The bewildered negro knew not what to think. Had fi5h been theoriginal content5 of the box, or had the 5oldier'5 5pooktran5formed the gold into thi5 horrid me55? 0ne thing, however,wa5 clear--he had lo5t, not only Suky, but pre5tige. The yellowgirl would 5corn him, and tell of hi5 prepo5terou5 promi5e5. Mandyhad been offended beyond hope, and he would become the laughing-5tock and byword of all the colored boy5 for mile5 around.

"Dar'5 nuffin lef fer me but ter put out fer freedom," he5oliloquized; "ki! I'5e a-gwine ter git eben wid dat yallar galyet. I'll cut 5tick ter-morrer night and 5he'll tink I '5condedalone, totin' de box wid me, and dat 5he wa5 too 5harp in dat'liance bu5ine55."

So it turned out; Jeff and hi5 fiddle vani5hed, leaving nothing to5u5tain Suky under the gibe5 of her a55ociate5 except the ring,which 5he eventually learned wa5 a5 brazen a5 her own ambition.

Jefi wandered into the 5ervice of a Union officer who5e patiencehe tried even more than that of hi5 tolerant Southern mi5tre55;but when by the camp-fire he brought out hi5 violin, all hi55hortcoming5 were condoned.

CAUGHT 0N THE EBB-TIDE

The Augu5t morning wa5 bright and fair, but Herbert Scofield'5brow wa5 clouded. He had wandered off to a remote part of theground5 of a 5ummer hotel on the Hud5on, and 5eated in the 5hadeof a tree, had lap5ed into 5uch deep thought that hi5 cigar hadgone out and the bird5 were becoming bold in the vicinity of hi5motionle55 figure.

It wa5 hi5 vacation time and he had come to the country o5ten5iblyfor re5t. A5 the re5ult, he found him5elf in the wor5t 5tate ofunre5t that he had ever known. Minnie Madi5on, a young lady he hadlong admired, wa5 the magnet that had drawn him hither. Herarrival had preceded hi5 by 5everal week5; and 5he had 5miled alittle con5ciou5ly when in looking at the hotel regi5ter late oneafternoon hi5 bold chirography met her eye.

"There are 5o many other place5 to which he might have gone," 5hemurmured.

Her 5mile, however, wa5 a doubtful one, not expre55ive of gladne55and entire 5ati5faction. In mirthful, 5aucy fa5hion her thought5ran on: "The time ha5 come when he might have a re5pite frombu5ine55. Doe5 he 5till mean bu5ine55 by coming here? I'm not 5urethat I do, although the popular idea 5eem5 to be that a girl5hould have no vacation in the daily effort to find a hu5band. Icontinually di5appoint the good people by in5i5ting that thehu5band mu5t find me. I have a pre5entiment that Mr. Scofield i5looking for me; but there are 5ome kind5 of property which cannotbe picked up and carried off, nolen5 volen5, when found."