ke all men of his brand."

The supper went off merrily, and when it was ended the guests began to
depart. All said good-by to Tilly. Some shook hands with John and
congratulated him, but that there was a certain restraint between him
and all those present he as well as they did not doubt. A few thought
that he was "stuck up," but the more penetrating attributed his attitude
to his youth and the belief that men of his trade were really not so
refined as farmers, who were more or less like the slaveholding planters
of the past, from whom the countryside had inherited its manners.

Cavanaugh had provided a livery-stable trap to convey the bride, the
bridegroom, and himself to the station, and as the time was up he
hurried John and Tilly away. Mrs. Whaley kissed her daughter coldly on
the cheek, as if unaccustomed to open affection, and Whaley simply shook
hands with her and his son-in-law. The trap contained only two seats,
and Cavanaugh sat with the negro driver on the front one, giving the
rear seat to John and Tilly.

"Now don't mind me and this chap here," he said, his eyes fixed on the
back of the horse as they started on. "We are not going to look, and you
can hold hands and hug and kiss all you want to."

Tilly laughed cheerily. "You backed out to-night; you know you did," she
bantered him. "You said you were going to kiss the bride, but failed to
do it."

"I wanted to, mighty bad, but I was afraid they would all think I was
powerful cheeky." Then the contractor fell into talk with the negro, and
John heard Tilly sigh.

"What is the matter?" he inquired.

"Oh, I'm sorry for mother," she explained. "I was just thinking that the
poor old thing will get up as usual in the morning before daylight and
start in to do my work as well as hers. Father won't hire any one to
help her and she will have a hard time from now on."

John found himself unable to properly respond, for he didn't care how
hard his mother-in-law worked. He would see to it, however, that Tilly
should have a rest from the slave-toil which had been her lot since
childhood.

It was nine o'clock when the station was reached, and they got down to
await the train. Only the station-master and a switchman with a lantern
swinging in his hand were in sight. Cavanaugh paid the negro, and with a
low bow and scraping of the feet he got into his trap and drove away.

They had not long to wait. From the distance of a mile they heard the
whistle of the appro