Louisiana capitolian., 1880-06-12


tall, slender young fellow, OF whom or'
could see little but the eyes blazing like
wildiire, for the torn aud dropping visor
off cap ,and for the brown beard cover
ing his brown face, and the swears o.
smoke and powder-put mammals shaw
about her shoulders, bowed low to R0-
maine, aud took ne in his arms mo-
ment aud looked at me, and set me down
again, and was passing out, when Ro
maine ran forward and caught his hand
and began to pour out II torrent OF
thanks. He turned and smiled. VI de-
serve no thanks " he said. Aud then
half hesitating single instant, he
raised Romaine's hand, that still forget
fully held his, and pressed it to his lips
and was gone. And o curious Old silver
set diamond on his hand, whose stones
made q tiny crest, took my baby eye, 80
that | always remembered it. But as
turned to Romaine-ch, how she looked
them I've never seen anything so beau
tiful since, she blusbe1 such rosy red,
and her eyes lighted, and her smile grew
dazzling, aud I've thought, as remem-
bered it, that just 50 Eve might have
looked when she woke and looked upon
tho world before her. Aud he turned
in the door aud saw her. and then he
ran down the stairs, and mounted his
horse, aud presently We heard the last
of them troopipg over tue hill, They
took Gulnare and Ali with them though,
for all of the young officer; but the very
next day Gulnare came into the yard by
herself, and neighed for her oats.
Well, now, do you know, believe that
from that very moment Romaine made
that young officer her hero and her ideal.
She didn't know his name, she didn't
know his regiment, she didn't know his
rank, she had hardly seen his face; but,
for all that, she just resolved-very
likely without putting it in 80 many
words to herself-that if she couldn't
marry him, she would never marry any
body, and she would keep herself and
all her thoughts sacred to this hero. Aud
she did Aud that is what has given
her this air Of rem0teness, almost as If
she belonged to a superiorraCe,y ,yortnow.
She didn't know whether her hero was
alive or dead; there were skrmishes in
the neighbborhood, and before long n
great battle farther off; but there were
no means Of learning anything, fcourse
and he never came back. Somehow l
think she began to look upon him as
dead. and herself as-well, don't you
laugh-as something like his widow, at
any rate, as vowed to him. She was
only seventeen then, you know. Oh
yes,I know I'm only sixteen myself, and
a terrible chatter-box, too, Paul says;
but l know that things got fixed in ones
mind at seventeen that even seventeen
more years won't undo, and Romaiue
has only ten years more. But Romaine
has the poetical temperament.
Well, in u year or two, Uncle Pat
died, aud left mamma a comfortable
fortune. As the farm really belonged
to Paul, when he reached home mamma
decided to come to the city for our
winters, and to build this little villa
for tho summers, and sometimes Paul
comes to us, and sometimes we 70 to
him. A year ago nearly l came back
from school Manlma said | was very
pretty, but very uniformed, and she
that my teachers had been
about to leave all this trouble for her,
aud she doubted what sort of match
| would make. I said how could /
make any, with Romaine still hanging
IN her hands Whereupon mamma
'aid Romaine was the most preposter-
Jus girl alive; she had just let millions
Zip through her fingers, and she didn't
believe tho Archangel Michael would
make any impression on her. So l be-
,an to watch Romaine, and l found an
I'D brass button Was Que of her treas.
Tres, aid l learned what sort of people
t was in whom she felt au interest
observed the care she took of Gull
lare, although Guinare was twenty
ears old; aud l discovered, by acci-
lent again, put away with lock of
drs. Browning's hair and leaf from
'helley's tomb, that brass button aud
n old torn visor Of soldiers cap.
Again, once wen we were all recount
ng old times, and mamma was telling
t the fright she had when the soldier
vas fourishing her cap on a bayonet,
nd the gratitude she felt to her deli.
erer, who she always did feel, came
traight from heaven to help her, and,
Or all she knew, went straight back