The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1877-09-20

menSely.
"' You kindly insinuate that it would
be benevOlence in me to take a wife. >
sad he with twinkle in his eve. Now,
protest I'm not conceited enough to
think that. On the contrary, if wom-
an should consent to give herself to me,
should consider the benevolence en-
tirely on her side. Can't say I crave
such charity just at present, though, ,
ne added IN comic haste, stretching his
long arms as if to waive the bequest.
The fact is, Hal, I've never seen the
girl | want. Being hard upon 40, it
stands to reason | never shall see her;
fear she died young. May trouble YOU
to play Beethoven's Funeral March in
respect to her memory?'
And so the subject dropped.
Timothy was no woman-hater, you
understand. Indeed, he admired the
whole sex, but in collective way, as
you might admire the Galaxy without
preferring any individual star. Young
ladies were to him nebulous and myste-
rious creations, to be reverenced at q
distance; he never lavished upon one of
them 1.-THE of the attentions he lavish
ed upon me. had terrible headaches
in those days, and [ shall never forget
how patiently he would sit making pass
es over my head till the pain yielded to
his touch, as it was sure to do sooner or
later. He had more magnetism than
any other man | knew. Detesting a
dress-coat and white kids as he detested
the Vaccinations of the Evil One, he
seldom went into society, but he was al
ways ready for lectures and concerts,
marching off to the hall with me on his
arm as proudly as if had been the most
bewitching damsel. Excepting on Sat-
urday, when | was usually engaged at
the choir rehearsal, we were rarely sep
arated of an evening.
"We had gone on in this David-and-
Jonathan style perhaps year, when
Miss Sparrow came to st. Luke's as
soprano singer. remember her first
appearance in our dim old gallery that
last Sunday in Lent-how she seemed
to brighten and glorify the place
like a ray from heaven. And then
her voice! 1t set you thinking of an
gels. Moreover, she had the con-
plexion peculiar to that family, and the
blue eyes and golden hair For the life
of me, couldn't help twisting my neck
to look at her, at the imminent risk of
spelling my accompaniment.
"That noon Timothy electrified me
by appearing in the organ-loft while it
still echoed with the benediction, though
heretofore he had invariably waited for
me after service in the vestibule. hap
pened just then to be congratulating the
new soprano on being in such capital
voice that morning, and as the tenor
stepped across to shake hands with
Timothy, went on talking with her till
she left When / turned the singers
were gone, and there stood my poor
David, frowning at music-rest so saw
agely that fancied he must be suffering
from q bad headache, and expressed my
sympathy.
90 Headache? / haven't headache, ,
he growled, stalking down stairs in ad-
vance.
81 thought he needn't have felt so en-
ragged if he hadn t, and walked onin dumb
dignity. Presently he observed testify
that when he honored me with a call in
my citadel, it might be polite in me to
introduce him to my friends.
81 said l thought he knew the men,
bers of the choir-all, at least, but the
soprano.
"'Well, she's some body, suppose.
al beg your pardon, Timothy l
cried amazed. 1T didn't occur to me
you'd care to become acquainted with
her. | didn't present you because /
fancied you'd consider the introduction
bore.
"sYou're sure of that, Hal?' he asked
with sort of fierce eagerness. you
haven't any personal motive for not
wishing to extend Miss Sparrow's circle
of gentlemenfriends?'
az burst out laughing at the absurdity
of the idea 1t was but a week, remem-
ber, since my own introduction to the
young lady.
Timothy drew long breath, and
straightway spent it in questions con.
cerning her:
Who was her father?
Who was her mother?
Had she sister?
Had she brother?
81 told him all knew. Her father
in heaven; sisters she had none, but Of
little brothers something less than q
score, who dogged her steps as persist
ly as the bass follows the air. To escor
her home from rehearsal was to leae
the van of an infant squadron, run
ming accompaniment which the nigh
before had disturbed my mental har
mony.
"For, though did not feel it neces
sary to enlarge on this point to limo
thy, l had conceived a prodigious fan
cy myself for the sweet little soprano
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