OCR Text |
Show I i Ann Throws Corrie May's Gift in Waste BasKet ed Telegram Serial, 'The Handsome Road anybody would really do anything about It Now they said all the southern states' would go out and set up a government of their own. At first she was Interested, but after a succession of dinners at which the gentlemen talked nothing noth-ing but politics she found the whole subject a great bore. Though she tried to understand what all the fuss was about, to save her life she couldn't see why the same government govern-ment they had had "since before they were born wasn't still good enough. Some of the gentlemen tried to point out kindly that It was really no longer the same government, and when she exclaimed, ex-claimed, "But it's still American!" they smiled indulgently and told her she was too pretty to try to be a bluestocking. Denis was enormously interested, but she still could not understand when he tried to explain. She knew nothing about the tariff, the 1850 compromises or the Kansas riots, and finally concluded that while secession might sound ominous to politicians it was no concern of hers. Besides,' she was too busy to think. (To be continued Wednesday) getting any rest." He kissed her good-by. "I'm going down now." "All rightshe answered, find" Ing it as usual easier to obey Denis than to argue with him. He called mammy and ordered her to draw the bed curtains. Ann slipped the medallion under the pillow. With the curtains drawn the bed was like a little house. From outside she could hear the crackle of the fire and the patter of rain on the window panes. She wondered if little Denis were asleep. She hardly knew yet what he looked like, except that he was very tiny and red as a radish. They kept him for the most part In the nursery, lest what with his crying and her talking they disturb each other. She wished she could see him oftener. She was up as soon as the doctor allowed, for she had a thousand things to do. Once she got through the dinner In celebration of her wedding anniversary and the christening chris-tening party for little Denis she had to get ready for the holidays. She wrote Invitations for her New Year's ball till her fingers ached, and in her dreams she saw her hand tracing "Mr. and Mrs. Denis Larne request the pleasure of the company of. . . ." She arranged with the overseers to have a Christmas Christ-mas barbecue for. the negroes In the field quarters, and she ordered their Christmas tree set up in the cotton storehouse with tinsel and lights and a present for every negro ne-gro on the place,- heavy-knitted shirts for the men, dresses for the women and a toy for every child. She would distribute them herself Christmas morning. There would be a group playing banjos and singing sing-ing by the tree, and then they would come up to the big house and sing for the little master's first Christmas before they went off to the barbecue. "It sho' is good havin' a young missis on de place again," the darkies told her as she hurried around, and Ann laughed and told t hem to get lota of cane cut and thus earn their holiday. In the midst of her preparations she heard news that South Carolina Caro-lina had seceded. Ann was surprised; sur-prised; she had heard secession talk all her life and had never believed Corns May Upjohn rebela ecatns the squalor of hr eurroundtnsa and la envious of the rich oa tha grass Louisiana plantation Hr two brothere die of fever after working a month In tha eipfoee awampa of tha Lamee plantation. Denia Lama than marries tha beautiful Ana Bheramy. Corrte has refuted to marry Budge Porter, baeauae ahe foresees further poverty with him. But ahe rinde that her brothers' Insurance money a hundred dollare la almcet gonu. and appeala to Ann for help. Ann enrplove' bar to aew at SO cente a day. When Ann's eon la bom. Corrie May takes acme of her aavlne. burs flannel to make tha baby a ehlrt. and devotedly embroiders It. Bho taxes U to Ana. CHAPTER IS Holding her package In both hands, Corrie May came Into the bedroom and curtsied. The room was so bright with flowers and firelight you'd never have thought the day outside was heavy with rain, and the crimson hangings made the bed look like a bodyguard. body-guard. Ann lay against the pillows in a nightgown crusted with lace, and over her shoulders was a shawl of white wool. Her hair was down In curls that must have cost an hour's siege with the Irons. As Corrie May came in Ann glanced at her and smiled. "Hello," she said. "It was sweet of you to think of me." "It aln'i nothing, really, Miss Ann." Corrie May apologized haltingly, halt-ingly, though she still had a headache head-ache from eye strain. "I just thought as how well, I mean I .thought I'd make the little master somp'n to help keep him warm, him being born in the foggy time." "You're very thoughtful." Ann took the package and undid the covers. "Why, Corrie May, this is lovely! Thank you so much." "Well, ma'am. It ain't nothing to brag of, but I sho' do appreciate your liking It." "You better get 'bout yo' work," mammy said to her. "De missis been havin' company all mawnin'." "I'm going," said Corrie May. She curtsied again and moved toward the door. "Good-by," Ann said, kindly. "Good-by, Miss Ann." Withdrawing into the sitting room, Corrie May sat down again to finish sewing the seams of the "Oh, my soul, mammy. I never thought of that! Take it. Throw it away." "Yassum, I'll put It right in de fire." "Oh, no you won't, either. Wool smells to heaven burning. Put it In the wastebasket. I don't see why people can't live tidily. The poor can be clean." Mammy said, "Yassum, dey can, but dey mighty nigh always ain't Miss Ann, I sho' wish youd send dat girl 'bout her business. It ain't right, her sew In' on yo'. clothes." "Oh, shut up. I wish you'd stop harping on that She looks clean enough when she comes here, and she needs work terribly." In the sitting room, Corrie May sat down slowly on the little damask da-mask sofa. Of course, she needed work. She needed It so much that even now she had to smile and curtsy and be grateful. I'll work for you now," her mouth said volce-lessly volce-lessly as she bent to pick up the peignoir. "But I'll be somebody before I'm dead. Some day I'll get to where I can tell you what I think of you." Her hands were trembling so that It was several minutes before she could hold the needle. When the baby was a week old Denis brought Ann a medallion set In diamonds, to contain the baby's daguerreotype on one side and lock of Its hair on the other. He sat on the bed step as Ann turned the medallion in her fingers to examine exam-ine both sides. "Lovely," she said. "I'll have It made up as soon as he grows hair enough to spare , some, and 1 11 wear It as a breastpin." Denis bent over and kissed her. "How do you feel?" "Fine. Dr. Purcell says I can get up in a few days more." "Don't be in too much of a hurry, sugar," he urged. "You've got plenty plen-ty of time. For the present you'd better have a nap. The Purcells are coming to dinner with Jerry and your father, and they'll all want to see you." "I'm not tired," she protested. "You will be," said Denis, getting up off the bed step, "If you try to talk to all of those people without |