New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-11-19

| 0ATno9Cnoe0; ''Or Ve&0G9Dl0, o0O OEl0k ]
D sun and air. Walter, poe of ale."
!, draught, he eprspg to his feet, and sale
"And now let 10 be of"
Il hope You won't think I en- annoyed,
said Thomas. anxiously, ''bct think
should like to walk today, and join 70
this evening. if you don't mind sculling til
boat down alone aud taking my bag"
II sha'n't expect to see yoI," said hi
friend. shaking his head with much solemn
ity. "ln hour you will be settled unde
Placid Existence, or Thoughts of Q Suburt
an Grandmother or 'Gayer Moments of q
Upper footing Curste,' or Gentle Dream
for Gentle Souls,' or-but enough. You %
the effect of forcing such food upon me.
I am suffering from q reaction. am wedde
to the brutal life" Then he laughed aloud
shook his friend plsyfully by the shoulders
and betook himself to the boat.
Thomas watched his friend az he rowet
half pathetic. 1t seemed very sad to hin
that 80 glorious Q creature should be 81
hard of heart, strong, bright, and cold as
diamond. And yet he could not ind faul
with one who swung 60 grandly forward
filling his broad chest and strengthening BIZ
shapely arms, and then with scarce al
effort of strong back and thigh, sent the
boat flying along the water. Orlando
shouted q fare we'll, and Thomas sighed auG
smiled, went in doors and paid the bill, and
90 started on his journey.
was on the grass; the sky was not pitiles,
blue, but tender and made softer by little
fleecy clouds; and about the low green hills
in the distance hayward shower wa
sweeping. An April day had come to
freshen tho close of thirsty June. The
heart of the young wayfarer grew light,
and his lips began to babble of little joys.
Surely before the close Of such day some.
thing wonderful must happen. The fitful
% it grew fainter with the growth of
day. limited . memory too sweet for .
regret. Thomas stepped out gay as
. troubadOur. The hours seemed
endless before him, each moment Q new
joy, and surely somewhere . great
surprise to crown the day. He thought
with pity of Orlando, for whom NO wonder.
full thing was reserved. He was full of
whimsical thoughts, Laughing and blushiog
now and then Ut his own sbsurdity. He
pulled off his hat to the honeysuckle in the
loose-growing hedge, and stepped aside
from the path of . beetle, magnificent in
green; he stopped to whisper to the sweet
brier rose, and to hear the sage council of
. pragmstical finch. He fingered by tho
cottage porch, If happy some little dsmsel
might step out to fasten the loose spray of
roses. he watched light cart come Jog.
ging toward him, and wondered who was
in it; till lazy Sally was jolted by in the
sunlight, and he began to wonder if she had
lover. While his thoughts were yet busy
with Sally, and he was humming some
words of . girl, who was no lady nor beau
tiful, and who knew she ought not to walk
with gentleman while he was musing on
diaries and daises and cool pastures and
three legged stools, and fanoying Corydon
with ribbons at his Snees. and Bob Bnlker
in corduroy;. and when the day was
still young-he heard the quick feet of
ponies behind him, and before he had time
to imagine lovely driver, she had passed |
Only vision of soft, fair hair, Q face half |
curious, half ahy, but very sweet in shadow; |
and yet the young man thought that some |
thing remarkable had happened. He stood
still and stared with the murmured song
hushed on his lips. Away went the ponies,
sleek, round and sure of foot: happy in the
thought of corn and in the light hand of
their lady. Thomas pushed through gap
in the hedge, and ran up the sloping field,
whence the hay had just been carted. From
the high ground he looked far down the
road, till the little carriage was but speck
In the distance. Then he sighed and
shook his head, and then he
looked along the country with new sense
Of it's loneliness. Fields of ripening corn
away from his feet to the banks
If the dallying river. The wheat was
stirred, and the hazy air was MUIR
nurOus with the hum of insects. Beyond
The river lay meadows where COWS were
azily feeding meadows which far away
rose slowly and softly into grassy hills.
The sky was tender - the memory of an
Did love st0ry-everywhere was rest; and
The unreasonable Thomas staring upward
with Wide eyes, gave himself up to dreams,
and, dreaming, slept.
When Thomas woke the sun was hieh.
md the charm of morning had passed away.
He stretched himself, rubbed Ills eyes and
wrinkled his eyebrows plaintively. Then
be stared down the road, and was absurdly
because he could not sec the
pony .csrriage. There was nothing but hot
md monotonous % the path of every day
iuty. He gave great sigh and braced
himself for the work. As he plodded on,
he began to think himself . very unfortu
nate young man. Nothing ever came up to
,is expectations. How different the dsy
would have been if those psmpered ponies
,ad taken fright, and he had flung himself
1t their heads! So his imagination busted
tself with that which might have been. He
L
ng to the rescue. 1t did not occur to him
hat he might have been run over; but he
vas sure that he would not have minded .
light injury. Suppose, for instance, that
10 had sprained his wrist, and that she had |
pound it with her own handkerchief. Sup
)Ose-but, after all, life was poor affair
Ind romance was of the dark ages things
never happened exactly right; and the day
lad grown Oppressively hot.
EOr unoosv thouUhto <hnvn 80 - ,-.> III. /
Walking. Abuse of the age sank gradually
INTO q mechanical accompaniment of the
footsteps, and finally vanished before q
growing consciousness of hunger.
When Thomas entered the low porch of
he village inn he was tired and hungry,
put the burden of the day was gone. He
Ound Orlando lying on another lawn, aud |
breathing the evening as he had breathed
ne morning air-a little browner and q lit
lad ordered stupendOus dinner, and had
ried the beer.
"A good day." asked Thomas, throwing
,imself on the ground by his friend.
Great," said the other; "and yOuf"
Yes" said Thomas, doubtfully; good
~. "sy u the by BY I tished out woman"
u pulled . woman out of the water"
"YOu have saved Q woman from drown.
nei"
Thomas felt sinking. He had left Or
ando for day, and on that dsy Orlando
lad had an adventure.
IAN old woman" he muttered.
II should guess about twenty"
"Dark" Thomas thought he should not
mind 80 much if she were dark.
"Fair, tall and"-
"Beautiful!"
women don't look beautiful when they
ave just fallen into the water; but
hink"-
..You think she was handsome"