The New Orleans crescent., 1868-03-01
Written for the Sunday cr-.c.ns-l
BARTRELLE.


@C'~< "De-e4 A-ofo SAtS4 ~ AA4t@A>-- c--SoAAet5S
ment had he felt the least doubt of it.
Yes, be would get well-their brave. noble,
gallant gentleman-their Chevalier Bayard,
sans pe,r ct sans reproche. How their hearts
danced with JOY. And hope and memory
finging unitedly glorius picture of his des-
tiny in the future beguiled from their hearts
and minds many happy vision of his great
ness and what he would become Who could
blame them? they loved him so. And to eyes
that love, no image is marred by faults that
others see-they can trace no shadow of crime
or error on the mirror of their life
Long they sat thus, until the sun had almost
touched the meridian; and the blue eyes of
the sufferer opened wide, and the weak voice
family inquired
Laura, are you here still?"
"Yes, dear, have never left you"
There was unutterable tenderness in the
voice that replied to this low spoken ques-
tion- This grand woman's heart was brimfull
of love and sympathy
Elbow good you are. But have been
dreaming for 1 thought heard another
voicce in myroom. Its quaint, liquid accent,
- <-@N,~~- @-1AO NCAo 81 OCdA AAteAO @<oAo.
"Yes, dear, Zera is here too. Wehave been
watching you together-here she is.
And out of the shadows of the curtained
bed Zera moved to his side. There was a
quick eager look into that darkly radiant
face, and then smile of recognition, like the
sunshine in summer, played on his face.
"Yes," he replied. at is Zera; God bless
De- l.. L r. II.
a stranger in strange land, and without
friends, save us; but good and pure as an
angel. Be to her as a sister, and cherish
her as one. / would never forgive you, were
| you to treat her otherwise. But / need not
say that, for whomsoever Zera al Hassan
deigns to associate WITH whether the noblest
In this or any other land, becomes the recip-
lent of an honor the utmost civility alone can
repay. Let my uncle know who she is; and
those who see her here, must understand she
is one whom we cherish and love. See to it,
Laura, for will not have her position left
open or questionable" and some of the old
fire returned to his eye, and gave force and
animation to his utterance.
sit shall be as you say, dear. I intended
it before you spoke, not only because 1 knew
you would wish it, bat for zera's own sake,
whom have begun to love already"
''You cahnot love and cherish one more
deserving-a creature beautiful in mind and
person, and with the noblest heart a woman
ever had"
"Come, sir, I am tired of hearing myself
praised" laughingy interrupted Zera; "and
besides, you are agitating yourself without
occasion, We have ALREADY made acquaint-
ance and love each other very dearly. Do
not tbe afraid that cousin Laura. will drive
me from your side. We have arranged every
thing to our entire satisfaction. Now go
to sleep, lest 1 grow desperate and make
you;" and she took from the stand a cordial
left by the physician, and gave him sooth-
ing draught.
Laura seconded her admonitions to him to
be quiet; and calling Aunt Betsy to come and
watch beside him, the two girls Withdrew in |
search of refreshments and much needed |
repose,
Many an air-castle foated through the mind |
of Bartrelle, as he lay quietly thinking of the
young ladies who had Just left him-of the |
absorbing love of the one. and the strange,
weird destiny of the other; and how inextri-
cably his own had been blended with hers.
He could not help feeling that there was a
wise Providence that shaped our lives, no
matter how anxiously we might seek to con-
troll them.
To him this providence had been propitious
Of almost every good and although at wide
intervals of his life's history some little of
the crosses which must inevitably attend
more or less, all of Gods creatures, had put
gall and wormwood into his cup, still he had
oftenest quaffed from its brim milk and honey.
He was content, however, to take it as it was;
and to accept the evil with the good, for he
knew that everything could not be to his
liking
From these meditatons he was aroused by
Aunt Betsy softly inquiring:
"How is you now, honey-does you feel
like you's gwine to git well agin'2 DE Lord
knows chile, that rs prayed to Him to spar
you to us all Peared like 'twould Almost kill
me, when 1 seed you toder mornin' lawn so
white and still, and de red blood all runnin'
outn you. OH chile, tell you it was aw-
full an I'll never git it outn my eyes and
heart as long as 1 lives"
And the old woman shuddered at recol-
loction that even yet chilled her heart with
horror. She had never seen anything like it
before, and the terrible incident lived in her
mind without parallel forever afterward. 1t
modo her young master hero in her eyes, in
to whom the greatest conquerors
in the world. sunk into insignifcance.
"Oh yes, Aunt Betsy, 1 am worth a half
dozen dead men yet; but you ought to know
that nothing can kill me; why 1 mean to live
4 hundred years yet, to tease you if for no.
hing elsei So you needn't think to get rid
IF me so soon"
"De Lord bfess de boy" exclaimed the
pleased old woman; "pears now he ies is
But 'spect dem bright eyes in de oder room
has more to do wild it, den teasen' me; but
len no wonder dey love him sol"