he looked like an
arctic explorer. Where are you from, sir?"

I told him, and then he asked: "The name is all right, and the location
is good. My oldest brother knew a Captain Hawes in the Creek war."

"He was my grandfather," I replied. He looked at me, still pulling at
his pipe, and said: "Then, sir, I am, indeed, glad to see you. Alf,
what's your father doing?"

"Nothing, sir; it's Sunday," Alf answered, blushing. The old General
looked at him, cleared his throat and said: "Yes, yes. Folks all well?"

I heard the door open and close and I saw Alf move, even as his father
had moved when he came upon me in the road. I heard light foot-falls in
the hall, and then out stepped a girl. She smiled and nodded at Alf and
the General introduced me to her. Alf got up, almost tumbled out of his
chair and asked her to sit down. "Oh, no, keep your seat," she said.
"I'm not going to stay but a minute." She walked over to a post and,
leaning against it, turned and looked back at us. She wore a flower in
her hair, and in her hand she held a calacanthus bud. She was rather
small, with a petulant sort of beauty, but I did not think that she
could be compared with Guinea, for all of Alf's raving over her. Her
cheeks were dimpled, and well she knew it, for she smiled whenever
anything was said, and when no word had been spoken she smiled at the
silence.

"Alf, what has become of Guinea?" she asked. "It seems an age since I
saw her."

"She was over here last, I think," Alf answered.

"Ahem--m--" came from the General. "You'll be counting meals on each
other, like the Yankees, after a while," he said. "Why don't you quit
your foolishness; and if you want to see each other, go and see. I don't
know what your feelings are in the matter, sir," he added, turning to
me, "but I don't see much good in this so-called public school system.
And of all worthless things under heaven it is a negro that has caught
up a smattering of education. God knows he's trifling enough at best,
but teach him to read and he's utterly worthless. I sent a negro to the
postoffice some time ago, and he came along back with my newspaper
spread out before him, reading it on the horse. And if it hadn't been
for Millie I would have ripped the hide off him."

"He didn't know any better," the girl spoke up. "Poor thing, you scared
him nearly to death."

"Yes, and I immediately gave him the best coat I had to square myself,
not with him, but with myself," said the o