The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-06-14


her pleasure to ramble along the road.
He named his eail boat Lillian after her,
bought q pony and ph@ton and piaced
them at her service, swung her tor hours
in the hammock which hung In the or
chard. and listened with patient, heart"
felt sympathy to her longing tor her
blue-eyed boy.
BLESSED If it amt too bad said he
one day (they were sitting beneath the
catalpa trees), as the little widow pressed
her lace handkerchief to her eyes to dry
the tears that sprung to them just after
she had remarked that the twittering OF
the dear little birds was so like baby's
voice" darned if it ain'tl Couldn't
YOU cit him away from the folks Pears
to me ] couldn't refuse you anything
when you clasp your hands and LOOK at
me with tears in your eyes"
"Oh, captain" sobbed the Borrowing
mother, there are very Jew people in
the world like you, very few. You are
one in a thousand-yes, five thousand.
But I never had chance to appeal to
them personally. ] was very i'll when
when they took my darling away, and
letters, and letters, with no matter how
much feeling we write them, are SO
cold"
"Why don't you try personally,
then |? !" asked the captain, swinging her
dainty parasol about, to the imminent
danger of the carefully carved handle.
Che blushed, cast down her yellow-brown
eyes. raised them again, looked him in
the face like child resolved to tell the
truth, however painful it may be, and
said: 4" j have no money wherewith to
pay my passage to ENGLAND. Under
stand me, would willingly, most will
lingly, be steerage passenger, Stew
ardess, any hing-anything to bring me
near my child. But coming to them
save as befitted the wife of their son and
brother, my husbands proud family
would certainly disown me, and j should
be alone In a strange land, more heart
sick than ever"
:" Well, if the want of moneys all, !"
cried her honest lover, ''that's easily
settled. Ill give you the money to go
in bang-up style, and--"
But here he stopped in amazement,
for Mrs. Montgomery Montague had
risen from her seat and drawn her small
figure to its fullest height. Sir, do not
insult me-" she said, with trembling lips.
"Insult YOU" cried the captain,
springing to his feet-'sinsult You, my
dear womanl Inever dreamed Of such q
thing"
"But you offended money" she
stammered.
q" And ] was about offering YOU my
hand and heart-that's the way they put
it in love stories, don't they? Will you
marry me, Lillian? and then, if you
choose, we'll 80 together for the boy"
Generous MANI said the widow, q
tear stealing down her pretty cheek.
+" But don't you see THAT that would
never do? j could never plead for my
child as the wife of Captain Hottep.
1t must be as the widow of Montgomery
Montague"
Blessed if you amt right" exclaimed
the captain, looking at her admiring y.
I" Well, promise to marry me when you
Do Lillian. No one could love
you better than ].
When return?"
Yes, for surely my promised wife can
accept part of the fortune that will be
all hers when she is really my wife, with.
out anybody. Darn it, nobody need
know. VIII you, Lillian"
Z" i will" abe said.
"Will what, my precious 2" he asked,
smiling.
Everything" she answered; and
turned and fed likea baahful girl, after
be had eclasped her in his arms and given
her a kiss in true sailor fashion.
And by tine very next steamer Mrs.
Montgomery Montague started for Eng
and, with valuable solitaire diamond
ring glittering on her pretty
hand, check for $500 in her silver
and many useful and or
farewell gifts from the ladies
Of the Spooner household. The ladies
felt all their old interest in her revive,
now that she had gone away indeed, or
Mrs. Dusenberry informed the eighty
year old grandfather of the youth who !
tanned her on the afternoon of Mrs
Montague'e arrival f'She was much
TOO lovely, and made me quite jealous of |
you, you false man."
And Miss isabella Spooner hung her
picture of young Montgomery, "that
Dabelet fair" in the parlor, and wreathed
it with daisies. Heaven grant that
we may see the dazzling himself soon?"
The said, with piteous emphasis.
But they never did. For q couple of
weeks after the widows departure, We'll
ington Octoper burst in upon them all
as they were playing croquet ON the
avn, scattering the balls in all 'diree-
;iods.
"Sold, by graciousin shouted he.
"What?" asked Miss Spooner, drop.
,ing her mallet, e A million tierces of
ard and twice as many pigs, 1suppose."
nurmured Mrs. Dusenberry, leaning in
VI luncOnsciOns manner against the