Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-10-04
ALEXANDRIA, La, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4. 1873.

unless it's of a Sunday, or they meet her
wandering round in that old graveyard
on the hillside. There she goes now !
Well, tits a pretty spot. | used to go there
myself when was single and-and love
sick. Idon't believe she's had a new thing
since she's been married. And yet every
body says Rogers making money, and
none of his name were ever called close
that heard of
There was reason i'm such conjectures. to
be sure, If not right; for certainly Laura
had had but one or two new things i'm
these years, except some trifles bought
with the balance Of her little trOusseau
money. She had turned her one silk gown
upside down and wrong side out; she had
made everything over, and she always fiat
tered herself that she would present a
very respectable appearance, till she stood
in the fashiOnably dressed congregation,
when she was often vexed and mortified
enough-not for her own sake, but lest
Roger should draw comparisons, and think
her clumsy and devoid of taste.
| 1t was only lately that Laura had taken
to wandering in the old hillside grave
yard. The place was tangle of blossoms
and briers, birds, and bees in the sunshine
"a bright and lonely place, and just sad
enough in its solitude to seem cOnsOnant
with her own feelings; for Laura had lost
her old elasticity and expectancy. Every
thing in her life was right, because Roger
liked it, but she no longer took much in
dividual joy in it.; it was all something
hard and sordid, and Roger, buster than
ever, hardly gave her look, hardly
word. That he loved her just the same she
knew, though it was all by fits and starts,
IA for fhe Of hat
love was WEAKNESS. She was afraid that
when the time would come i'm which he
could rest and look at her, read with her,
talk with her, idle with her, he would
have forgotten how-wOuld have ceased to
care to do it.
81 don't know" she said as she came
d4s4f from - tangled graveyard on'the
no%s sS tsl a!ssYs ass ss5s son fogss ssf
doesnlk seem to MIND khis cough, mid I
hard 10 Stpeak about doctor; but
then-but then fiaDxofld I1ks me so ~
All, that ssbut tIleh' spol Simak: it
apRapt that Laura did not ffuch care, for
her paE yehether she went or not.
I shall ,, Nh haye sa .sossk yoS % al little tile
Pbeen hS 0ting and eol1fhE and halting
in her sPsseslfor tweF three days past,
as now issdddenly Occurred y hip While
hs stood si,i1a hat ,i,aIl in hand l., ..,,,Ww =
ously. .Couldnx yh get along without
it ~ and he laughed. ''WheY did, you
syerask me for any money beforeF On,
for your own use in ~ these -four. years
that wsshave been mAfried?'' -
"Ihaven't needed any, DEAR had bill,
You know, at the store here. to get any
thing wanted"
3 Yes, know of the bill. 1t has not6eeps
fifty dollars year. never. did give you
any money, did i, Lama? never
thought! !" And he threw himselfson the
sofa in dismay at his needless carelessnese
W., you are going to give msv some
now," she, s,said, brightly. ;sAnd
shouldn'task you, ,s1se said, coming round
and sitting down On the hassock at his feet,
"for-for myself. wantit for-and-I-
oh, Roger, don,Dyou knowr' And she
bid her faceorf1lis knee.
For moment Roger was silent i'm be-
wilderment, and the truth slowly dawned
on him. 81
81 have been a fool!'' he cried. 'sAre
you ever going to forgive me, my darlings'
The next morning Roger did not go to
town, but he went down andbbr0ught the |
doctor to see Laura; and the cook came |
back that week, and the second girl too,
eventually; and Laura went about, or lay |
on the sofa, as she chose, but with the |
strangest sense you can imagine of the
worlds revolving on another axis since |
she was being taken care of. Roger came |
down in an earlier train every day, and |
brought her grapes and wine himself, and |
sat by and saw ler eat and drink. "What |
a wretch havebeen!" he said. ~ who |
love you so to treat you so! Thought you
just as happy as L"
Why, so l am, Roger dear"
But have done nothing to make You
you nowhere, given you moth
ing, not even time or attention"
You have been SO busy" said Laura. |
"Well, il shall be so no more J" he |
cried. "We have begun all over again
new and the next act i'm this beginning
shall be a new wardrobe for you"
oh, by-and-by," she said.
"'WhO waits at the house of By-and-by
shall stay at the house of Neverr" he
said. s. have learned that much. You
shall have it now. Things have gone so
well with me that / can make the last
payment on the house ON the hill to-mOr-
row, if 1 will, and have enough left to fur
nish it, and we will move in the moment
you are well. Think, Laura, what
strange house it will be with cradle i'm it,
and people tiptoeing round for fear they
shall wake the baby ~ And Laura lay |
there and laughed at all his boyish ecstasies,
and felt the least in the world as if she had
lied and gone to heaven.
g Laura" said Roger, some months af-
of such perfect, peaceful
happiness that he had wondered where his
wits had been when they let him deprive
himself Of such joy through these money
making years" Laura, / didn't sleep an
hour last night. Inever can tell you how
felt. What if you had died while was
20 intent on my object that couldn't see
any thing ailing you'll l should never,
never have forgiven myself"
"Oh no, no, you mustn't say so, Roger
she whispered. Because / may die vet.
Il is more than likely. Iought to tell you
DR.. Phillips says that
Stop! stop" cried Roger. II will
not hear word Of such talk.''
Perhaps it would be better, DEAR said
Laura. s. Sometimes it seems to me as if
this were too good to last. And, what
ever happens, want you always to re-
member how happy this time has been"