walked to the house she felt
greatly comforted with the thought that she had _cussed_ him, and that
Miss Dory was wearing her ring as a sign that she was good, and that
"ole granny Thomas had gin in."

CHAPTER VII

COL. CROMPTON

He was young to be a colonel, but the title was merely nominal and
complimentary, and not given for any service to his country. When only
twenty-one he had joined a company of militia--young bloods like
himself--who drilled for exercise and pleasure rather than from any idea
that they would ever be called into service. He was at first captain,
then he rose to the rank of colonel, and when the company disbanded he
kept the title, and was rather proud of it, as he was of everything
pertaining to himself and the Cromptons generally. It was an old English
family, tracing its ancestry back to the days of William the Conqueror,
and boasting of two or three titles and a coat-of-arms. The American
branch was not very prolific, and so far as he knew, the Colonel was the
only remaining Crompton of that line in this country, except the son of
a half-brother. This brother, who was now dead, had married against his
father's wishes, and been cut off from the Crompton property, which, at
the old man's death, all came to the Colonel. It was a fine estate, with
a very grand house for the New England town by the sea in which it was
situated. It was built by the elder Crompton, who was born in England,
and had carried out his foreign ideas of architecture, and with its
turrets and square towers it bore some resemblance to the handsome
places he had seen at home. It was of stone, and stood upon a rise of
ground, commanding a view of the sea two miles away, and the pretty
village on the shore with a background of wooded hills stretching to the
west. It was full of pictures and bric-a-brac, and statuary from all
parts of the world, for the Colonel's father had travelled extensively,
and brought home souvenirs from every country visited. Florida had
furnished her quota, and stuffed parokeets and red birds, and a huge
alligator skin adorned the walls of the wide hall, together with antlers
and pieces of old armor, and other curios. A small fortune was yearly
expended upon the grounds which were very large, and people wondered
that the Colonel lavished so much upon what he seemed to care so little
for, except to see that it was in perfect order, without a dried leaf,
or twig, or weed to mar its beauty.

It