"

Colonel Blount turned slowly as Miss Lady tugged at his arm. "Who is
he?" he replied, half-musingly. "Who is he? You tell me. He refused to
eat in Calvin Blount's house; that's why he didn't come in, Miss Lady.
He says he's the cow coroner on the railroad; but I want to tell you,
he's the finest fellow and the nearest to a gentleman that ever struck
this country. That's what he is. I'm mighty troubled over his going
away."

"Why, he didn't drink his julep!" said Miss Lady, severely.

"No," said Blount, miserably.

"And he hasn't any other place to eat," said Miss Lady, argumentatively.

"No."

"And he--he hasn't been introduced to me," said Miss Lady, conclusively.

"No."

"Colonel Cal, call him!" said Miss Lady, decisively.

Her words roused the old planter.

"You--I say, Eddring; you, there! Come on back here! Forgot something!"

In spite of himself--or was it in union with himself?--John Eddring
turned back, and at last stood hat in hand near to the others. A smile
softened the stern features of Colonel Blount as he pointed,
half-quizzically to the untasted julep on the board-pile.

"Besides, Mr. Eddring," said he; "besides, you have not yet heard that
this young lady of ours, Miss Lady, here, helped make the dinner this
evenin'. Now, sir, I ask, will you come?"

The same odd tremble caught the claim agent's lip, and he frowned to
pull himself out of his own weakness before he made reply. Miss Lady,
tall, well-rounded, dark-eyed, her ruff of red-brown hair thrown back,
stood looking at him, her hand clasped upon Blount's arm.

Eddring bowed deeply. "Sir," he said, "it wasn't fair of you; but I
yield to your superior weapons!"

THE FINAL CHOICE[3]

BY EDMUND VANCE COOKE

"_Dark doubts between the promise and event._"--_Young._

I rather thought that Alexander
Would sound well at the font,
While mother much preferred Leander
For him who swam the Hellespont.
Grandfather clamored for Uriah,
While grandma mentioned Obadiah.

Then mother spoke of Clarence, Cyril,
And Reginald and Claude,
But I thought none of them were virile
Like some such name as Ichabod.
Grandfather spoke for Jeremiah.
And grandma favored Azariah.

Then Harold, Gerald, Donald, Luke,
And lordly Roderick
Waged wordy war with Marmaduke
And Bernard and Theodoric,
While grandpa hinted Zachariah
And grandma thought of Hezekiah.

We spoke of Gottlieb from the German