The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-12-11


Fred rockingham was friend of
yours. Was he not? He has come back
from the war, wounded; but guess
we will pull him through. The sweet
face of his little nurse would make any
man well, even if he should not have the
luck to be engaged to her, which Fred
has,"
"What, Fred engaged?" asked Jack.
"And to whom?'
"Why, to your Cousin Margery, to
be sure. I thought you would know OF
it."
"Doctor, are you sure of this?" asked
Jack, little unsteadily.
"Of course, I am. Mrs. rockingham
told me; and have even more positive
proof, for I have just left the house,
and Miss Margery was nursing the young
man."
After that Jack staid in Baxter's only
long enough to see, from the door OF the
little shop opposite, Margery taking leave
of Mrs rockingham, at the head of the
great flight of stone steps. Then he shut
| his sore heart up within an iron will, and
went back to California.
The years that followed were. long
and dreary desert in his life. Perhaps
God permits us to live through such
years of darkness and WEAKNESS to
show US by contrast the exceeding
preciousness of the Joy he has in store
for us. And so Jack lived on until the
autumn of which we have been speak
ing. Then all his misfortune seemed to
eliminate He could nowhere find en-
| rln nd ho q
last resort, he accepted the position of
bartender in a saloon. He was new to
the business, and the proprietor
proceeded to give him some in
structions. The veteran in drinks first
concocted mint-julep, after some in
fallible recipe of his own.
"There!'' said he. "Try that,
young man, and own up that you never
tasted any thing like it in your life.'
81 would rather you would taste and
see if it is right, sir,'' replied Jack. A
proposition readily complied with by
the compounder of intoxicating bever-
ages, and followed by fright
full scene of choking and ex-
pectoration. "There is something
wrong about the MINT" he sputtered !;
and then, examining the pail of green
spays upon his counter, he exclaimed !:
"Blessed if that stupid market-woman
hasn't left me sweet marjoram instead
of spearmint!"
The word sweet marjOram recalled to
Jack the dear girl for whom it always
seemed to him that the little plant must
have been named. What would she have
thought of his present occupationp And
then and there he resigned his position
as bartender, obtaining fromhis would
be employer the little bouquet of sweet
marjoram and pressing it between the
leaves of his neglected Bible. But now
he had nothing to look to for subsist-
ence, and he strolled disconsolately to-
ward the depot, wondering what would
be the next scene in the strange drama.
The train from the mountains was just
in, and springing from it Jack was sur
prised to see his old friend, Fred Froth-
ingham. The two young men greeted
each other pleasantly. Fred said that he
had been spending the summer in Cali
fornia, and had invested in fruit
farm, which he had hoped to visit once in
two years, and that he was now in
search of some one to keep it for him.
81 am the very man you WANT cried
Jack, impulsively. And then, as sud-
den thought struck him, he asked:
"Shall you bring your wife with you,
when you como, Fred?"
"My wife died five years ago." re-
piled Fred. gravely.
Jack staggered as though he had been
struck. " Margery dead!" he exclaimed.
"Margery!" reiterated the other, in
surprise. 'My wife was Rose Bateman.
l would not tell every one, Jack; but
your Cousin Margery refused me, and
after | met Rose I was not sorry for it. -
| And so it was settled that Jack should
keep the fruit-farm for his friend.
"There is very pretty cottage on it, -
said Fred, "and, with all these pears
and grapes, you will soon be a rich
man. He was surprised that Jack was
not willing to enter upon his duties at
once; but the young man insisted on
purchasing ticket to Baxter's with the
advance money which Fred gave him.
And this was how it happened that
there was Thanksgiving dinner that
year at Margery's, and that the Sultan
left his prison in the kennel, and was
| oCGdpltst1Cu VII tlC Stulc ctculllH Will
his generals of the oft-repeated name of
Pasha.
"Dear mel" said Margery, in dis
may, as she dressed the turkey, ''and
to think that among all my herbs, l
haven't a sprig of sweet majoram for
the stuf1ing."
"But 1 have,' replied Jack, as he
brought forward his Bible with the lit
tie sprays pressed between its leaves.
The tears stood in Margery's eyes as he
told their story; and 1 do not think one
of the precious leaves would have been
used in the Sultan's stufing had she not
thought that nothing was too good for
her wedding dinner.
| Fred rockingham was at the we'd
ding. "And now you can understand, !"
said Jack to him, "why was so anx-
| ious to come East. Even in a land flow
ing with milk and honey one may long
for cold water, and all your orchard Of
pleasant fruits could not make me for
get a little garden of herbs.''
l