Into South Carolina."

"Savannah taken!"

"Yes. Why, ladies, Savannah couldn't help but fall. They didn't

have enough men to hold it, though they used every man they could

get--every man who could drag one foot after another. Do you know

that when the Yankees were marching on Milledgeville, they called

out all the cadets from the military academies, no matter how young

they were, and even opened the state penitentiary to get fresh

troops? Yes, sir, they turned loose every convict who was willing

to fight and promised him a pardon if he lived through the war. It

kind of gave me the creeps to see those little cadets in the ranks

with thieves and cutthroats."

"They turned loose the convicts on us!"

"Now, Miss Scarlett, don't you get upset. They're a long way off

from here, and furthermore they're making good soldiers. I guess

being a thief don't keep a man from being a good soldier, does it?"

"I think it's wonderful," said Melanie softly.

"Well, I don't," said Scarlett flatly. "There's thieves enough

running around the country anyway, what with the Yankees and--"

She caught herself in time but the men laughed.

"What with Yankees and our commissary department," they finished

and she flushed.

"But where's General Hood's army?" interposed Melanie hastily.

"Surely he could have held Savannah."

"Why, Miss Melanie," Frank was startled and reproachful, "General

Hood hasn't been down in that section at all. He's been fighting

up in Tennessee, trying to draw the Yankees out of Georgia."

"And didn't his little scheme work well!" cried Scarlett

sarcastically. "He left the damn Yankees to go through us with

nothing but schoolboys and convicts and Home Guards to protect us."

"Daughter," said Gerald rousing himself, "you are profane. Your

mother will be grieved."

"They are damn Yankees!" cried Scarlett passionately. "And I never

expect to call them anything else."

At the mention of Ellen everyone felt queer and conversation

suddenly ceased. Melanie again interposed.

"When you were in Macon did you see India and Honey Wilkes? Did

they--had they heard anything of Ashley?"

"Now, Miss Melly, you know if I'd had news of Ashley, I'd have

ridden up here from Macon right away to tell you," said Frank

reproachfully. "No, they didn't have any news but--now, don't you

fret about Ashley, Miss Melly. I know it's been a long time since

you heard from him, but you can't expect to hear from a fellow when

he's in prison, can you? And things aren't as bad in Yankee

prisons as they are in ours. After all, the Yankees have plenty to

eat and enough medicines and blankets. They aren't like we are--

not having enough to feed ourselves, much less our prisoners."

"Oh, the Yankees have got plenty," cried Melanie, passionately

bitter. "But they don't give things to the prisoners. You know

they don't, Mr. Kennedy. You are just saying that to make me feel

better. You know that our boys freeze to death up there and starve

too and die without doctors and medicine, simply because the

Yankees hate us so much! Oh, if we could just wipe every Yankee

off the face of the earth! Oh, I know that Ashley is--"

"Don't say it!" cried Scarlett, her heart in her throat. As long

as no one said Ashley was dead, there persisted in her heart a

faint hope that he lived, but she felt that if she heard the words

pronounced, in that moment he would die.

"Now, Mrs. Wilkes, don't you bother about your husband," said the

one-eyed man soothingly. "I was captured after first Manassas and

exchanged later and when I was in prison, they fed me off the fat

of the land, fried chicken and hot biscuits--"

"I think you are a liar," said Melanie with a faint smile and the

first sign of spirit Scarlett had ever seen her display with a man.

"What do you think?"

"I think so too," said the one-eyed man and slapped his leg with a

laugh.

"If you'll all come into the parlor, I'll sing you some Christmas

carols," said Melanie, glad to change the subject. "The piano was

one thing the Yankees couldn't carry away. Is it terribly out of

tune, Suellen?"

"Dreadfully," answered Suellen, happily beckoning with a smile to

Frank.

But as they all passed from the room, Frank hung back, tugging at

Scarlett's sleeve.

"May I speak to you alone?"

For an awful moment she feared he was going to ask about her

livestock and she braced herself for a good lie.

When the room was cleared and they stood by the fire, all the false

cheerfulness which had colored Frank's face in front of the others

passed and she saw that he looked like an old man. His face was as

dried and brown as the leaves that were blowing about the lawn of

Tara and his ginger-colored whiskers were thin and scraggly and

streaked with gray. He clawed at them absently and cleared his

throat in an annoying way before he spoke.

"I'm sorry about your ma, Miss Scarlett."

"Please don't talk about it."

"And your pa-- Has he been this way since--?"

"Yes--he's--he's not himself, as you can see."

"He sure set a store by her."

"Oh, Mr. Kennedy, please don't let's talk--"

"I'm sorry, Miss Scarlett," and he shuffled his feet nervously.

"The truth is I wanted to take up something with your pa and now I

see it won't do any good."

"Perhaps I can help you, Mr. Kennedy. You see--I'm the head of the

house now."

"Well, I," began Frank and again clawed nervously at his beard.

"The truth is-- Well, Miss Scarlett, I was aiming to ask him for

Miss Suellen."

"Do you mean to tell me," cried Scarlett in amused amazement, "that

you haven't yet asked Pa for Suellen? And you've been courting her

for years!"

He flushed and grinned embarrassedly and in general looked like a

shy and sheepish boy.

"Well, I--I didn't know if she'd have me. I'm so much older than

she is and--there were so many good-looking young bucks hanging

around Tara--"

"Hump!" thought Scarlett, "they were hanging around me, not her!"

"And I don't know yet if she'll have me. I've never asked her but

she must know how I feel. I--I thought I'd ask Mr. O'Hara's

permission and tell him the truth. Miss Scarlett, I haven't got a

cent now. I used to have a lot of money, if you'll forgive me

mentioning it, but right now all I own is my horse and the clothes