y, she said they were like the shower of stars--she had 'heard tell'
of them, but she had never seen them. 'But,' said I, 'you have no doubt
that the shower really occurred!'"

"Her illustration was somewhat unfortunate," the general remarked.

"Oh, by no means," Helen replied. "She looked at me with a twinkle in
her eyes, and said she had heard that it wasn't the stars that fell,
after all."

Talking thus, with long intervals of silence, the two walked along the
gleaming road until they reached the tavern, where Miss Eustis found her
aunt and Mrs. Haley waiting on the broad veranda.

"I don't think he is very polite," said Helen, after her escort had bade
them good night, and was out of hearing. "He offered me his arm, and
then, after we had walked a little way, suggested that we could get
along more comfortably by marching Indian file."

Mrs. Haley laughed loudly. "Why, bless your innocent heart, honey! that
ain't nothin'. The sand's too deep in the road, and the path's too
narrer for folks to be a-gwine along yarm-in-arm. Lord! don't talk about
perliteness. That man's manners is somethin' better'n perliteness."

"Well," said Helen's aunt, "I can't imagine why he should want to make
you trudge through the sand in that style."

"It is probably an output of the climate," said Helen.

"Well, now, honey," remarked Mrs. Haley, "if he ast you to walk wi' 'im,
he had his reasons. I've got my own idee," she added with a chuckle. "I
know one thing--I know he's monstrous fond of some of the Northron
folks. Ain't you never hearn, how, endurin' of the war, they fotch home
a Yankee soldier along wi' Hallie's husband, an' buried 'em side by
side? They tell me that Hallie's husband an' the Yankee was mighty nigh
the same age, an' had a sorter favor. If that's so," said Mrs. Haley,
with emphasis, "then two mighty likely chaps was knocked over on account
of the everlastin' nigger."

All this was very interesting to Helen and her aunt, and they were
anxious to learn all the particulars in regard to the young Federal
soldier who had found burial at Waverly.

"What his name was," said Mrs. Haley, "I'll never tell you. Old Prince,
the carriage-driver, can tell you lots more'n I can. He foun' 'em on the
groun', an' he fotch 'em home. Prince use to be a mighty good nigger
before freedom come out, but now he ain't much better'n the balance of
'em. You all 'ill see him when you go over thar, bekaze he's in an' out
of the house cons