A Strange, Sad Comedy

One sunny November day, in 1864, Colonel Archibald Corbin sat placidly reading “The Spectator” in the shabby old library at Corbin Hall, in Virginia. The Colonel had a fine, pal...

“When, at daylight the next morning, my boy Davy came in to make the fire, here, sir, in this library, I assure you, my father and his brother were still discussing the resoluti...

He had found out that he could talk any amount of sentiment to Letty with impunity. In fact, she rather demanded excessive sentiment, of which she nevertheless believed not one...

As the luncheon progressed Miss Letty became more and more in doubt whether she liked Mr. Romaine or not. She regarded him as being somewhere in the neighborhood of ninety-five,...

Sir Archy, still busy with his traps, did not take this in. Ethel Maywood did not contradict it at all. She never took issue with Mr. Romaine, but Letty flushed angrily. She con...

He remained in New York as long as the Corbins did, which was about two weeks. He accompanied Letty on her shopping tours, aiding her with his advice, which she usually took, an...

Nevertheless, they made talk naturally enough. Ethel was secretly much disgusted with the country as she saw it. There were few of the resources of English country life at hand,...

Circumstances of a peculiar character necessitate this communication on my part, and I am constrained to approach you in regard to a subject on which otherwise I would observe t...

He had to leave Corbin Hall at five o’clock in the morning, so Letty, secretly much disgusted with him on account of his callousness, had to say farewell the night before. The C...

“Every word that you say, madam, is another claim upon me. A lady, and alone in a strange country! Pray command my services. May I ask if you are a visitor to any of the county...

“As for the English mees,” she said, calmly, “I would say to her, ‘Go home, my pretty demoiselle; don’t waste your time on that--that aged crocodile.’ The English, you know, hav...

The Colonel was openly charmed to see him; so was Miss Jemima, and Letty’s face turned such a rosy red that it told a little story of its own. Farebrother explained that he was...

Farebrother, Letty, and Miss Jemima were still up. The fire had been kept going, although the lamp had long since given out. Colonel Corbin’s face told the story. A pause fell,...