Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-03-25
The Daily Story
Playing Partly r. A. Mitchell
Copyrighted. 1919 by Associated Literary Bureau

mistress and was mali n -
possible for her to show the efys,.. =
an education she had not rece,vaA 's 9
] could not help showing hn.t -
breeding and education. I called =
Missy Alice, and she called me CO.. =
/ obeyed her slightest nod ana =
carried her part as mistress ert.,sA
~ well-that is, before Others M
we were alone we were to ear. IL
what we had always been.
1t was plain to me when sr,,
Captain Harding that he was raa,.e,
with me. A man doesn't usoaIIv -.
pains to conceal his admirat,os -.
till told him that I was nay-, =.
slave the captains eyes were ~
of it. / thought I saw. when + o..
him the information. look ~ a..
pointment in his face. but that n,i.s.
have been imaginary on nv ns-
There can scarcely arise a situss,-
more attractive to a woman fhsn !.
personate one between whom ana :
admirer there is great gulf fred 4,
confess I played the game with re,s..
though outwardly with modesfv ts,,s
with sadness-the sadness I took I.
when began to feel assured that
was getting my admirer into nv tar,
led him to think that IL was cap,.s
by the faint of blood which sen.,...s
me from him.
Had not Captain Hardings natr..
been of a fine texture / should ha,,
expected him to treat me for whs,
pretended to be. But be was NJ =.
spectful TO me as If I had been Of m.
purest white blood. True, he kent
certain reserve, such as would be uron.
er between him and servant Be
would chat with me quite freely. and
when / showed an understanding frat
could only have been developed Nv
education he sometimes forgot himself
so far as to treat me like a LADY,
What I mean Is that he took no ad.
vantage of my being supposedly ne
gro and slave.
was enjoying my little comedy In
mensely when one morning was sud-
denly brought TO my senses. Clzries
came into my room and Weakened ne
by crying:
1.-THE Yankees have gone, the Lord
be praisedw
'What!' I exclaimed, starting I'd.
There isn't a soldier on the place
They all went away at 4 O'Clock ths
morning"
Then and there came upon me an
awakening different from that after
slumber. Captain Harding had gone.
And he had gone believing me to be
a negro and a slave, Had he known
my true status he might return and
seek me- Now this was impossible
He would never seek one tainted as
had led him to believe was. And. as
for my seeking him, no woman with
womanly modesty can seek man.
The fall was as depressing as the
rise had been exhilarating. l arose
from my bed and looked out through
my window. Where 1 had been accus-
toned to seeing tents there was now
nothing but bare ground A month be-
fore / had execrated the coming OF
these Yankees; now bemoaned their
going. The morning was murky, and
the wind was stirring the leaves to
what to me was requiem.
The army had moved TO Murfrees-
boro, some thirty miles south Of US. In
a few days our household was at home
again. All were happy at the vanish
ment Of the enemy except me. was
desolate. The man I loved had gone
believing that an impossible barrier
existed between him and me. There
was an impossible barrier, but not
such as he supposed.
One of the last battles OF the war
was fought near us We were within
the Federal lines, and our wounoea
enemies were brought to us. Seeing
stretcher set down in the yard win
man on it, I went out to learn II
could do anything for him. In his pae
face / recognized Captain Harding, ana
when he looked up at me with his mef
ancholy eyes I saw an involuntar!
start. As for me, I was both grle'ea
at his condition and delighted tnaI nr
had returned TO me. 1 dreaded lest DC
should die still believing me to De wnal
[ had represented myself. wished ..
,nce to correct the impression ! nau
given him, but / could not. NevertDe'
ess did not personate a servant
"Claricew I called. Bring wate,'
Some brandy, Quick! Captain har''
ng is here, badly wounded"
A faint surprise came into the wounu'
ID mans eyes. But his condition was
90 low for me to enlighten him. Cls-
ice brought the water and the BRANDY
md after giving him drink l OF
Tered her in no gentle tone TO Drins
;ome of the negroes to carry the W
aid into the house. When ! got n'~
here 1 went myself for surgeon,
brought him to the bedside anu ne'u
nv breath till he assured me the case
vas not hopeless.
All that happened nearly half cen
ury ago. When Captain Harding ~
urned to the north went win n'n
nd here / have lived ever since
ave often thought what my life woul1
ave been had not had an oppof's
ity 70 undo what I had done In ieae,
,g him TO suppose that I was nes'V
nd slave.