glad to see anybody from the North," she said. "Are you
familiar with New York?"

"I left there only day before yesterday," replied the colonel.

"And this," said Miss Treadwell, introducing the young man, who, when
he unfolded his long legs, rose to a rather imposing height, "this is
Mr. Ben Dudley."

"The son of Malcolm Dudley, of Mink Run, I suppose? I'm glad to meet
you," said the colonel, giving the young man's hand a cordial grasp.

"His nephew, sir," returned young Dudley. "My uncle never married."

"Oh, indeed? I did not know; but he is alive, I trust, and well?"

"Alive, sir, but very much broken. He has not been himself for years."

"You find things sadly changed, Henry," said Mrs. Treadwell. "They
have never been the same since the surrender. Our people are poor now,
right poor, most of them, though we ourselves were fortunate enough to
have something left."

"We have enough left for supper, mother," interposed Miss Laura
quickly, "to which we are going to ask Colonel French to stay."

"I suppose that in New York every one has dinner at six, and supper
after the theatre or the concert?" said Graciella, inquiringly.

"The fortunate few," returned the colonel, smiling into her eager
face, "who can afford a seat at the opera, and to pay for and digest
two meals, all in the same evening."

"And now, colonel," said Miss Treadwell, "I'm going to see about the
supper. Mother will talk to you while I am gone."

"I must be going," said young Dudley.

"Won't you stay to supper, Ben?" asked Miss Laura.

"No, Miss Laura; I'd like to, but uncle wasn't well to-day and I must
stop by the drug store and get some medicine for him. Dr. Price gave
me a prescription on my way in. Good-bye, sir," he added, addressing
the colonel. "Will you be in town long?"

"I really haven't decided. A day or two, perhaps a week. I am not
bound, at present, by any business ties--am foot-loose, as we used to
say when I was young. I shall follow my inclinations."

"Then I hope, sir, that you'll feel inclined to pay us a long visit
and that I shall see you many times."

As Ben Dudley, after this courteous wish, stepped down from the
piazza, Graciella rose and walked with him along the garden path. She
was tall as most women, but only reached his shoulder.

"Say, Graciella," he asked, "won't you give me an answer."

"I'm thinking about it, Ben. If you could take me away from this dead
old town, with its lazy white people and it