Louisiana capitolian., 1880-06-12
TIE SECRET.

Iwish | could tell you'll do wish
could! hate to have o secret, 1t burns
like money in my pocket. It's an un-
natural thing, anyway. One wants sym.
pathy; if it's q gloomy secret, somebody
to be gloomy with; and fits aglad one,
somebody to be glad with; somebody to
talk it over with, to make much or little
of it with, to conjecture concerning it,
its beginning and its end, to dwell upon
it and gloat over it, How in the world
is one going to enjoy anything all by
ones self! If Pm eating peach, want
somebody to have part Of it, to know
how luscious it is; and wouldn't give
a sixpence for coach aud four unless
there were somebody by to see me riding
SO say to myself, what's the use Of
knowing it you're not to speak, look
or wink, if you're to be no wiser than
other people, and let nobody see that
YOU arei And as for me, | am always
blushing, aud my tongue is tripping,
aud Pm sure to be on the point Of be-
traying the whole thing by something
say, and clapping my hand on my mouth
like silly child.
Still although it's nervous and anxi-
Gus work. l can keep u secret if l try,
or else when he-I mean she--at least l
mean shouldn't have been trusted with
it if l couldn't. Some people are so i'm
portant with q secret, and go about as
if they knew enough to hang the
rest of world But never am;
only long to tell it; and | do 50 want
to tell you one. But there-I promised
| wouldn't breathe it, and o promise is
promise, yon know.
Isuppose l wouldn'tcare half so much
to tell if it were only commonplace
affair, if there were no romance about
it at all. But there is Some people are
80 fond of romance-our Romaine is;
and don't believe that anything could
have pleased her half so much that hap.
pened in the regular, expected way.
Our Romaine always was so full of fan
cies and ideals, and when there's any.
thingromantiS going lit olways falls to
her lot. Don't you think she's beauty
l do; so tall, 80 beautifully made, 80
gracious, such har--such soft fragrant
hair-such eyes like jewels, and her skin
so like tea-rose! don't believe any
Of those famous beauties that you read
about can hold a candle to her--thpt T
don't! I always wondered why she
didn't take some one of her lovers, al-
though l knew too, or thought l did; for
she was just as lovely ten years ago,
when she came home from school at
seventeen-the very day those dreadful
soldiers came, you recollect-as she is
to-day. She had been gone so long-four
years-that every one about the place
was just as sweet and strange to her as il
it were kingdom she had just come
into; and she was going round, looking
at this and exclaiming at that, caressing
the creatures, which knew her, every
one Of them, even to the parrots-just
rejoicing in everything; and l, little
six-year-old worshipper, was following
her in alteration, with the peacock fol-
lowing me; when all at once the lawn
was crowded with soldiers, and the yard
was full Of foragers, and the horses,
Romaine's own Gulnare, aud mammals,
were being led away, and all the cows
were lowing, and the pigs were squeal-
ing, and the fowl were cacking, as those
wretches took possession; and some
were building fires iD the yard, aud the
rest were swarmlng into the house. Aud |
they We're in .he china closet, rayacipr
the store-rooM, were III the led rooms, |
in the warGrobes, and parcel of them
had poor mamma in Il corner, and had !
torn away her shawl, and one was flour.
sAing her cap on the point of his bayone',
lnd Romaine had spraug into the midst
If them, threatening them with a wild
fury, when suddenly voice rang over
he uproar, a terrible commanding voice,
somebody strobe through the throng,
md seizing by the shoulder first one and
hen another of the men who had cor.
Tered mamma and Romaine, flung them
N this side and on that, and iu one mo-
neut silence fell, and man by man they
Junk away, and presently they were