The Louisianian. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1870-1871, 1871-04-02

business suggestions of Mallory, he saw
Jim give sudden start as little dark
lady passed, with her hair crepe and a
gay voice, chatting voluble to her COM
panion.
"Jim, I thought you had dropped that
string"
Jim laughed, and sung, in a low bari
tone,
Her bright smile haunts me still"
And that was the last that Tom heard
of the subject-well, we will not antici-
pate.
Winter passed, and spring had come;
and. with the spring, as every body
knows, premonitions of cholera. All the
Mallory family, mother and sisters, were
IN state of worry and fuss from the first
about this expected scourge. They had
twenty plans in twenty days as to where
they would go, and what they would go,
and what they would do. Cape May,
and Long Branch, and Newport went by
the board, because somebody had told
Mrs. Mallory that the sea-coast would be
unsafe. Then came all the mountain re-
sorts. This was too far, that was too
near, another too full, ETC., etc, until
queer little place, perched up among the
Catskill Mountains, was decided on.
"And it will be SO nice for you, James
dear, for you can get your mails twice
day." said Mrs. Mallory.
But "James dear" made no reply to
this. He had other plans.
"Tm not going to sacrifice city comfort
another summer for one OF those musqui-
to haunts," he said to his partner. "And
as for cholera-bah!''
And so it came about that, for the first
time In six summers, Jim took up his
headquarters in the deserted house at
home, and found it, as he declared, the
coolest and most comfortable summer
resort he had known for a long time.
l don't mean. to say that he took no ex-
cursions away from the brick and NOR
tar and marble. There was scarcely a
week but found him for day or so a.
one or another of the pleasant spots
about New York, which was easily acces-
able to him by night trains or steamers.
In the meantime his mother and three
sisters wrote him frantic letters from the
Kauterskill. They offered him every in
ducement they could think of-plenty OF
room, pure air, nice table, and "Such
pleasant society,""
"The Caledons-most delightful peo-
ple-are here, wrote Kate Mallory; "two
charming daughters and a son. They
live on our street at home, too: isn't it
funny we came way up here to find each
other out?" And here followed an ur-
gent entreaty to brother James to come
up by Saturday night without fail and
get acquainted with these delightful peo-
pie. But brother James had made q
partial engagement to go home with Mr..
Wing, his partner, on Saturday night
and he didn't "see that he could get
away from it," he wrote back to Kate.
Before Saturday night, however, Jim
Mallory found it the easiest thing in the
world to get away from his partial en-
gagement with Mr.. Wing. 1t was Tues
day when he wrote to Kate. On We'd
nesday morning, as he was walking down
the street on the shady side, he suddenly
heard strange, shrill voice call out !:
Molly! Molly! Molly!" He laughed
little at the remembrance this called
up, and turned to look in the direction
of the voice. There wasn't soul to be
seen within speaking distance. But still
that voice went on: "Molly! Molly
Mony!" ending with curious chuckle
of laughter He turned more quickly
this time, and there, just above his head
discovered grey parrot swinging in its
great gilded cage. He laughed again,
and the parrot took it up with his mock
ING chuckle, and with. it seemed to Jim,
actually knowing wink at him, re-
peated once more: Molly! Molly
Molly!" ="
Jim Mallory shrugged his shoulders
then thought of the little dark-eyed angel
of his search, and was half a mind to lift