The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-07-13


that ever. tried d woman,s patience
lie openly preferred my grandmother's
dainty dishes, and il | left him for an
hour his bell Would RING, and / went
back to find his pillows on the floor, o,
his head so'hot that nothing but strok-
ing it with cologne and singing all the
while would cool it. To keep him still,
| read aloud for hours, thinking far
more of him than of my book. s.aa
We grew very well acquainted in
these long summer days. i went to
Meridian ON shopping expedition, and
found a thick letter for Mr.. Deane,
which had been lying there for nearly
three weeks. 1t was directed in a
lady's hand, and thought the sight Of
it brought q shadow to his face. He
looked SO glad to see me after; my two
hours absence that Invent UP stairs in
quite flutter of spirits. Conld it. be
possible that | was to taste, at last, the
JOY of which l had heard and read
with unsatisfed longing (? But I would
not stop TO think about it.
'.Here's a letter for you that Job
brought in while you were gone" said
my grandmother.
/ took it and glanced at Mr.. Deane
he sat by the epen window reading
one sheet of his letter with knit brows,
while the other lay beside him. Sud
denly a light breeze whirled it out into
the flower pot and I ran out to get it.
1t had not occurred to me to be curious
about the letter, and nothing was
further from my thoughts than to read
even the date of it; but the writing
was large and plain, and as | stopped
to pick it up, the first four words were
burned into my mind like letters of
fire.
''My own dear husband" Surely it
should have been nothing to me that
Mr.. Deaneis wife had written to him;
but woes me! The fact of his having
wife at all was like death blow to
lne-lil1e the instant before drowning
when one sees at q, glance the whole
map Of ones life.
gave him the letter without looking
for him, and went UP to my room.
Dout tess this was the Dear Mary
10 I La
from his dictatien, and had feolishly
taken it for granted that she was his
sister. He had. never spoken of her,
but married people are always mystic
rious, and her price might be far above
rubies, nevertheless. He had done
nothing to make her jealous. Once he
had taken my hand and touched it
with his lips; and all the rest OF the
/ foundations of my castle III Tie air lay
in looks more on. less. expressed.
But the love it appears was all on
my side. He was idle and grateful,
that was all.
would so away at once, DO matter
where, Mr.. Deane was SO far recovered
that my grandmother could easily at
tend to all his wants, and he could
soon return to his own place. 1t
would be something to remember, ii
nothing more. ,ei .. ~
Then I read my own letter, and it
wars my way of escape.
Aunt Rachel wrote to say that "she
was at deaths door with neuralgia, and
would / come to help her with the
children ~ she saw that door 50 often
in her own account of her sufferings
that familiarity with it had rather
hardened my heart toward Aunt Ra-
chel, but now / was ready 10 lay al
the stress OF her letter which il would
bear.
/ "What will Mr.. Deane say TO yonl
going away" said my grandmother
when | had impressed on her mind M
duty to aunt Rachel. ta
~ don't care what he says"
! Corr said my grandmother, with {
look which implied q two hours speech
at least. IA
"That letter was from his wife,
said /, looking anywhere hnt Mt her.
She never, answered a word, bu
just kissed me on both eyes, ant
sToked my hair tenderly for a minute
or two. Then we parted for the night
and I went away in the morning be
fore Mr.. Deane was up.
;, Aunt Rachel was out of sight o
Deaths door, long before l had reach
ed her, as ] had confidently suppose,
she would be; but she welcomed IN
heartily, and the kisses of the cllildrel
soothed, somewhat, the sore shot III N.
heart. t
! For the next three days, the activit
/ of the fbusy. bee,i long ago impaled o
9 a poeticai pin, was not to be compare
/. to mine. IF there were any gifts i
healing in mere work, was determin
ed to have them out of it; but til
image of AIr. Deane was ever in m
. minds eye, and, as people say VIII
have not been to the Normal / got u
n better fast.