The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1912-11-14

have already said toe much. l ought
to have told you not to tell your wish.
for II you do the fates become perverse
and mock you. IL you even hint of
what you have asked In secret some
thing will happen to mai its complete
fulhilment. | am sorry you spoke
about 1t at ALL" and | thought her face
grew a little paler.
| dared not speak again. and we
walked on in silence and Joined the
Others in the old oaken dining room.
Mr.. Lamb asked the blessing. and the
girls sat down. while the men waited
on them and brought them supper,
After a merry hour we danced again,
and the incident Of the wishing stone
was soon forgotten In the frolic Of the
old Virginia reel. Miss Ellen led this
old fashioned dance with me. and
many a pretty ankle vas displayed
that night as toes were pointed and
courteSies made. and many a little
love scene. too. went on that night,
but | was too busy with my own at
fairs to watch what others did.
When the candles had burnt down
to their sockets and Mr.. Lamb said
the band had struck. then began the
good nights. which lasted for another
half an hour. The wagons were
brought round and the horses saddled.
and soon the whole gay company start
ed like a cavalcade. Long after they
had left we could hear them singing
through the pines.
Bud saddled his horse and rode out
into the night to think Of some young
girl, | thought. but Miss Ellen said no:
that sometimes when he became rest
less he would ride for hours and re
turn always with a brighter heart
and more ch%eerfully take up the bur
den Of his life again. When | babe
Miss Ellen good night on the landing l
held the tips Of her fingers for a mo
ment.
"You are my queen tonight" I cried
earnestly.
She let me raise her fingers to my
sweet way. Then. laughing softly and
somehow, l felt, a little bitterly, she
said:
"Your queen Of tonight will be your
cook again tomorrow"
Before | could reach her side, for my
impulse was to throw myself at her
feet and pour out my love to her, she
glided swiftly up the stairs.
Within the next week l received a
copy Of the paper with my letter In ".
prominently placed on the first pnge.
and a note in the same mail from the
editor congratulating me on the excel
lence Of 1t. He told me to send n or
two more from Georgia and then to
push on and write up the bayou coun-
ties In Louisiana. He liked the d,a-
logues and suggested that l give more
interviews with the farmers. | read
my letter In print. and IT again struck
me that / had not made 1t clear to my
conservative readers that 1t was to the
sons of the antebellum. slaveholding
families that the south had to look for
its regeneration and renewed prosper.
ity; that 1t was this element which
was rebuilding the fortunes in that
section and not the few men from the
money. If | dared to draw a picture
Of the Buds and the Ellens OF the
south how the people OF the old com
monwealth would cad the future OF
this sunny land and appreciate the
struggle Of it's younger generation to
tho nhpfo niao n hinh fhnu hnA
inherited In consequence OF war!
A fine sense Of honor had kept me
from making use of the life at the
Pines as a basis for a letter. but |
longed to handle the subject as | saw
1t and to make others see it through
my eyes and appreciate its beauty.
Shut in my Vol away from the indu-
ence OF Miss Ellen. Of Bud and even
Of the colonel. | argued that such a
letter could do no harm and might in
duce to much good. | do not hide from
myself ever now that there was with
me a certain satisfaction in pleasing
those in the home Office. nor did | on
ceal from myself then the additional
prestige such a letter might give me
with my critics. The editor had COM
plimented me on the first letter. What
would he not do when he received one
written with a pen guided by love and
every word Of II poured from the
heart? lf Miss Ellen loved me. | ar
gued. she wonld only rejoice with me
over my success And then. too. she
might not see 1t. This last thought
brought a blush to my cheek. and |
started W. determined to show her
my letter and tell her what | contem-
plated doing.
What evil genius led me to change
my mind | do not know. 1t might
have been the fates OF the wishing
stone whom | had angered by partial
ly revealing the secret ! had conided
to them. But at the time | was pleased
fn think n ICaa "a ~G6p had no