The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-04-06

| matter was settled; this conversation taking
place during their homeward journey.
| So, all that afternoon, after she reached the
sanctuary Of her happiness, Clementlna was
very busy. with her preparations Tor ~
parture. Uncle John would be IN town the
next morning; 30 she would start OF nlght,
| after seeing him again established In the
pretty quarters she had assigned MIN. 90,
She had never prepared for q journey with
| such delightful anticipations. From tne IRE
some business OF packing came posltlVe
! pleasure, for there were several new gowns
and accomplishments " put IN, when .si. ny y.
ted, Oh, 80 beautifully One dress was
| lovely blue Gsrshom doatea On blue She
laughed outright as she remembered how,
once that ridiculous Elvira had appeared IN
d blue gown after hearing Pott say 1t was his
| favorite tint, and the creature looked like
some sort of hideOus fungus; for the blue In
| It took all the color out Of her eyes, and made
her complexion sckly green!
she had even dissatisfaction In recalling those
days when she had been jealous. She won
dered how IL could have been that, for q long
time even after her recovery, the memory
made 90 sore spot In her heart that she
had I'd shut her eyes TO the episode Oh, she
was worlds lives past the impossibilty Of
such nonsense now! She was going to her
dear Gershom-her noble, perfect Gershom !
Why, much rs she had always loved him,
she had never really appreciated him rs she
| ion against his she would never again, she
would tell him so-telI him that he was q king
among men. and she only worthy to sit at his
| feet, and worship!
the woman who carried them into execution
would be q fool. doubt II Clementina would
really have done 1t; for she was shrewd lit
tie body enough, and knew that men ought
to be kept in order. still, 1t was pleasant to
fancy she meant to do SO; and like her the
better for being able to believe that she would.
| She sang over her packing She sang over
everything she did. She danced up and
down stairs. ira fashion 80 undigniied that
it was we'll the servants did not happen to
spv her. She really could not DO happy
enough. Her very impatience to be gone;
her feeling that the next day would never
come; her looking dozen times at the clock,
and scolding the hands Tor moving 80 slowly,
| all this added to her ecStaCy.
She was devoted mother, and what ls less
common, a sensible one; but just now she
could not think 80 much even OF darling little
Mamie, as she would have expected. Gershom
was ali In all for the time-the lover of her
girlhood-the husband OF her youth-the idol
| Of all coming years-the-
Then she was interrupted by the entrance
or Bridget. Her tea was waiting. Being
alone she had dned early In the day, or made
pretense OF doing 30.
She had finished her packing. She was
ready to 70 down stairs, and rest, and dream
OF Gershom. She told herself this us IL she
had not been doing it all the afternoon, but
meant to begin, by the way Of little relaxa-
work was done. She stood before the glass,
and smoothed her hair, changed her col lar,
and put herself to rights though it was
unnecessary; for she was one OF those tidy,
or tumbied. She gazed quite severely In the
mirror, to see II she had grown thin Or worn.
Would aershOm find her pretty stii2 Would
Oh, what q goose she was! She broke off, In
her meditations, TO laugh at her own non
sense. She would tell dershom just how she
had behaved; yes, she would; and he might
laugh, too, perhaps; but all the same, his
eyes would be moist, and he would hold her
close to his heart, In his great, strong arms,
and whisper -ah. would tomorrow never
come. 80 that She might be on her road, to-
wards the realization of her bliss2
She went down into cory little apartment,
OF the drawing rooms, and found 1t looking
as bright as possible. The tea-tray was on
the table; the urn was painting and bubbling,
like a dimnutive fat alderman; there were
some OF cooks delicious water mullins; the
particular sort OF sweet cake and preserves
for which she had weakness; and now,
Bridget appeared with mutton-chop, hot
and hot, between two plates.
| "For sure, we ate no dinner, ma'am, and
cook says hoWiver will ye stand long Jour-
ney If ye kaps, letting yer insides get emptler
and emptierP
And then G.ementina laughed ct Bridget,
and promised to eat the chop, though she
was far above the need Of earthly food, just
then. She serted herself at the table, and
prepared to begin. But just as she did SO the
| outer bell rang a furious peal.
1.-THE postman," said Mrs. Potts.
"It's too late for him, ma'am," said
Bridget, and hurried away to answer the
important sum mons.
| In q moment or two she returned, bearing
yellow envelope In her hand.
Sure It's one Of the biographies" she
said; land fax, ma am, Its my belief Misther
Potts have come to tell you, that he'll be here
tomorrow, 50 that 70 can't surprise him with
| your Journey.
She laid the dispatch on the table and ran
Off to settle with the bearer thereof Clemen-
tina's first feeling was one OF disappoint-
ment. She had been so high up in the clouds,
that 1t was hard, very hard, to have any
change made in the details Of her beautiful
vision! e
A or course, the telegram was from Gershom
or course. 1t was to announce his ARRIVAL
Equally Of course, she would be delighted
more than happy, to welcome him, and dar.
ling little Mamie. Still, she had set her heart
on giving hlm a SURPRISE and human nature
will always rebel when it Is disappointed
, more especially In such a case as this.
Gershom was the best and dearest of men
But he had his fobles. Only man woule
upset arrangements In this fashion 1t was
bliss to know he was coming, he and Mamie
4 somehow. she had unconsciously accepted
=
had read the telegram aloud,) but yet-bu
yet-she had arranged such a beautiful sur
prise, and now it was all thrown away! II,
was coming, and she would welcome him will
j Joy; but In a way 1t would be JOY prepared II
advance. cut and dried to order; while, Ii lef
, to herself, she would have managed so differ
emily, so much better
All these thoughts, half-formed only, fiitte'
through her mind In FASH a sort OF guilt,
/ consciousness that she ought to be ashamed
! to indulge them, making an undereurrent t
their rush. Then she had stretched out he
hand, taken up the envelope and was opening
, 1t. As she did SO, disappointment and vaguel
| admitted remorse and every other sensation
faded under the certainty that she was abou
to read the announcement that her darling
+ were on othe road home Gershom wouI
! have telegraphed the last thing before enter
J ing the train. Why, they might be home te
morrow-the next day at furthest.
She tore open the envelope, read the heavl
impressed capitals, reread, droIped the page
t put her hands to her head seized the shee
anew and read once more.
) She was not asleep. She was not crazy