New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-02-08

Z | lake IL, INC pay WIS SO poor ana the Sltua
! ton SO lonely. Besides he was now ben
on the Independent ministry, and fount
this capital place for perfecting hi
studies in quiet and practicing thei
lessons in freedom. These were his argu
ments, and combatted them with ease
Then he turned on me, and.told me
| Il have grown to care for girl in tn
village yonder, Malva Keith. She is no
lady, and am not gentleman-afte
my fathers pattern, at least. This stat
Of life suits her better than any other
therefore, if I marry her, it and no othel
shall suit me. ;"
/ l had used reason against arguments
| and turned them into smoke. To USE
reason against love would have been folly
I and | was not fool. We shook hands
Heartily, babe each god speed, and parted
the best of friends, never to meet again in
this world. The rest of Hughs story
give from his letters and Malva's lips.
! She was practised coquette, honest
| enough in her way, and beautiful beyond
I measure, with the full, upright figure,
1.-the, round limbs, and rich coloring of a
prairie Hebe; well aware Of her beauty,
too, both from her glass and the more
I audible homage Of at least score of
rough and ready admirers. trappers. tim
ber-fellers, railway employees, loafers and
! the like, who all WED in paying court to
the flower of White Waters. Hugh came
| in among these like star from another
! system, and straightway Malva cast off
I her old suitors' and hauled down the flag
Of freedom to lay it at the young school
| master s feet.
| So far. SO we'll; but unfortunately, SUR
! render was easier than subsection to this
young lady. Hugh lived fully three miles
! of, and was at his work all day. Malva
lived just outside the village-her father
( was timber contractor, and well-to-do
! man Of the toughest class-and the house
was always full of those of her SWANS as
did not care for work, and found making
love pleasant pastime; and Malva was
too partial to this incense to relinquish it
at once, and for the sake of a grave, stern
young man, who had other work than
hanging on her apron-strings all day. The
end OF all this was that Hugh grew anx-
ious, then jealous, then angry; took to re-
proving instead of worshiping, and SO ir-
ritated her pride, all of which eliminated
In desperate quarrel on Christmas Eve
respecting Miles Pearson, whose over
familiar worship of the flower of White
Waters had for some time been arousinp
Master Hugh's wrath. / fear that latter
gentleman had inherited his fathers pride:
at any rate he bore himself so sternly on
this occasion that Malva, who was on the
point of yielding and asking pardon, sud-
denly nailed her colors to the mast, and
said she wasn't going to be bullied.
Miles was as good as some folk, and bet
ter. He didn't get riley and tyrannical;
and for her part she preferred Americans
to half-bred foreigners" ETC., blue eyes
Hashlng and pomegranate cheeks afame. !.
Hugh looked her full in the face, and an
swered her, very white and cold
"That is your choice, then? Very well. !
The half foreigner will resign you
until such time as you change your mind, |
and ask him to come back. Good morn |
ing, Miss Keith I
And SO walked back to his school, and I
came no more to Keith's homestead.
This was Christmas Eve, as / said, and |
the weather was cold enough then: but
the real heavy snow did not set in much
before January. 1t had been falling off
and on for several days, and was so deep
IN places that Hugh's school benches had
grown very empty. many from the more
distant clearings not being able to come.
Stlll, the master was great favorite with I
and these in Iowa and Mime
sofa are tough and hardy little race; so
on the fifth OF January, 1877, though the
SKY was an omlnous color, and the ba-
rometer falling fast, about nine boys and
girls arrived as usual, and, after good
warming at the fire, began their studies.
One OF them, Seth Halkett, brought a !
Dit of news.
Miles Pearson's gwine to splice with
I'D keith's gal. Guess therell be grand
kings down to her place. Air Won
gwlne to TIE marryin', teacher?" Il
"You shut up, Seth cried his sister, a
harp girl of twelve, who, with precocious
vomanhood, had got hold of Hugh's feel
ngs In that quarter. Hes always talkin G
'hen he knows nuthin', teacher; an he
rent done one fgger of his reck min .
ct" I
Seth stuck his hands defiantly in the /,
aged bands of his corduroys, and NUT !,
9red: Darn the reck 'nin..' But Hugh
poke to him mildly, and babe the girl y
md her own work. 1t was not with =
lIldren that his sternness came out.
1t soon grew too dark for studying, Z
he flakes froze as they fell in a solid heap d
the window sill, and blotted out the =
ght. One of the boys looked out at the -
ont door, and got his nose frost-bitten:
Id murmur rose that they would be =
'lIged to stay in school all night. Hugh -
INT to the back door, which was at the -
OF the house, and confirmed the fore. ~
ding The road was impossible for i,
lldren already, and the snow falling in a.
o cross currents. which made a sort of Is
zen wind in the air. There could be | Ia Ia
going home that evening: and he -.
sled himself in piling up the fires. and 81
lping the old negroes. who waited on W;
!, to get supper ready for his pupils. Ia
at night the two girls who had been y!
lcky enough to accompany their broth. u
to school slept in Hugh's bed. while oe
camped down with the bows in the y
lool-room. They kept roaring fires. ne
4 used every wrap there was in the ey
use; but the cold increased hourly, and oil
:, the youngest child. woke. crying or,
re than once. Sr,
md the snow went on falling.
t never ceased all the next dav and a.
nj. Hugh kept up the fires. fed the h a,
ldren well, and told them stories. Lit De'
tommy, the youngest, cried for his -. .4s
ther at first; but soon ceased when the 1'u
ster took HIM on his knee and COM a.
tea him. Still, the time passed very n.y.
arlly; every peep from the back room -
wed only awhite waste of snow, tend
downWards to the valley, and blotting -.
rs, fences, and landmarks in one huge M,
ding sheet. Worse was coming still; -.
that night old Classy whispered her co;
ter that the food was almost gone. go.
e hungry mouths soon make away ,
the contents OF one mans arder.
!, ~ foI1o,.,; ~ i'iiinS. Ma