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Show ' - . " , . n 11 1 . 1 -til C Mil? I TV PfSIB rMfiWi AgM WLmmtr MM TBP Wf CHAPTER VII. A Lieutenant of Volunteers. I" HID not go west Immediately after leaving the Pines, us I bud Intended doing, but re- i ' mulned within the stute, hop- (lng rnlnly to get some word of forgiveness for-giveness from Miss EHpu. In my cnlmor moments 1 reviewed my visit ' to the Turplns. uud the letter which she ho condemned seemed to me to be my least offense. Though I understood under-stood her resentment and appreciated the position sho lind taken. 1 felt, how-I how-I .ever, thnt I bnd made a mistake In obeying her and now wished that I , had remained at the Hues and con- fessed everything to Hud. I believed then, as 1 do now. Unit he would havo understood me better than Miss Ellen had douo nud would have pleaded my cause for me, though 1 doubt whether he or any one else at that time could have shaken her determination not to admit me to her friendship again. 1 would wake up each morning resolved re-solved to quit the state that day, but before noon I would change my mind, ns I seemed utterly incapable of tear-'; tear-'; lng myself from tha neighborhood of I ' the Plucs. I ever looked and longed I for some chaugo of feeling which I might blunt the edge of my grief, but I none came, nud my love Beoraed to I grow stronger eacli succeeding day. 1 t was maddening to think that I had I lost her, und what gave this sorrow a 1 keener edge was the knowledge thnt 1 3 had foroVcr put It out of my power to I bo of any service to her or to lend as-' slstanco to those Rlie loved. I would , w become a prey at times to the keenest i rjj pangs of Jealous'. I bnd no doubt M that the squire wotjULrenew -his sujbj ' " nnd'i feared that slioTntght be led'lir 8 her bitter resentment toward me to ' accept ids hand In mnrrlage I wrotu , "1 her several letters begging for her for- j I glvcuess and If she could not grant I . me that to try at least to understand 1 the feelings which had prompted mo j ,1 to write the letters which had been the means of separating us. 1 told her of fl the hopeless state of mind into which 1 I had fallen and that I believed that I my llfo would bo aimless unless sho I would touch tho magic spring which I would sot my blood aglow once more and arouse the dormant nmbltlou with- I in me to accomplish something In the l world. I I wrote on and on. I exhausted my i ' logic and mental powers to make her I understand.' I reviewed my visit to 1 the Pines at length, from the moment i 1 I had met Colonel Turpin to the last I Interview 1 had had with her. My first 1 mistake, 1 told her, had been In letting 1 my Introduction (o her and her mother J I as n relative of the Kentucky Palmers go unchallenged. I explained how 1 j believed myself to have been merely a boarder and the almost fatal mistake 1 I had made In speaking to the colonel J on the subject j I Such hospltnllty 1 wns unnccustom-1 H ed to. nor do I now fully understand , M the promptings of thnt kind old heart II when he invited me to the Pines. I told her of my life and of my work; tl how I had come Into her section with tl the bitterest feeling against it My 'l one ambition. I told her. was to arouse J a hostile sentiment In New England I against the political party then In pow- j er In nearly nil the southern states. I , did not conceal from her the sntlsfac-1 1 tlon 1 had relt when this assignment 1 bad been given me nor my disappoint- S mem when I learned afterward that k 1 was not to touch on politics in my I letters I told her r my rso!wtlon to ' 1 leave the I'iiies on the day after I had i f. arrived there, tint how that resolve 'im melted as miow before the sun when I , If "had seen her and looked into her eyes; ,Ja how Mep by step she had 'ed me to 'Ijf look uk)ii life with a broader and a ,IH kindlier view and had drought me i ,fl UiiRll.v to ii full understanding of l.er j fm section and Mei people, and how she jl had made me Know for the flrst time iff what m tatliet meant when he was M worn to'sji.v Hint all the two great see- lion ot the country needed was to gel JK nc(uuluicd. m The letter which bud o otrcndisl her. fm 1 said, would he Ihe mean- ot bringing 1 m thousands ot pcrous to a pronr up- R precintlon of tier home laud uud the , m. houthern chunutei. Ju n the Met fSj embodied In :t Iih I rmiM-d me io B change the opinions I had ueld once. HW " '"d "rt "ellevc inv offeMwwajs pastil past-il forcivciiis. iu! 1 n.-gged Ur that in n spirit or iiurness sue uumu n.r w appreciate the Impulse ot one whose instincts seiiml to be to write ufi things as they are and whose training' had led him always to seek out those' , things to describe which were novel nud ot Interest. I followed this letter ' ! with aiiothei. but with no better remit, i I wearied the uwtnl ollicials with questions ques-tions and got them to go throticli the geiii'nil delivery n half tiozen times a dn. i I dn not know how It would have en led had the thought not come to me. as lr by inspiration, that I could at least lie of some small service to her. ' yet keep my Identity In the background,- Alter waiting In Augusta ono more week in iiiixIoiik hope that each ' day might bring a letter fiom her I took the train for Atlanta and tliero began a search for the holders of tho mortgage ou the Pines. With good references I presented m.vself