Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-06-26

The Truth Is, Miss Turpin,' said,
IL did not think of what you were play.
ing, but was merely feeling the effect
Of the music. Your playing seemed to
me to be a part Of the scene out here,
as If It were an accompaniment to the
moon in its wanderings or to the stars
in the silent Watches"
Ny speech sounded like fattery, and
I blushed as the thought came to me.
II hope you will forgive my praise If
it seemed extravagant," said. "but l
only said what was in my heart with.
out rejecting that you might take it
for 6attery." l had been accustomed
to pay compliments at will and some
times, I fear, was given to f1attery, but
l would not have had this young girl
think me guilty Of such i'll breeding
for anything In the world.
III that is the way you feel" she an.
swered sweetly, II will play something
for you and trust to pleasing father"
and, going back to the piano, she play
ed something's do not know what.
Bud said he had never heard her play
Il before, and, though asked her often
after that to play 1t for me again.
never heard 1t, yet the strains even
now go through my head when sit in
the moonlight or lie awake at nights
thinking Of Ellen.
She disappeared after awhile to clear
the table and wash the dishes, l
thought, with some resentment Colo
mel Turpin talked politics, and soon
learned that he was decided In bis
views, though somewhat mixed In his
politics. found out that he was ad-
dicted to the habit Of writing ''pieces"
for the papers, but never under bis
own name. He chose rather such mons
de plume as "Vox Populi,' "Citizen"
and sometimes Patriot" He did not
believe that writing was the profess
sion of a gentleman unless one could
hide ones Identity. Yet he felt that
the public should be educated by this
means. He was Democrat, but be-
lieved in a high protective tariff. he
disclaimed being lingo, but thought
1t the duty Of the government to avenge
the wrongs Of any people prosecuted
by foreign power. And so the night
wore on and the moon rose higher in
the heavens. l heard Bud and the
colonel discuss the work on the farm
and Judged that the former and two or
three negroes did 1t all save In the
picking season.
There was contradiction about this
strange household which was perplex-
ing to me. Where had Miss Ellen
mastered the piano, and why was Bud,
with the apparent education Of cul-
tured gentleman, wearing jeans and
doing the plow work IN the fields? l
had begun to weary Of conjecture
when Miss Ellen returned and offered
to show me the view from the cupola
It was a weary climb to the top Of
that old house, but one felt repaid on
reaching there as the panorama un-
folded itself in the moonlight. The
moon was but fortnight old, and the
night Yas cloudless, Miss Ellen point
ed out to me the field where the army
Of Sherman had camped on its famous
march to the sea, but had not word
Of criticism to make Of that great gen.
eral. She told me Of the strong young
manhood that was developing to re-
generate the land and seemed to think
the freedom of the slaves a blessing
to both people. She promised to take
me to the negro settlement some day
and show me how they lived. She
had a Sunday school there of colored
girls, "for." she said. 1T is going to
be through the mothers Of the colored
race that we will some day reach
and elevate it to what is good and
moral" stood spellbound, as 1t were,
by her earnestness and faith. and all
my preconceived opinions began to fall
away under the influence Of this little
brown eyed girl in Bingham gown.
That night after retired to my
room the instincts Of the newspaper
man, which had lain dormant since ar
irving at the Pines, began to stir, and
could not help thinking what pic
ture this household would make If
| held up before Boston audience. But
to turn these kindly people into an OBJ
ject lesson would he the -basest in.