The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1876-07-27

tacles, and went on darning stockings.
Paul is worried with business mat
terss l SUPPOSE she said, apologeti.
cally. "Paul will do well enough, if you
only let him alone"
went up to my room after dinner,
and made an elaborate toilet; but ali
the pains l bestowed upon it served only
to heighten the general effect of awE.
wardness. E.
I've two minds to wait until to-mor.
row." quoth l to myself, abruptly stop.
ping, with my cravat half tied.
No, l might be coward, bat was
not such an unmitigated poltroon as
that. l had begun the enterprise, and !
would carry it through, if it cost me the
last drop of my hearts blood. More
over, / had an inspiration. An entirely
new and original method of putting the
momentous query-"popping the ques-
tion"i is a vulgarism that I, for one, could
never tolerate-had occurred to me.
Hang Fitzhugh Trefoil!n Iexclaim-
ed, gleefully, half aloud, though there
was no ear to hear my ejaculation. "I'll
win the dark-eyed treasure yet, in spite
of him!"
| opened my writing-case and care
fully took out little carte de visite
wrapped in tissue paper, and tenderly
laid away with a pink silk perfume
sachel that Minnie had made for me
once. It was Cecilia's picture; she had
allowed me to steal it away from her,
with scarcely remonstrance, week
before. Then was the time ought to
have proposed; but, like a timorous,
doubling moon-caf as / was, l had let
the golden tide of opportunity slip un-
improved away from me.
drew Bessie Armitage's vacant.
doll-like face from its envelope. and
compared the two with thrill of tri-
umph in my heart.
"Colorless water beside crimson,
sparkling champagne! a pale violet in
the shadow of royal rose! pearls
eclipsed by the fiery flash of dia-
monds!" I exclaimed. "Henry Wal
lis's taste may be very correct and clas-
sical! These bleached beauties don t
correspond with my ideal Of perfec-
tion.n
It was lovely spring evening as
entered the wide graveled path that
led up to the broad porch Of the old
fashioned Vernon mansion. Squire
Vernon sat there smoking his meer-
schaum.
"Won't you sit down and have a
smoker" he demanded, Hospitality.
''It's real luxury to be able to take a
Whit out OF doors, after being shut up
in the house all the winter. Or maybe
you'd prefer going in to see Cecil?"
Sensible old gentleman! he had not
forgotten his own young days. inti-
mated, not without considerable awk-
wardness, that the special object of rny
visit had been to sssee Cecil.''
swell, she is in the parlor, all by
herself" said the Squire, good-humor-
edly, motioning me in. s'Walk in
walk hl.r
Cecilia Vernon was sitting in the par
lor alone, as her father had said, the
bright center of a cheerful circle Of
lamplight. A bit of crochet-work was
lying in her lap, and an open volume Of
poems-poems I had sent her-was on
the table.
Cecilia Vernon was always fair to
look upon in my sight; tonight, how
ever, she seemed more than ordinarily
beautiful.
I sat down, and began hesitatingly
upon the never-failing topic of the
weather. A proposal had seemed the
easiest thing in the world as walked
along the dewy edges of the peaceful
starlighted road, contemplating it from
afar of; but now that / was face to face
with it, Alps upon Alps Of difficulty and
perplexity seemed to surround its ac-
complishment. would have given all
that was worth to postpone the evil
day but twenty hours-all but my
self-respect, and that was imperiled
now. E
Cecilia tried her best to keep the bali
of conversation in motion; she intro
duced new subjects, asked leading ques-
tions, and feigned deep interest in the
most Obtuse of topics. But even Cecil
lia couldn't talk on forever, and pres
emily, with little sigh of despair, she
subsidized into silence. - s s5sss
Now was the eventful moment Of my
destiny. t@4 nSsAHt xfs
I" "Cecilia!" I said softly. l.sa 3
She raised the liquid brown eyes TO-
mine. ....7s#. 50
az want to confids in you tonight
have your permission to spesk?''
" Certainly, Mr.. Markham!"
81 am very much In love, Cecilia; in
fact, my heart has long ago gone out
of my possession into that Of
/ stopped, with the fatal husky feel
ing in my throat. Cecilia was blush
ing divinely! drew my chair close
to hers, with the sensation of man
who has just pulled the string Of cold
ShOW0r-bath.