The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-12-25

Wncre MISS GranC was staying. I6leCldn
had resolved TO offer himself that very
night, and settled calmly into the most
comfortable chair, in order to outstay
Harry: and conversation was proceed
ing in both fluent and brilliant man
ner, while Mr.. Merit, as the others
tossed the ball of words to and fro, ar
ranged in his own mind the heads of his
discourse to Miss Grant, and the affect
ing app ,ation thereof.
Suddenly a loud shrek aroused him;
he looked up and there was Louise,
balancing herself on the piano stool, on
to which she had leaped, her clothes
gathered tightly about her, her eyes
wild. and incoherent words issuing from
her red lips.
"Oh, my goodness! o-o-oh! there it
is! OH! it's coming this way!' an
other loud shrek here, and still anoth-
er, as Harry seized the poker, and made
frantic dabs at something in the corner.
"WHAT is it?n sternly asked Peletiah,
who thought of nothing less than a rat
tlesnake, quite regardless OF the i'm
probability that such a beast would in
trude into a parlor.
"Oh dear! OH" shrieked Louise;
don't you see itp Ooh! there it isl"
another shrek.
ooh oh. an awful dreadful, horrid
mouse."
GA MOUSE?" echoed Pcletiah, in
tones of tragic disgust to which big cap
itals can not give expression.
Here he isl" said Harry, joyfully, at
the same time giving great punch at the
small animal and knocking a splinter off
the mopboard, for which Mrs. Barnes
did not bless him next day; but the
mouse eluded him and made right for
the young lady, who at once gave fly
inc leap on to the chair Peletiah had va
Gated, and uttered louder shrek than
ever.
"Corner him, Pei! corner him!'
shouted Harry, but Peletiah never
stirred.
"A harmless creature like that! let it
escape, Hen-e-ry,n he said, sternly.
"Oh, do kill it! please do, Doctor
Mrrsh!" cried Louise looking exquisitely'
pretty with her dark hair all fallen about
her pale face, and her lovely eyes big
with terror.
Harry made another dab, inspired by
these words, and hit the mouse hard
enough to disable him and elicit shrill
squeak; another blow of the poker laid
him lifeless.
"There!" said Harry, she is done
for'
"Oh, is he really dead?" gasped
Louise, a delicate color dawning in her
face.
eyes, indeed he is; dead as Caesar.
Look, Miss Grant! am going to throw
him out of the window
"U-g-h! Oh, how can you touch him?
Thank you so much! 1t is splendid to
be brave mani
Harry went off in an irreverent fit of
laughter at this ascription, and Peletiah
said solemnly-
"You have destroyed thing you can
never re-create.h
81 should hope mott" remarked Miss
Grant, with some emphasis, descending
from her perch, and in her heart glad to
have both her lovers take leave at once,
for her dress-skirt was half torn off, her
hair down, and one little slipper left on
the piano-stool, all of which Harry's
quick eye saw, and his equally quick
tact told him he had better leave the dis
heveled damsel to repair herself.
Mr.. Merit also withdrew, for reasons
of his own. All the way home he was
silent as a stick; Harry could not get q
word out of him. But in the "dead
watch and middle of the night" tall
figure clothed in white from yellow head
to invisible heel stood at his bedside
like Williams grisly ghost beside fair
Margaret.
"Cousin Hen-e-ry, 1 think l shall
leave for Dalton by the early train.nt
"Leave for Dalton! My dear fellow,
what is the matter? Are you iH?''
Moved by his cousins kind tones,
Peletiah sat down and poured out his
soul to Harry, with certain provisos and
circumlocutions, the amount of which
was that he had loved Miss Grant and
hoped to make her his wife, but the
amazing want of courage she displayed
in being alarmed at so minute and harm
less an animal as mouse, and the silly
cowardice of her behavior, had proved
to him that she was altogether unfit to
be the partner of a missionary's bosom.
and of course he must give it up, though
it rent his heart of flesh and tore his
carnal affections to pieces.
"Nonsense, man!n exclaimed Harry.
"Women are all afraid of mice; it's pc
culiar to the sex. dare say Miss Lou
would face band of Arab robbers, or
dozen Zulus, great deal more calmly
than you could. Don't give her up for
that little thing
s. Your reasoning is not good, Cousin
Hene-ry; a woman who is terrified at
small rodent could never face the dangers
of heathenism, the beasts of the forest,
and the fury of the savage. 1t is an
absurd, illogical proposition. No. l
can leave her for the sake of my calling,
but | must leave at once, lest my weak
ness get the better of my duty
Harry's persuasions and arguments
all failed; by dim dawn Peletiah left in
the stage for Ludlow, leaving Bliss be-
hind him in more than one sense. His
glasses showed misty, and his lip quiv-
cred, as he wrung Harry's hand at the
door, and murmured in a solemn whis-
per, " Farewell, cousin, farewell. Heret
lateri lethalts aruatlo -