the suppo't of Mr. Fetters in the primaries," he
said, "my nomination is assured, and a nomination is of co'se
equivalent to an election. But I see there are some other gentlemen
that would like to talk to you, and I won't take any mo' of yo' time
at present."

"Mr. Blake," he said, addressing a gentleman with short side-whiskers
who was approaching them, "have you had the pleasure of meeting
Colonel French?"

"No, suh," said the stranger, "I shall be glad to have the honour of
an introduction at your hands."

"Colonel French, Mr. Blake--Mr. Blake, Colonel French. You gentlemen
will probably like to talk to one another, because you both belong to
the same party, I reckon. Mr. Blake is a new man roun' heah--come down
from the mountains not mo' than ten yeahs ago, an' fetched his
politics with him; but since he was born that way we don't entertain
any malice against him. Mo'over, he's not a 'Black and Tan
Republican,' but a 'Lily White.'"

"Yes, sir," said Mr. Blake, taking the colonel's hand, "I believe in
white supremacy, and the elimination of the nigger vote. If the
National Republican Party would only ignore the coloured politicians,
and give all the offices to white men, we'll soon build up a strong
white Republican party. If I had the post-office here at Clarendon,
with the encouragement it would give, and the aid of my clerks and
subo'dinates, I could double the white Republican vote in this county
in six months."

The major had left them together, and the Lily White, ere he in turn
made way for another caller, suggested delicately, that he would
appreciate any good word that the colonel might be able to say for him
in influential quarters--either personally or through friends who
might have the ear of the executive or those close to him--in
reference to the postmastership. Realising that the present
administration was a business one, in which sentiment played small
part, he had secured the endorsement of the leading business men of
the county, even that of Mr. Fetters himself. Mr. Fetters was of
course a Democrat, but preferred, since the office must go to a
Republican, that it should go to a Lily White.

"I hope to see mo' of you, sir," he said, "and I take pleasure in
introducing the Honourable Henry Clay Appleton, editor of our local
newspaper, the _Anglo-Saxon_. He and I may not agree on free silver
and the tariff, but we are entirely in harmony on the subject
indicated by the title of his newspaper