d beaus come flockin' back as soon as they heard
that Miss Amaryllis had give Hamilton his walkin'-papers, and things
was as gay as ever at The Cedars. But Hamilton, he settled down at
Schuyler Court, and it looked like all the pleasure he had in life was
gone. Some men, if they can't git the woman they want, they'll take
one they don't want and manage to put up with her tolerable well. But
Hamilton wasn't that sort. With him it was the woman he loved or
nobody.

"Well, the judge dropped off right sudden with paralysis, and in a
year or two the old lady followed him, and Miss Penelope married, and
there was Miss Amaryllis all alone in the big house with jest the
housekeeper, Miss Sempronia Davis, and the family servants; and there
was Hamilton off yonder in Schuyler Court, pale and thin and quiet,
and the years passin', and both of 'em lovin' each other more every
day, and losin' their happiness and wastin' their lives all on account
of a foolish little quarrel.

"They said the judge always felt hard towards Miss Amaryllis for
disapp'intin him so, but he divided the property even betwixt her and
Miss Penelope and give her The Cedars. 'I give and bequeath to my
daughter Amaryllis The Cedars, since she seems to care more for this
than for anything else in the world'--that was the way the will was.

"I reckon most women would 'a' lost their beauty livin' the way Miss
Amaryllis did, everything goin' wrong with her, and old age certain to
come, but it looked like all that time could do to her was to make her
prettier, and there wasn't a young gyirl in the country that could
hold a candle to her.

"I don't exactly ricollect how long things went on this way, but I
reckon death would 'a' found 'em holdin' out against each other if
Schuyler Court hadn't burned.

"They said Hamilton had been lookin' over old papers and letters
durin' the day, and he'd thrown a lot of 'em into the fireplace and
put a match to 'em, and the chimney bein' old and the mortar between
the bricks crumbled away in places, some o' the sparks must 'a' got to
the rafters, and before they found it out the roof was pretty near
ready to fall. The slaves worked hard to save the furniture and things
down-stairs, but they said Hamilton didn't seem to keer whether
anything was saved or not. He'd lost the woman he loved, and the house
was partly the cause of it; and so I reckon the loss of the house was
a small matter. He jest stood with his arms folded and wa