Year: 1878

them, which her husband had on
when she saw him last. She COW
cred her face, and with a shrek
begged to be taken in the rear
rooms of the house. There she
remained. For twenty years she
did not enter the front part
of the building. The room
there, opening FROM the dread
ed hall, were kept in perfect
order and guests occupied them as
usual. But on the day when her
boy-the lisping infant when his
father fell-became 21 years of age,
she invited all his Elood relations to
dinner. was one of the number.
We were all sitting in the library,
toward the rear of the house, when
the door was thrown open and the
gray old butler bowed his announce.
ment. Without any intimation of
breaking the habit of twenty years,
Mrs. Mason promptly arose-a
trail, fair woman of 40-and, tax
lug the arm of her son, walked
directly into the front hall and
thence to the dining-room, as of
old. Our surprise was great, but
no word indicating that this was
unusual escaped her or any of the
party. The spell was broken, and
she Stunned the hall no more.


From the date of the duel, even
on her deathbed, she never men,
toned the name of her dead hus-
band. Her boy grew up with the
knowledge and feeling that an tln-
speakable shadow rested on the
house, concerning which, however
heavily it might press upon their
souls, he must forbear to question
even his mother. / was the first to
tell him after he had reached man
hood all he wished to know con-
cerning his fathers death.


This son, Stevens Mason, was a
true-hearted young man, with but
little knowledge of the world.
With a private tutor, with servants
to anticipate every wish, with a
stricken mother to idolize him, he
missed till too late certain necessary
lessons in life which these could
never give him. He could not re-
fuse to indorse note for a friend,
and his mother could not refuse to
join him in whatever he puts his
name to. For one moment the
shadows on his pathway seemed to
lift, but only to settle more heavily
about his way. BE married young
lady who seemed worthy Of him
who was a belle and a beauty. He
brought her to Selma, where, as
they fondly hoped, brightness and
happiness were to reign once more.
But his mother, while outwardly
fulfilling every obligation, did not
receive her as a mother should,
greeting her with but formal Of
fering Of the hand instead of the
expected embrace and kiss of well
come as she crossed the threshold.
1t was doubtless because her shat
tered life had made her own affec-
ton for him too selfish, and she did
not wish him to marry any one.
Following closely the first shock of
disappointment to her young heart
came a sudden fever, and in three
months from her arrival poor Ste
vens laid his bride beside his mur-
dered father


Their fine estate, with all that
pertained to it, already melting
from their hand, was soon possessed
by strangers. Mrs. Mason did not
long survive the loss of Selma. AL
though wife had never loved her
husband better, yet she not only
refused to speak his name from the
day of the duel, but requested that
her own remains should not be
buried at Leesburg, and that no
mark should be placed above her
grave wherever it might be. She
lies in the Congressional cametery
at Washington, with only the earth
and grass above her. Then came
the war with Mexico. Her son for
a little time had the opportunity to
forget his troubles under military
excitement. He was mortally
wounded by a cannon shot-I think
it was at Monterey-and died, a
captain OF rifles, in the arms of his
lieutenant, one Of the Rhetts of
South Carolina Itwas an impress
i've day in Loudon when the body
Of young Mason was received from
Mexico and laid in the shade of the
old church beside his father and his
bride. All the people assembled
and made public funeral for him.
One of the arrangements was that
only the blood relations should pass
WITHIN a certain railing close about
the family graves, and | well re-
member that although a ooodlv
company had followed him to din
ner when he was twenty-one, where
the same relationship was exacted,
and although he was but twenty
seven at his death, yet only three
were there-two beside himself-to
enter the narrow inclOsure. SO
family and fortune passed away.