Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-04-23
GUARDIAN AND wxnD.

Il
"Then you will not be my wife,
Elise Z" And William Vane's voice
trembled slightly as he gazed down
upon the lovely, half-averted face Of
his companion.
"Be your wife, my dear guardianW
And the large gray eyes, in whose
depths there lurked a world Of mer-
riment and fun, were raised with a
surprised look to his. "Surely you
are not in earnest. Why, you are
nearly old enough to be my grand
father. The idea is ridiculous"
And with a merry, ringing laugh,
Elise Wild caught her hat from the
table and tripped lightly from the
room, stopping moment to say:
~ am going down into the glel.
after some primroses; and if you will
promise not to get any more such alb
surd notions into that dear old head
of yours, | will let you come with me
and carry the basket.
Indeed! Really, you are gener-
ous," said Will, with an amused smile.
'You will not 60, then9 Very well!
Unless ] am greatly mistaken, yOnder
person coming up the lane is Captain
Paul Crosswell. ! am sure he will be
only too glad to accompany me-"
And playfully throwing him kiss
from the tips Of her little fingers, she
fitted through the open door, leaving
the discounted lover standing with
folded arms and thoughtful brow,
gazirg at the door through which she
had vanished.
He was thirty-four, remarkably
handsome, well-informed, and very
wealthy. Many q specializing NAM
ma had endeavored to entrap him for
her manageable daughters. But he
was reserved, did not mingle much in
society, and they had all given up in
disgust, until it became to be an ac-
knowledged fact in the neighborhood
that the owner of stately old Elmwood
Hall would never marry.
On his death bed his old friend and
college chum, Ralph Wilde, had con-
consigned to his care his little daugh-
ter, Elise, then only ten years Of age.
He had taken her to the Hall, intend
ing to send her to boarding school !;
but by her winsome ways and loving
manners she entwined herself around
his heart until he could not bear to
let her be away from him for any
length of time. A resident governess
had been engaged and the time fit
ted rapidly away. Little Elise was,
as the housekeeper asserted, the very
life and light of the old Hall. Will
was satisfied and contented, never
once looking forward to the time
when she could leave him.
When Elise reached her seven
teenth birth day, and the school books
had been cast aside, Will awoke to
the consciousness that his littel Elise
was little no longer. The thou int of
separation now for the first time
presented itself for Elise already had
scores of admirers, and many of the
numerous visitors of the Hall were
attracted thither by the lovely Elise
Wilde. He awoke also to the con-
seriousness that he loved her with all
the strength of his mature years, and
it panied him, oh! SO deeply, to find
her treat his love so lightly.
Standing for a moment in the open
| window, he caught q glimpse of Elise
and her escort, Captain Crosswell,
as they sauntered leisurely along the
lane that led down to the glen. 1t
was with a heavy sigh he turned to
his writing desk, and, lighing cigar,
was soon busily engaged in cutting
the leaves of a new book-so busily,
in fact, that more than once the keen
knife ran through the middle instead
of the edge of the leaf But then he
had taken the knife from the lunch
table in the adjoining room, and il
happened tobe somewhat pointed and
unusually sharp.
He had been seated but a short time