The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-06-27
A HERO, OR A HEROINE?
CHAPTER XIV.
MARGAREr's CoURAa X.

It was early spring. The buds were swell
ing. the birds beginning to sing, and week Of
mild weather had filled every ones heart with
longing for out-of-door life, when an excur.
sion was planned by a few of the Sealing
young people, to wild and beautiful spot
called the Glen, few miles inland, a favorite
resort for picnic parties. There were dozen
in all, and they were to go in a large open
wagon with four seats, and take their pro-
visions with them. 1t was the custom Of the
place for the young men to have the nominal
getting-up of these excursions; that is, they
incurred the expenses of the "team " and the
trouble Of Invitations, while the girls pre-
pared the eatables. There was always to be
an equal number of ladies and gentlemen; the
couples were arranged beforehand, and each
youth was in duty bound to devote himself to
his eoMpiaaiOn unremittipgly during the drive
and at the place of the picnic.
Dr.. James had agreed to join this party, an
almost unheard of thing for him to do, and the
committee of arrangements had assigned him
to Margaret as her escort. This was disinter-
ested on the part of the other ladies; for al
though they were not supposed to have voice
in the distribution of the gentlemen, their in
fuence was certainly felt, rs one or two of the
committee very conveniently had sisters, who
gave their advice at homo, and communicated
to their intimate friends the results of their
important deliberations. 1t was disinterested
in them, then, to allow Miss Lester to have as
her escort the doctor, who was great favorite
and by far the most desirable man in the towns
of Sealing and Shellbeach combined, for an
escort, a partner, husband or what not
Added to this, it was quite an honor to have
him devote so much of his precious time to
their picnic; he was, in fact, the lion Of the
party, and perhaps no one else could have been
selected for his companion without exciting
disapproba,ion, to say the least in the minds
of many of the others. So it seemed to be a
wise as well as a magnanimous plan which
gave to Margaret the privilege of the exclu.
sive attention of DR.. James for one whole after
noon.
perception of the state of the case dawned
upon her, as the great wagon stopped at Miss
Spelman's door, and she inwardly smiled when,
after seeing her contribution to the feast safely
packed away, she took her place between the
doctor and young man, who was usually &C.
counted for as being "in the bank" though
what Office he held in that important institu-
ton was left rather uncertain.
She resolved to repay the politeness of the
rest of the party by making herself generally
agreeable, and monopolizing her escort as little
as possible. In this she succeeded admirably,
and the whole company were in high spirits
and enjoying themselves tSthe utmost when
they reached the Glen, and began to walk |
through pastures and over rough and broken |
ground, before reaching the bed of the brook, !
where the picnic proper was to be held. All |
the provisions was set down on the high, fat
rock which answered for table, and then the |
party broke up into couples, as the girls ex-
pressed their inclinations, some to sit down on
the rocks and others to explore the woods or
follow up the stream to its source.
Margaret, to whom every thing was new and
interesting, wished to go through the Glen,
md proposed that they should climb the
wooded bank above them, follow the stream
through the woods, and return by the rocks.
Dr.. James was very willing, and they set out
IN their scramble up the bank, and then along
he edge, catching at branches or roots of
rees for support, and slipping frequently on
he wet last years leaves and damp earth. 1t
vas all fun to Margaret; she laughed with an
.Imost childish delight at every difficulty, re-
used all assistance, and kept generally ahead
# her companion, who seemed inclined to take
he rough climbing moro lesurely, and was
Tot enraptured when the trescberous leaves
auded him in a hole, q seemingly firm
,ough which he grasped gave way in his
land, and almost made him lose his balance
nd fall.
At last the head of the Glen was reached; a J