Produced by Phil McLaury, Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks

and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.

COLONEL CARTER OF CARTERSVILLE

BY F. HOPKINSON SMITH

I dedicate this book to the memory of my counselor and myfriend,—that most delightful of story-tellers, that most charming ofcomrades,—my dear old Mother; whose early life was spent nearthe shade of the Colonel's porch, and whose keen enjoyment of thestories between these covers—stories we have so often laughed overtogether—is still among my pleasantest recollections.

F. H. S.

New York, May, 1891.

CONTENTS AND LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

"My fire is my friend."

I. THE COLONEL'S HOUSE IN BEDFORD PLACE.

The Street Entrance.

Chad "dishin' the Dinner."

"Gentlemen, a true Southern lady."

Fitz.

II. THE GARDEN SPOT OF VIRGINIA SEEKS AN OUTLET TO THE SEA.

"Chad was groaning under a square wicker basket."

"The little negroes around the door."

III. AN OLD FAMILY SERVANT.

"Who's that?"

The old Clock Tower.

Mister Grocerman.

IV. THE ARRIVAL OF A TRUE SOUTHERN LADY.

V. AN ALLUSION TO A YELLOW DOG.

The Colonel's Office.

The Advance Agent.

The Nervous Man.

VI. CERTAIN IMPORTANT LETTERS.

"Like an ebony Statue of Liberty."

VII. THE OUTCOME OF A COUNCIL OF WAR.

"Down a flight of stone steps."

VIII. A HIGH SENSE OF HONOR.

"Klutchem looked at him in perfect astonishment."

IX. A VISIT OF CEREMONY.

The Colonel's Door.

X. CHAD IN SEARCH OF A COAL-FIELD.

XI. CHAD ON HIS OWN CABIN FLOOR.

Polishing the Parlor Floor.

Henny.

Some Stray Pickaninnies.

XII. The ENGLISHMAN'S CHECK.

CHAPTER I

The Colonel's House in Bedford Place

The dinner was at the colonel's—an old-fashioned, partly furnished,two-story house nearly a century old which crouches down behind alarger and more modern dwelling fronting on Bedford Place within astone's throw of the tall clock tower of Jefferson Market.

The street entrance to this curious abode is marked by a swingingwooden gate opening into a narrow tunnel which dodges under the fronthouse. It is an uncanny sort of passageway, mouldy and wet from along-neglected leak overhead, and is lighted at night by a rusty lanternwith dingy glass sides.

On sunny days this gruesome tunnel frames from the street a delightfulpicture of a bit of the yard beyond, with the quaint colonial door andits three steps let down in a welcoming way.

Its retired location and shabby entrance brought it quite within thecolonel's income, and as the rent was not payable in advance, and thelandlord patient, he had surrounded himself not only with all thecomforts but with many of the luxuries of a more pretentious home. Inthis he was assisted by his negro servant Chad,—an abbreviation of

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