The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1858-05-29

sming orcf and the fra
grant nv..sus as the old linn. ,g stage set
me down at my uncle .Abels. Ihc1atter, with
the old, familiar smile resting upon his broad
face, met me ut the gate. Aunt Rhoda was
standing in the doorway, rubbing the crisp
flour from her bare arms.
I felt tired aud weary /; the journey had been
u long one-and as my eyes followed the Stage
telling slowly up the hill. I became more con-
scious of The stlaiilike manner i'll which We
mist have progressed. After exchanging IN
d iental inquiries with my aunt, I retired to
me room | usually occupied. with instructions
TO the family not to awaken me.
When / reached my room, fatigued and
weary as | was, / could not refrain from gazing
out Of the window upon the beautiful scenery.
The fields clothed Il, their softenipg verdnre-
the river cleaning here and there through the
trees like a sheet Of polished silyer-the Usage
orange hedges rejoicing in their summer beau
ty-snrely made a delightful view. The wind
sighed softly through the groves Of. maple, or
bore into the room the cIatter Of the dilapida-
ted mill ; the cattle were coming mp the wind
ing lane. while among the bills skirting the
landscape in the distance, the departing sun
light lay in broad, golden patches, quiveripg
and shifting as the twilight shadows doomed up
here and there.
After contemplating the scenery for a few
minutes, / threw myself upon the bed and soon
fell into d profound slumber. How long |
slept | caanot tell but / was awakened By
some one sobbing in the room. CHANGING
around, ] beheld a young girl lying upon her
face on the adjoining bed. Her hair was Hoa-
ting negligently over the pillows and the white
counterpanc--and she seemed 10 be weeping
bitterly.
At length she arose, and drying her eyes,
and pushing back her dark locks from her
beautiful face, she came and sat down by the
little stand where the light was burning. A
portable desk stood upon tie table, with its
materials displayed. She added a few lines to
a letter she had previously commenced-then
folding it neatly up and directing it, she put
buck the materials and locked the little desk.
Then resting her elbows rpon the table, and
her chin upon her hands, she gazed ~vacantly
over to where | was lying.
A Beautiful face was hers q face of s~oftness
and shadows, and eypressively sweet. Her
eyes were black ank lustrous-just then tiuged
with a delicious melancholy her hair was
black and acssy, and in the abundance always
observed in those having a forehead so broad
and white as hers her mouth was rather large
and her features, on the whole, not entirely
regular ; and yet there was a more than com.
mon beauty about her.
My moving on the bed attracted her atten-
tion-and rising, she came and looked down
into my face.
+" You are Miss Alice, ! suppose" she said
in o low, soft voice.
!" Yes-but never met you before I said.
sitting up on the bed.
" We will be fast friends, notwithstanding.
Alice My name is Alice, too-Alice Robin
son.
Sol" | replied smiling pleasantly, for how
could ! do otherwise when her bright eyes
were dropping such sunshine down into my
soul That ~ q coincidence, indeed it may
lead to some confusion.
"Uh, no They never call me Alice they
eau me Flossy-a kind of nickname suggested
by my hair"
And | shall call you Flossy,' too,n / said
~ Is a very pretty name; you may well be
proud OF such a wealth of beautiful hair
" am not proud, though, Alice if God has
IN any way blessed me above another, | am
grateiulT-not vain. | am not proud enough
for my good Alice. l shrink away too
much within myself, as it were"
81 would rather have you difident than
vain, Flossy you do not depreciate yourself so
much as to ignore your self-possession. You
have the best of all selfpossession-tbaf Of
trusting child-like innocence. We shall indeed
be firm friends, Flossy.'
THANK yoa, Alice" and the beautiful light
shining in her eyes seemed to say more than her
words. g have been in the room for some
tlmembut took good care not to waken you.n
That was kind in you. ! was very tired
and weary"
SO thought neither win / awaken you
early III the morning-you know we room TO-
selier. have quite a number of choice books
Ailee, winch are al your disposal. Works np-
On history philosophy, and poetry; among the
latter, the poems of Elizabeth Barrett Brown
ing. Oh, She is such q grand writer! never
lie down at night in this quiet room, when the
soft moonlight trembIes on the floor, without
repeating the exquisite poem of He Giyetb
His Beloved Sleep !"
found the acquaintance Of nv new friend
really worthy of cultivation. Her absence of