
to write the letters which had been the
means of separating us. told her OF
the hopeless state Of mind into which
! had fallen and that believed that
my life would be almless unless she
would touch the magic spring which
would set my blood aglow once more
and arouse the dormant ambition with
in me to accomplish something In the
world,
wrote on and on. | exhausted my
logic and mental powers to make her
understand. reviewed my visit to
the Pines ut length. from the moment
had met Colonel Turpin to the last
Interview had had with her My first
mistake. I told her, had been in letting
my Introduction to her and her mother
as a relative of the Kentucky Palmers
20 unchailenged explained how
believed myself to have been merely
boarder and the almost fatal mistake
l had made In speaking to the colonel
on the subject
Such hospitality was unaccustOm.
ed to. nor do | now fully understand
the promptings OF that kind old heart
when he invited me to the Pines.
told her of my life aud of my work;
how l had come into her section with
the bitterest feelings against 1t. My
one ambition. told her. was to arouse
a hostile sentiment In New England
against the political party then In pow
er In nearly all the southern states.
did not conceal from her the satisfac-
ton had felt when this assignment
had been given me nor my disappOint-
ment when ! learned afterward that
was not to touch on politics In my
letters. ] told her Of my resolution to
leave the Pines on the day after had
arrived there. but how that resolve
melted as snow before the sun when
had seen her and looked into her eyes:
how step by step she had led me to
look upon life with a broader and q
kindlis,r view and had brought me
finally to a full understanding of her
section and her people. and how she
had made me know for the first time
what my fnthpr meant when be was.
wont to say that all the two great sec-
lions of the country needed was TO get
acquainted.
The letter which had so offended her,
said. would he the means at bringing
thousands OF persons to a proper aT-
probation of her home land and Inc
southern character. just az the facts
embodied In 1t had caused me to
change the opinions I had held anre
I did not believe my offense was past
forgiveness. and I begged her that In
q spirit OF fairness she would try to
appreciate the impulses of one whose
Instincts seemed TO be to write of
things as they are md whose training
had led him always to seek out those
things to describe which were novel
end Of interest. followed this letter
with another. but with no better result.
! wearied the postal officials with ques-
tions and got them ia go through the
general delivery half dozen times a
day.
do not know how It would have
ended had the thought not come to me.
as II by Inspiration. that could at
least be OF some small service to her.
yet keep my identity In the back
ground. After waiting In Augusta ono
more week In anxious hope that each
dry might bring a letter from her
took the train for Atlanta and there
began a search for the holders of the
mortgage on the Pines. With good
references l presented myself at the
Office of one of the large trust compa-
MES and authorized its agents to trace
the mortgage and to secure 1t at any
cost. After weeks of incessant work
we traced the holders somewhere In
the southern part of the state, and an
agent of the company was dispatched
there to take up the mortgage. The
utmost caution was necessary to Sc
cure the consent of Bud without excit.
ing his suspicion. The holders Of the
paper were instructed to say that they
had to sell and that they had found a
company whose business it was to
lend money willing to accept 1t. Moth
ing was said about reducing the inter.
est. 1t was not until the transfer had
been accomplished that 1t was made
known to Bud that the company had
reduced the interest from to per
cent.
/ had followed the frp nsaeftou with