at tho nlllce of one of tho large trust compa- ' ules and niitlioiiml Its agents to trace the mortgage and to secure It at nny cost. After weeks of Incessant work we traced the holders somew'ieie In the southern part of the state, rnd an agent of the company was dispatched there to take up tho mortgage. Tho utmost caution was necessary to secure se-cure the consent of Uud without exciting excit-ing his suspicion. The h lido's of the paper were Instructed to say that they , had to sell and that tboy had found n company whose business it was to lend money willing to accept It. Nothing Noth-ing was said about reducing the Interest, Inter-est, it was not until the transfer had been accomplished that It was mode known to Hud thnt the company had reduced the Interest from 0 to unjr. xc-e. 1 . - v I had followed the transaction with the keenest Interest, and tho ollicials. i 1m BHir "F ! 1 THBH 51 Jul tori !IJm1 1 11 Thoy Understood the Necessity of Secrecy. who were In my confidence, became as ' interested almost as I. I told tli.-in Hunt under no circumstances were the Turplns to know anything about me; that everything must lie done through i thorn. They understood the necessity of secrecy, ns I told them that the ben-1 ben-1 eflciarles of this act would reject it aud forco n foreclosure had they any j reason to suspect that the Interest bnd 1 been reduced through any desire to I assist them in nny way. Satisfied that I had done noniethin.'; for Miss Ellen, i I determined to leave for tho west' j It wns while going to take ray train 1 that a circumstance occurred that do ; Inyed my departure for several days I more. 1 was lute and was hurrying through the depot when I ran fairly in the arms of Uud. 1 did not recognize him at first, and It was only when I stepped back with u conventional npol-ogy npol-ogy that I saw the strong outlines of his face and knew It to bo that of Miss Ellen's brother. It wns only a momentary momen-tary glimpse 1 had of him, but he looked look-ed older und more careworn. It seemed to me. He sccmqJL, preoccupied and did not recogulze inc. for. lowering my face. I hurried past him. uud reached tne wuitrtig iiGTJJ rwhuoilct nil intention in-tention of taking the,1"1 that day, for I at once suspected mc my secrul had became known iifiLtuut Bud had come to Atlanta wltfiTl' determination determina-tion of either huvlugjttj transfer revoked re-voked or else forcing ao accept the former Interest on the eortgnge. By a circuitous routo I reached my hotel and. sending for a messenger, dispatched dispatch-ed a note at unco to tRcompuiiy Informing In-forming the ollicials oflfho arrival of Mr. Tiirplu W The next day I leanfed I'ltit Hud. thinking the trnnsactloo somewhat queer, had come to Atlnnta to see about It himself, and ffjstrongly believed be-lieved that Miss Ellen fend urged him to It to satisfy herseir tlwl was in no way eonuceted with the&euL'lIt which tho-e at the Pines would derive from the reduction of the Iniejgst Uud do ) maudeil to know to whom his fniiillj was indebted for thlsj'Junleokcd for piece of generosity. My ngeiil told 111 m that these mortgages hatjlliecome very valuable and that his TOmpany had j been authorized to securn many of them as possibiu and to tviluco the In-tercr.t In-tercr.t on them to 4 percent. Batls-lied Batls-lied that the matter was r. business transaction. Uud left for .the Pines again and. I had rcusoiivto believe, with a lighter heart .,. Lost In the background and congratulating congrat-ulating myself on the nuoess of my scheme, I wandered Into thiwest The face ot Ellen was ever before mo Night ami day the picture? her, clad In a simple glimham frock, her Bleeves rolled up and her hand pointing In the direction of the old memorial bridge. V4!J..I1VJM" ,n m ,u,Ujd'- Hr'&ral times 1 imirTHuTTricirt "to TlFofrrt mi uijjliiI-eriH else inj mind refiiHe.l to rrjipond to inv will, in detection of spirit my head would fall over on my arms, und I would sit for hours dreaming of the Pines and MKs Elleiil In inv apathy I loiirneved io Japan, bmtl for n while llle seei u ed brighter In that mosaic looklmr country; but, gnjwheiv I would, there was ever recurring to my thoughts the picture or .llss Elleu. aud my hear! woufd swell ibid tears rush unbUldeti to my eyes as 1 remembered our parting. There wns tnlk of war between my country and Spain, but this Interested me little. I seonied to have lost my sense of tlic proportion vt things. Resolved nt last to take up the thread of my life again and begin uncw, I started Tor the States. Almost the tlrst thing i learned oa rc.iching the- I'aeilie slope v.is the feet Umt war ' hud been declared, The vlll of nn Indignant In-dignant people had swept -slila politics and diplomacy and had rnrtfwl with such force about tho nntloii's rulers thnt no ono dnred stand In Us pntli. I The martial spirit of my nncestor had never burned within mo. for my mind had nlwnys bcf.ti set la other dl-I dl-I rcctions. and my pursulls vore those ' of peace. Never beillnl'iiB r,,p tm' , ment. however. I tn'tnl '',':"' tll coutluenl. Hy tulcgiapb RiJ letters I I collected my ncn tiered 'rflWi es and. J bncked by my dt'egal'.oii In coi'jrress. ashed the governor of my Hrte for a J commission. )t vns iwiirl without I muefi trouble, und I wi- anstered In the service as a llrst ttintcj' ,,f vn- uutcers In one of Uie iegiiw"ltH fl'"m To bo continued.) |