Sally Dows Read online

to divide his attentions betweenher and her aunt, with the result that he was far from participating inChampney's conviction of Miss Miranda's unimportance. To the freedmenshe still represented the old implacable task-mistress, and it wasevident that they superstitiously believed that she still retained avague power of overriding the Fourteenth Amendment at her pleasure,and was only to be restrained by the mediation of the good-humoredand sensible Miss Sally. Courtland was quick to see the value of thisinfluence in the transition state of the freedmen, and pointed it outto his principal. Drummond's previous doubts and skepticism, alreadyweakened by Miss Sally's fascinations, vanished entirely at thisprospect of beneficially utilizing these lingering evils of slavery. Hewas convinced, he was even enthusiastic. The foreign investors were mento be bought out; the estate improved and enlarged by the company,and the fair owners retained in the management and control. Like mostprejudiced men, Drummond's conversion was sudden and extreme, and, beinga practical man, was at once acted upon. At a second and third interviewthe preliminaries were arranged, and in three weeks from Courtland'sfirst visit, the Dows' plantation and part of Major Reed's were mergedin the "Drummond Syndicate," and placed beyond financial uncertainty.Courtland remained to represent the company as superintendent atRedlands, and with the transfer of the English investments Champneyretired, as he had suggested, to a smaller venture of his own, on aplantation a few miles distant which the company had been unable tosecure.

  During this interval Courtland had frequent interviews with Miss Sally,and easy and unrestrained access to her presence. He had never againerred on the side of romance or emotion; he had never again referred tothe infelix letter and photograph; and, without being obliged to confinehimself strictly to business affairs, he had maintained an even, quiet,neighborly intercourse with her. Much of this was the result of his ownself-control and soldierly training, and gave little indication of thedeeper feeling that he was conscious lay beneath it. At times he caughtthe young girl's eyes fixed upon him with a mischievous curiosity. Astrange thrill went through him; there are few situations so subtle anddangerous as the accidental confidences and understandings of two youngpeople of opposite sex, even though the question of any sentimentalinclination be still in abeyance. Courtland knew that Miss Sallyremembered the too serious attitude he had taken towards her past. Shemight laugh at it, and even resent it, but she KNEW it, rememberedit, knew that HE did, and this precious knowledge was confined tothemselves. It was in their minds when there was a pause in their morepractical and conventional conversation, and was even revealed in theexcessive care which Miss Sally later took to avert at the right momenther mischievously smiling eyes. Once she went farther. Courtland hadjust finished explaining to her a plan for substituting small farmbuildings for the usual half-cultivated garden-patches dear to the negrofield-hand, and had laid down the drawings on the table in the office,when the young lady, leaning against it with her hands behind her, fixedher bright gray eyes on his serious face.

  "I vow and protest, co'nnle," she said, dropping into one of the quaintsurvivals of an old-time phraseology peculiar to her people, "I neverallowed yo' could just give yo'self up to business, soul and body, asyo' do, when I first met yo' that day."

  "Why, what did you think me?" he asked quickly.

  Miss Sally, who had a Southern aptitude for gesture, took one littlehand from behind her, twirled it above her head with a pretty air ofdisposing of some airy nothing in a presumably masculine fashion, andsaid, "Oh, THAT."

  "I am afraid I did not impress you then as a very practical man," hesaid, with a faint color.

  "I thought you roosted rather high, co'nnle, to pick up many worms inthe mo'ning. But," she added with a dazzling smile, "I reckon from whatyo' said about the photograph, yo' thought I wasn't exactly what yo'believed I ought to be, either."

  He would have liked to tell her then and there that he would have beencontent if those bright, beautiful eyes had never kindled with anythingbut love or womanly aspiration; that that soft, lazy, caressing voicehad never been lifted beyond the fireside or domestic circle; that thesunny, tendriled hair and pink ears had never inclined to anything butwhispered admiration; and that the graceful, lithe, erect figure, soindependent and self-contained, had been satisfied to lean only upon hisarm for support. He was conscious that this had been in his mind when hefirst saw her; he was equally conscious that she was more bewilderinglyfascinating to him in her present inaccessible intelligence andpracticality.

