His eyes ran
heedlessly over scores of pretty faces, until finally they rested upon the
group around Miss Braxton. Then carefully buttoning up his coat and
straightening out his tall figure, as a brave man might who was about to
lead a forlorn hope or receive his opponent's fire, he bore down upon them.
Miss Braxton welcomed him cordially, and introduced him to the gentlemen
about her. She straightway became so gracious to him that he aroused an
amazing amount of suspicion and dislike in the little circle, to all of
which, however, he was happily oblivious. He was a capital mimic, and under
the inspiration of her applause he told innumerable negro stories with such
lifelike fidelity to nature that even the hostile circle was convulsed, and
Miss Braxton laughed until the tears ran down her cheeks.
Time sped so swiftly that the last race was run before the Colonel was
aware that the programme was half over, and he found himself saying
good-bye to Miss Braxton, and wishing with all his heart he were one of the
half-dozen lucky young men who were waiting on their horses outside to
escort her carriage back to Lexington.
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