Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1913-09-17
|Snatched From
| The Burning
| An Old Time Romance
By F. A. mitchell

CdTFle, my niece. mas asked me 10
put the story OF my life in writing
She says that 1t may save many a
girl who is disposed to turn aside
warnings of those who are older than
she from yielding to a love which
they can see Is not for her good and
may be for her ruin.
1t is an old fashioned story, for 1t
: occurred in an old fashioned time and
In an old fashioned country. The state
where j was born-Georgia--was then
a slave state. and conditions were
adapted to that institution There were
three distinct ciasses-the planters. the
poor whites and the negroes. My par
ents sprang from the poor white class,
but my father was very Industrious
man for one living In an eneryating
climate and accumulated enough means
to buy a small plantation and a few
negroes Consequently / grew up be-
tween two classes. We were above
the poor whites, but were not received
by the planters.
It was said that at seventeen was
a beauty. Alas. no one would think II
to see me now. shrfyeled old woman
with thin snow white hair. They did
not tell me so. and / was unconscious
of my good looks Social life In those
days was very different from what 1t
is now. ! suppose human nature is
always the same. but it seems TO me
now that good persons--I refer to the
higher classes-were better than now
and the bad were worse. This was
especially so with our young men.
Many of them-most of them, l should
say--were imbued with noble senti-
ments. With them to be gentleman
was to be honorable But there were
bad ones. who were especially I'M
scrupulo1s In their dealings with wo-
men-men who regarded It the part of
a gentleman to make conquest even
to the ruin OF the object of his atten-
tons. The atmosphere of that period
has completely passed away, the good
and the bad having been fused be-
tween the two. There are now few, IL
any. young men with the noble i'm
pulses Of the typical gentleman Of that
day, nor are there any such evil char
acters as were portrayed by the novel
lists of that period
1t fell to my lot to be caught between
two men who were representatives of
these two classes They We're both
gentlemen, the one of a kindly nature.
who would consider that a mean or
dishonorable act would not only dis
grace him, but his family even back
TO generations long dead: the other
without any conscience whatever.
When | was fifteen years old my
father one day sent me with note te
Colonel Carroll, one of the weaithiest
and most respected planters Of our re-
gion. On the veranda sat youth Of
about twenty at a table with books
before him. He was Courtney Car
roll, recent graduate of the Univer-
sity OF Virginia. AS assembled the
steps be looked up at me and saw
admiration in his eyes. He rose and
advanced to meet me. and ] handed
him the note He called negro. told
him TO take IT to his father, and select
ing comfortable chair handed Il to
me- He refrained from his books while
] waited. seeming to consider II in
cnmbent upon him TO entertain me
while waited for an answer to the
note. Colonel Carroll brought il out to
me himself and apologized for not
sending one Of his negroes with 1t,
courteously thanking me for consent
ing to be its bearer
Naturally |. girl still In short dress
es, was much impressed with so much
consideration from such high grade
persons. How remarkable that one
whose father had but recently emery
ed from the poor white class should
be an object of attention from those
who owned a thousand slaves
When | was seventeen years old
met another of the aristocrats Of that
day. who turned out to be the re-
verse Of a Carroll ] was leaning on
the fence of my father's plantation
one day when a gay party OF hunters
came gaiIoping by. They disappeared
down the road. and presently a young
man, also In the scarlet coat of a
huntsman. came along and refining
up before me. asked me if | had seen
the others | told him they had just
passed and IL he rode on he would
soon overtake them But il was eYi-
dent from the way his eyes We're fxe1
ON me that he was disposed 70 turn
from the game he was pursuing To
different kind. remember that my
ryes dropped before his gaze and
felt a warmth in my cheeks