  "I confess," he said, looking into her eyes with a vague smile, "I didnot expect you would be so forgetful of some one who had evidently caredfor you."

  "Meaning Mr. Chet Brooks, or Mr. Joyce Masterton, or both. That's likemost yo' men, co'nnle. Yo' reckon because a girl pleases yo' she oughtto be grateful all her life--and yo'rs, too! Yo' think differentnow! But yo' needn't act up to it quite so much." She made a littledeprecating gesture with her disengaged hand as if to ward off anyretaliating gallantry. "I ain't speaking for myself, co'nnle. Yo' and meare good enough friends. But the girls round here think yo' 're a trifletoo much taken up with rice and niggers. And looking at it even in yo'rlight, co'nnle, it ain't BUSINESS. Yo' want to keep straight with MajorReed, so it would be just as well to square the major's woman folks.Tavy and Gussie Reed ain't exactly poisonous, co'nnle, and yo' might seeone or the other home from church next Sunday. The Sunday after that,just to show yo' ain't particular, and that yo' go in for being aregular beau, yo' might walk home with ME. Don't be frightened--I've gota better gown than this. It's a new one, just come home from Louisville,and I'll wear it for the occasion."

  He did not dare to say that the quaint frock she was then wearing--aplain "checked" household gingham used for children's pinafores, withits ribbons of the same pattern, gathered in bows at the smart apronpockets--had become a part of her beauty, for he was already hopelesslyconscious that she was lovely in anything, and he might be impelled tosay so. He thanked her gravely and earnestly, but without gallantry oreffusion, and had the satisfaction of seeing the mischief in her eyesincrease in proportion to his seriousness, and heard her say withaffected concern: "Bear up, co'nnle! Don't let it worry yo' till thetime comes," and took his leave.

  On the following Sunday he was present at the Redlands Episcopal Church,and after the service stood with outward composure but some inwardchafing among the gallant youth who, after the local fashion, had rangedthemselves outside the doors of the building. He was somewhat surprisedto find Mr. Champney, evidently as much out of place as himself, butless self-contained, waiting in the crowd of expectant cavaliers.Although convinced that the young Englishman had come only to see MissSally, he was glad to share his awkward isolation with another stranger,and greeted him pleasantly. The Dows' pew, being nearer to the entrancethan the Reeds', gave up its occupants first. Colonel Courtland liftedhis hat to Miss Miranda and her niece at the same moment that Champneymoved forward and ranged himself beside them. Miss Sally, catchingCourtland's eye, showed the whites of her own in a backward glance ofmischievous significance to indicate the following Reeds. When theyapproached, Courtland joined them, and finding himself beside MissOctavia entered into conversation. Apparently the suppressed passionand sardonic melancholy of that dark-eyed young lady spurred him to alighter, gayer humor even in proportion as Miss Sally's good-naturedlevity and sunny practicality always made him serious. They presentlyfell to the rear with other couples, and were soon quite alone.

  A little haughty, but tall and erect in her well-preserved blackgrenadine dress, which gave her the appearance of a youthful butimplacable widow, Miss Reed declared she had not seen the co'nnle for"a coon's age," and certainly had not expected to have the honor of hiscompany as long as there were niggers to be elevated or painted to looklike white men. She hoped that he and paw and Sally Dows were happy!They hadn't yet got so far as to put up a nigger preacher in the placeof Mr. Symes, their rector, but she understood that there was some talkof running Hannibal Johnson--Miss Dows' coachman--for county judge nextyear! No! she had
not heard that the co'nnle HIMSELF had thought ofrunning for the office! He might laugh at her as much as he liked--heseemed to be in better spirits than when she first saw him--only shewould like to know if it was "No'th'n style" to laugh coming homefrom church? Of course if it WAS she would have to adopt it with theFourteenth Amendment. But, just now, she noticed the folks were staringat them, and Miss Sally Dows had turned round to look. Nevertheless,Miss Octavia's sallow cheek nearest the colonel--the sunny side--hadtaken a faint brunette's flush, and the corners of