The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-08-11

guhG ulEuG WnGD We p1EgGus
. II don't Know said he savagely,
whether I most hate you or love you ;
but Til keep this TO remember the girl
who flirted and fooled away the truest
affection q man ever had for q woman"
He hacked the curl from my head
with his penknife, and looked at me as
IL he was half tempted to do me further
butchery; and God knows L didn't care
then il he had drawn the knife across
my throat. ] should not have resisted
him.
"Don't go, Jack!" I cried out at last,
holding the edge Of his coat. Don't
go, any way, 30 far as China; IL you do
{ shall commence to dig a hole when
you get there. They say that China is
right under us, and TIL begin with a
little pick and shovel as soon as we get
news of your arrival. Then you can
begin on your side, and we'll meet each
other half way"
He flung me from him with some
thing like an oath. 'You would joke
went away. not to come back again.
Who would have believed it possiblei
That years would come and 70, the
sweet summers bloom and fade, the
heart Of the roses lose strength and fail
and fell away, to come again as sweet,
as strong, as fresh as ever. and Jack,
my Jack, never come back to me? Yet
he was not dead-noT wed. That was
one good thing. And he was out there
among those women with narrow eyes
and stinted feet, and he didn't as yet
know a word Of the language. He was
growing fat, he wrote home to his peo-
pie next door, and bald, which didn't
matter, on the top Of his head 80 long
as he could keep enough to cultivate q
pig-tail. This Was necessary, as he
meant to set up for Chinese mandarin,
and was already embroidering gown
for the purpose on spare nights; And I
felt, when they read me the letter, that
it was Jacks turn now to make merry,
when other hearts were sick and sad.
II he had only sent me one little line!
He showered gifts upon other people
chests Of tea and parcels Of silk, lovely
bits Of decorated china, big soft beau
tiful shawls of Grape. He sent gewgaWs
and gold to SO many others; it he had
only given me one little word
They must have told him had been
sorely punished; that my mischievous
gaiety he had whitfield out like the
flame Of candle; that even the beauty
Of which he had been SO proud and fond
was gone-every bit Of it gone. Sleepless
nights and useless repinings, long, wea-
Tisome days, endless years filled with
wild yearning for that which seemed
forever hopeless, had robbed me of all.
The old bloom Of the heart took with 1t
the crimson cheek, the laughing eye
and the light elastic step. Even my hair
fell out. Alas poor me, the flesh fell
was not q very alluring object that
greeted me in the glass on the morning
Of my tWenty-seventh birthday.
"Aroint thee, witehl" I cried, and
wiped away with the hand-toWel some
salt tears that fell upon the dimity bu-
reau cover, and upon the grave OF sad,
sweet memories. Then L put on my
ugly brown dress, and the hideous bon
net to match, and went off to the church,
at the portal to look longingly
over at the cool, quiet graves of our old
A soft wind stirred the long
grass there; q few birds hoped lightly
and fearlessly about.
How calmly, calmly smile the dead
Who do not therefore grieve!"
"The Yea of Heaven ia Yea,' I said,
and went on into the church where the
ladies were grouped around the straw
berries that had just arrived. / took
possession OF a whole crate Of these,
sending the young and pretty maidens
home to recruit for the evening.
There were few faint polite remon
strances when / declined to take any
active part in the evenings entertain
nent. "We must leave that part to the
young and attractive" said, and there
was q general buzz of acquieseence. I
had the consolation of hearing several
upon my extraordinary good
sense and practical capability.
4 was graciously allowed, after I mad
nulled a whole crate of straw berries, to
hold a STEP ladder and some nails for
Mrs. Smith, the apothecary wife, while
she hung some gorgeous drapery, and
otherwise deformed the cool gray walls
Of our little chapel, so that I was pretty
we'll tired when / went home at night
fell. Mamma met me at the gate, and
looked at me SO dolefully that ! burst
out laughing.
"Never mind, mamma" said +; 'I
won't look SO cadaverous after I'm
rested and dressed for the evening""
But I'm afraid was rather painful
object for the gaze OF doting and once
my black silk and was ready for the
evening. My hair was neither crimped
1or curled. You see, [ had depended
upon the switch, which was bought for
purposes of that kind, and failed me
ANONYMOUSLY at the last moment. My
head ached, and could not bear many
1air-pins thrust into my scalp; in no
other way would the obstinate thing be
induced to stay on. Mamma was heart
broken, and was perverse at times. I
thought perhaps the switch WAS griev-
ng over a beloved and lost head Of
which it was once part and parcel, and
forgave it and left it to its peryerse-
1ess from that time onward.
When reached the church Was i'm
nediately seized upon for something
hey called "the grocery counter"-an
innovation brought about by the advent
D. a well-to-do grocer in our midst,
vidower, stock-raiser and man af-
iicted with many maladies, of which he
owed to talk, He had generously sent
1own from the city, in pound packages
Ind tin cans, samples Of his available
goods, and proposed this grocery
counter" to the young ladies, which
hey despised aud would have none of.
The grocer himself found favor In their
srh + \