The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1877-03-01

ito LieaSufeSi Dut 1t was a YerV lOup
while coming. said so once, and she
signed and gave me a little lecture on
patience. She told me q story of a
frlncess-one of those delightful Prin-
cesses that lived in the year once-upon-
a-tlme-who had longed and longed for
her ship to come through many wears,
till she had learned the lesson of pa
tlence at last, and found in the lesson a
holy joy.
The Princess, said Aunt Deborah,
was once wayward beauty who loved
herself better than any body else in her
fathers dominions. She was surround
ed by every thing that was rich and
beautiful, from the palace of pearls and
rubies in which she lived to the natural
lovehness of land all flowers and
fruits and golden corn; but she took
little heed of the beauty of the world.
She loved of all things to gaze into q
mirror of crystal, where she saw re-
Elected her pretty face with it's sunny
smile and wealth of curling locks. Her
fathers minstrels twanged their lutes
to most seductive measures, and gilded
courtiers moved about her breathing
honeyed words of fattery; but she
needed them not, and gazed in the mir
ror from morning till night, content to
center all her love on that dainty face.
Oh! said Aunt Deborah, what multi
tude OF people are content to live their
lives in that little range of delusive
glass, till it drops from the weakened
hand and lies a mass of brittle frag-
ments to lacerate the feet of the wan
derer on his weary pilgrimage into the
shadow and the darkness!
There came one day, continued Aunt
Deborah, to this Princess Prince of
manly form and noble heart, who
wooed her in the tender poetry of an
honest love; but she took not her eyes
from the glass. Yet the music of his
voice was sweeter than the minstrels'
lutes, and there was truth in the trem-
ulous accents that fell upon her ear. If
she cast her. eyes upon him for a mo-
ment, it was only that they might daily
with his as spoiled child dallies with
its last new toy. When the Prince had
tarried many days, said Aunt Deborah,
with a sigh, his heart fell sick of love
and disappointment, and he vowed he
would 60 over the silvery sea to mourn
to secret his unrequited love. And
when he hoped, deep down in his heart,
that the Princess would by look or word
bid him tarry, she gazed in her glass,
and was too busy scanning her own
beauties to mark the love-lorn anguish
in his eyes.
And the gallant Prince sailed away,
and the minstrels played on their golden
lutes, and the jeweled courtiers fiat
tered as before; but a change came
over the pretty Princess. She missed
the music of the Princes voice, and,
missing it, she was sad. Every day the
glass reflected a sadder face. The
bloom faded from the velvet cheek, aud
tears would sometimes blind the soft
blue eyes. And then the face in the glass
began to reproach her, and she felt the
folly of centering all her heart
upon a fading vision; and then,
said Aunt Deborah with a suddenness
thatmade my little heart leap,she drop
ped the glass, and for the first time saw
that the world was beautiful beyond.
The eyes that had been confined to the
limits of the crystal now roamed in
freedom over the beauteous land, and
the heart that had been blind now
found sight to look out farther still
away over the silvery sea-straining to
catch the first glimpse of the home
bound ship as it should rise above the
horizon; but it did not come. And for
days and years she looked for the bark
that should bring back her gallant
Prince, and the shattered mirror of her
selishness and pride lay at her feet !;
but he did not come. And, chastened
by painful longings, she found sympa-
thy for those who longed and hoped and
suffered, too, and thus she sorrowed
with the sorrowing and lightened the
burden of the poor; but the ship came
not, and she still strained her eyes over
the silvery sea. 'sy.. ..s
"Aunt Deborah, what makes you
cryp" " ..-l. ....
"Sympatny," said she, and she
brushed the tears from her cheeks.
"Aunty, has your ship Prince on
boardp" -. tF s-
"It has barley-sugar bird-cage and
rocking-horse for my dear boy,' said
aunt-as I now know-evasively; and
then I mounted that imaginary rock
ing horse and soon cantered off into the
land of dreams.
often heard that story of the
Princess afterwards-up to the time
when was breeehed and wore frilled
collars and caps like an elongated con-
certina, taperingto tassel that offered
the attractions of bell-rope to the vul-
gar boys of the village. heard, too:
but aunt did not tell me, of Mr.. Some
body who had once wanted to marry
Aunt Deborah; but she Tilted him, my
father said. and Mr.. Somebody went