New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-12-24

often held to be artificial in fiction, but
| which, when occurring in real life, is CON
sidered only Every forum ite," the bell az
the outer gate beneath the ivied arch
| GLANCED with q boisterous peal, and Two
minutes later the little sittingroom was
| d wa, fed in it's proportions by the appear
snce within its walls of huge, broad
| chested, large limbed, weather-beaten man,
| sadly travel stained and battered as to his
exterior, but with pair OF bright pure
| eyes, so full of hope and cheerlness tnat
| they m abe your heart bound at once with
trust and Joy; aud they made mot only the
| heart, but the whole person of Alice Wood
| wyn bound; for, with the rapidity OF light
| ming, she sprang toward him. END before O
| word could be- uttered had flung her arms
around his neck, aud almost hidden his
| bearded, honest face by the delugs OF Kisses
| she poured upon it. j.,
What q talking and hand-shaking and
| kissing, again and again, began after that!
| What succession of incoherent question.
| ings and impossib!y constructed answers!
! What upgrammatical. voiubls sentences
| were scattered aboui! How there never
seemed to be sny likelihood Of the per-
| Torrance coming to an end and matters SET,
| ting down again! First-if there ever conld
| be fret in such u complication OF sayings
! anu UOjUGS-A Olu WOuiO t1hS w AAi' AA0siS
| niece with SO much strength OF arm aud
hand that the ch,lt's head appeared lmper-
| lied by the low ceiling; then he seemed in
| clined to treat his own sister in the same
way, and was not quite cure but what lie
| would give George hoist up in his arms,
! so entirely overcome was he by The bolste
| business and strength of his J'y. NOT
| WIS chat Of the other three in their degree
| less dsmonstrative They had thoroughly
A>I,1 ,of,o oil
| eyes were as full of tears as they could
| hold, and Mrs. Wo0dwyns didn't hold
| them, for they kept running over ana
| streaming down her face, so that yon would
| have thought a private cataract was come
| where at work, and was only hidden from
| view by the profns;ou of her brown curls,
| which now, fairly escaping from the bend
aga of all piaits and bands, were howlug
| ABOUT in all tirections, and getting SO mixed
! up and eEtapgied wi5h her brothers locks,
| which were exactly the same color, and
[ only, as it seeued, IA little less l0ng--Then
| bis head shook with laughter, that the con-
| fusion ut appearance was quite as great as
! the confusion of tongues.
By degrees, however, a little tranquility
set in, and, when eyery due arrangement
| had been made for everbody's comfort, the
whole party fell to at the repast. After
while it was but natural that a certain
+! amount Of reaction should follow, as We
know there We're many circumstances con-
nected with the little grcuo likely to have
o depressing influence. The evening, too,
began to close in, and for the first half hour
after the chairs were pulled around the
fire and before candies were brought the
conversation took rather gloomy turn.
But presently Tom, bringing his big hand
down on to his knees with heavy spank,
said, while the ruddy glow of the fire which
he had iust stirred showed his face OeNmiug
again with smiles:
well, it's no use repining; We must try
and make the best of matters. 1t is true,
haven't got q penny in the wOrld-n0t q
silver; but am full of hope and good
health. thank God, and bet tween Ms we will
retrieve our fortunes somehow. AT present
am too glad to be in the dear old home
once again for anything to depress me
much. Dear heart! only to think sixteen
years since l WAS in this rOom-and then l
was but sixteen years old How small the
place looks! And this Little puss-she
seems very pale and peaky. poor child
wasn't born or thought of; and had only
seen you once in my life, Mr. George, and
naughty, stuck up young sprig l thought
you-casting Sleeps eyes even then at
Alice: not but what che was nearly as tall
st fourteen as shs is now-yes!' looking
straight ct HIS sister and patting her cheek;
but you don't look quite so plump and
rosy in the face as you did tuen. you poor
darling! But Wen bring the roses back,
somehow YETI
Il don't know how you are going to 90
it, Tom abe answered sadly When l
think of how affairs stand with us all, there
comes great knock at my heart in the
midst of my gladness at having you back
again. What a great big fellow you have
gIOwn-I can't help looking at you. l
should never have known you but tor your
eyes; and they are, as always, exactly like
dear fathers. You will be the image of
him when you ale as Old
''Ah, in looks perhaps; but l am afraid
that's all l follow him ill.," answered the
brother. Il feel like horrid brute rs sit
here, and remeln Der the misery caused the
dear old chan. l can see him sitting over
there where George is as plainly-ah. well!
it's of no use talking about it; but l sup
pose if i. hadn't been for me he would have
managed differently about his money.
Yes, l am the cause of the trouble all
round. You would, no doubt, have been
we'll off but for me-"
Don't say 80, Tom," chimed in George;
''it's bad luck, but we can't tell; you must
not accuse yourself of too much. You and
| must go on working hard, that's all it
comes to-"
"Yes,' slowly answered the burly sailor,
after o pause; "but it's very strange to
think that nobody has any idea OF what be
did with all his savings. Dear heart! it's
very curious"
Then there was silence for long while.
Bat when the candles came the talk went
on again, rising at times into merriment,
and again lapsing to the sadder key, but
ever Ringing, of course, upon the return
home, the adventures abroad. and all that
had happened during these long years.
The Christmas eve waned; little Lily
went to bed: and, finally. bed time came
for all. Alice and George both saw their
brother up to the little room, which, for
many days past, had been ready for him.
He never seemed weary Of gazing about
him at the old familiar domestic objects
the passages, the stairs, the rooms. just as
they we're bidding &c ,od night" Tom
turned to his sister and said:
"Aud the garden, Affects that much the
sarnes All the queer gna,led apples trees,
just as they weres"
YES" che answered; "but don't often
90 down there now; it has been sadly ne
elected of late years."
"And the dolls nest!' went on the
brother; sis that still in existencel'
"The WHAT" inquired George from the
threshold of the room where he was stand
ing.
"The dolls nest," replied Tom, "Do you
mean to say that Alice never told you any
thing about the dolls nest? Why, we used
to have rare fun .therel We used to sit in
the dolls nest for hours together when she
and were children-didn't we, Alicea'
"Never heard of it," said George.
"Oh, it was only queer old hole in the
largest apple tree" broke in Alice. at
made q rough sort of seat, and Tom used to
lit me up into it and put his arm round my
waist, and hold me in alongside him, and
we used to call it tho dolls nest that's
all. l have not given it thought for
year,; but it is still there, l have no
doubt"
"Well. have often thought of it." said