Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-08-20
CHAPTER XVII.
HERO WORSHIP.

1t had come about that Lucy Hamp-
ton was a scholar Of Francois. The
colonel. lamenting on a day that there
were no capable teachers OF French in
the n~eighborhood, that Lucy's school
girl command Of the language was fast
so vital to a lady was likely soon to be
lost-this saga Of regret being sung
by the colonel at the dinner table,
Francois had offered to teach made
moiselle his mother tongue. And the
colonel had accepted the offer.
If you are not too busy, chevalier.
n suppose your-ah-accent-is en-
tirely good? One can not be too care
full. you know. At least we shall not
quarrel about the terms, for whatever
money o think right to ask 1 shall
be ready to pay" n the colonel fek
himself a man Of the world and ex-
tremelY generous.
"Father!" Lucy cried quickly.
Francois eyes were OF his plate but
they swept up with their wide brown
gaze full on the colonels face. II am
not too busy. monsieur the colonel. AS
for my accent am a peasant. as
monsieur knows. but yet I am instruct
great military school Of France. 1 be-
lieve my accent is right. AS for mon
eva quick motion, all French, spoke
a whole sentence. "If monsieur insists
on that--that must finish it. To me
1T would be impossible to take money
Tor the pleasure Of teaching made
moiselle." He flashed at Lucy a smile
all gentleness. and Lucy's eyes, wait
ing for that smile. met his shyly.
The colonel clustered a bit. but the
lessons We're arranged as Francois
wished. n twice a week throughout
the winter he rode over from Carnifax
to give them. And little by little he
"a ma tn know fhn cro11l IN IN
manor as few had known her. People
thought Lucy HAMPTON too serious and
sta1d for a young girl; no one realized
that. here mother being dead and her
1ather as he was. the clear-headed little
person had begun at 10 or ~ years old
to know that she must make her own
decisions, and many of her fathers also.
At Ia she had taken the keys and the
responsibility of the house. and now, at
10. she was in reality the head Of the
whole great plantation. The colonel,
VINO would have been most indignant
to be told so. leaned on her in every de-
tau, n 1t was h who planned and
decided and often executed the govern
ment of the little kingdom.
Those who think Of southern ladies'
OF the old regime as idle do not UNDER
stand what their life was. The position
OF mayor of a city would approach idle
ness as nearly. 1t was for the woman
at the mead OF such a place to guide
the household work Of a great nimber
Of servants; to train new servant as
they We're added to the corps; to man
age the commissariat for all this army.
to see that the fruits Of one season
We're cooked and made into the sweets
and pickles and drinks Of another: to
look after the clothing of hundreds of
negroes on the plantation. cutting and
arranging with her own hands. Beyond
this. to the mine of a conscientious
southern m such as was young
Lucy Hampton. h souls Of her slave
We're her charge as we'll as their bod
les. AS she stock slim and fair and
young. IN the great. shadowy. sunshot
nall OF Roanoke House. and read and
explained the bible or led the singing,
while all the earnest, reverent, black
faces turned to her trustingly, it was
a great power to be given into such
hands. and she felt it so. In addition
to all this a lady of Virginia must en-
tertain and go into society and be a
grande dame as well as. if it SO hap
pened. a devoted wife and mother.
All this. except the last, lay on the
slender shoulders Of Lucy Hampton.
and besides all this she had begun in
very childhood to hold up the hands
and do the thinking Of an incompetent
was graver n slower to frolic than
Other girls Of 49,. Her conscientious
young brain was full of care, and light
heartedness of youth had never had a
chance to grow in that crowded place.
Her cousin had come to live with them
only the year before. when his mother
had died, his father being dead long
ago.; and Lucy knew quite well that
her father a planned that the two
should marry n unite the broad acres
OF the Hamptons.
But the young longing for
which was in her in spite Of the chok-
ing sober business Of her life, rebelled
at this. She would not give herself as
Well as all her thought and effort to
Roanoke. She wanted to love some
body. and be loved for herself as other
girls Were; she would not marry Harry
because he and her father considered
1t good arrangement. So strongly
looking entirely down that way Of
thought. she failed to see that Harry
might no. be classed with the colonel
In his view of the plan. She failed to
see that II she had not been heiress to
Roanoke House. or to anything at all,
= Hampton would still have been
IN love with his cousin Lucy. For Harry
saw how the young life had been pressed
into a service too hard for it almost
from babyhood; Harry saw how un-
selfish she was and trustworthy: how
broad-minded and warm-hearted; how
SAo WOu1O 11ho u % care Tree n ire
sponsible like other girls of her age.
MY that the colonel and the estate
We're always there. always demand0g
her time and her attention. He could
do little to help her as yet, but he
longed to lift the weight and carry It
with her. not away from her, for the
fairy OF q person was not the sort to
lean on others or to be happy without
her share Of the burden. Yet, Harry
thought. IF I might only help her. and
make it all a delight instead of a Ia
bor!!"
But Lucy. going about her busy days.
never guessed this. She thought OF
Harry as the boy whom she had grown
up with. to be cared for tenderly al
ways because of his misfortune, to be
helped and planned for and loved In
deed. because he was lame and her
cousin. n because he was a dear
boy and her best friend. But
as the hero Of her own romance
to come, h refused to think Of him at
all. More firmly she refused such an
idea, Of course, because her father had
limited hat 1t would complete both
!Harry's and his happiness. She had
laughed at Harry openly about the
scheme more than once, and ne had
flushed and kept silent and Lucy had
thought:
"POor old honest Harrvs n. 80. 49,.