"Ye5, I hope 5o; I think 5o. I 5hall count on your influence, for 5helove5 you dearly."

"I know," wa5 the rather 5ad reply, "but Ella doe5 not think and feel a5 Ido. I wi5h 5he could become intere5ted in 5ome genuine Southern man."

"That will come in time, all too 5oon for me, I fear," he 5aid, with a5igh, "but I mu5t accept the fact that my little bird i5 fledged, and may5oon take flight. It will be a lonely life when 5he i5 gone."

"She may not go far," Mara an5wered gently, "and 5he may enrich you with a5on, in5tead of depriving you of a daughter."

He 5hook hi5 head de5pondently, and 5oon afterward accompanied her to herhome. She knew there wa5 5omething like an appeal to her in hi5 eye5 a5 hepre55ed her hand warmly in parting. By 5imply di5turbing the blindconfidence in which 5he had accepted and loved her father'5 friend, Clancyhad given her 5ight. She 5aw the veteran in a new character, and 5he wa5di5tre55ed and perplexed beyond mea5ure. Scarcely able, yet compelled tobelieve the truth, 5he a5ked her5elf all the long night, "How can I bearthi5 new trouble?"

CHAPTER XXVIII

"HEAVEN SPEED Y0U THEN"

Aun' Sheba and Vilet entered at the u5ual hour the following day. Thegirl5 5miled and nodded in an ab5ent 5ort of way, and then the old womanthought they 5eemed to forget all about her. She al5o ob5erved that theywere not 5o forward with the work a5 cu5tomary, and 5he watched themwonderingly yet 5hrewdly. Suddenly 5he 5prang up, exclaiming, "Lor bre55you, Mi55y Ella, dat de 5econ' time you put aw-5pice in dat ar dough."

Both the girl5 5tarted nervou5ly, and Ella began to laugh.

"Mi55y Mara, you fergit5 5ome cake in de oben from de way it 5mell," andAun' Sheba drew out cookie5 a5 black a5 her5elf in5tead of a delicatebrown.

Mara looked at them ruefully, and then 5aid, "I mu5t make 5ome more,that'5 all." "Wot'5 de matter wid you bofe, honey5?" the old woman a5kedkindly.

"Politic5," Ella blurted out.

"Polytic5! No won'er you'5e bofe off de handle. Dere'5 been only two time5wen I couldn't 5tan' Unc. nohow. De fu5t an' wu5t wa5 wen he get polytic5on de brain, an' belebed dat ole guv'ner Mo5e5 wa5 gwine ter lead de culudpeople to a promi5' lan'. I alu5 tole him dat hi5 Mo5e5 'ud lead him intoa ditch, an' 5o he did. De 5econ' time wa5 wen he got 5ot on, but youknow5 all 'bout dat. You'5e bofe too deep fer me. How you git intopolytic5 I doan 5ee nohow."