The Lead of Honour

y. Everything lay before him there, his beginning on the long journey of his life work, his success or failure, his happiness or his sorrow. It was still very early in the morning and in the mistiness of the scene, in the shadowy beauty of the daybreak, his imagination carried him far into a future of his own creating. The lazy curling smoke of early morning fires rising from the town became symbolic to him, the soft beauty of an aged oak grove, festooned in grey moss and reflected in the gloomy surface of the water by the pale rose background of dawning day meant to him that disappointments and vain strivings were to pass from him forever now. He was very young and full of expectancy and hope, and as he threw back his head and breathed deeply, the colour rushed into his face, and his shoulders squared themselves unconsciously. The summons to breakfast called him away for a few minutes, but he was soon back again, watchingeach detail of the scene as it unfolded before him, impatiently restless at the slow movement of the boat. Finally the boat rounded a point and made directly across the broad sweeping bend of the river toward the opposite shore where a settlement of houses at the foot of the bluff had suddenly come into view. "Well, here we are." He felt the grasp of the captain's hand upon his arm. " How d' you like the looks of your new home? You wait till you get on top of the hill, though. Natchez under the hill and on top is a mighty different plac... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.