Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-05-03

The next day saw her on her way.
The five years of her absence had been
years of change in the little country vii
lage.
railway wished her across the hill
road from ToTington. Once she would
have made the journey in a yellow
"stage" drawn by four horses, with
John Colney, crossest and most disa-
greeable of earthly stage drivers, on the
box.
Inc village, too, was smartened and
treshened np-new houses, new faces, a
new iron fence around the small oval
park that graced the centre of the town;
new names above the gilded fronts of the
shops; new set of giggling misses, on
their way to the new brown stone acad-
envy, which stood where she had once
thought it an honor to attend the dis
trlct school in plain one-story struc-
ture of faded brick.
No doubt all these alterations were for
the best; but they made her heart ache
with sense of loss irreparable.
And she turned into the shaded land
that led only to the Blessing Farm,
dreaded to see the old home desecrated
| nv the Stranuar'c hopd
No, there it stood, as she had always
known 1.-THE very picture of home COM
fort, the centre Of all those modest luxu-
ries that well-to-do farmer, of all 9TH
er men, may most easily command.
But, although the dear old house was
unchanged, its inmates were new and
strange to her. A stout, middle-aged
man, in a white summer suit, with a
broad-brimmed hat and cigar, sat on
the steps of the piazza, reading a news
paper. 4 acknowledgement lady, some
years his junior, swung in a hammock
upon the lawn, lost in a novel.
Several children, in broad brmmed
hats and brown holland blouses, were
making the lives oftwo nurses burden
to them, further down the lawn, among
the elm trees, where swing had hung
from time immemorial.
Getty" was stamped on every face and
figure she saw.
Had Maurice sold the place to some
retired merchant, who would over-or-
nament and disfigure it in the modern
villa style?
eff people could but live their lives
over after they grow old and are taught
by experience what is best for them"
thought Hester in her sadness, once
more.
She would have gone up to the house
and asked leave to rest and look around
if it had remained in the care of old
Farmer William and his wife, the ten
ants of the upper farm.
But she could not face these prosper
Gus, happy city people who would look
at her with their coldly-curious eyes,
and wonder, almost audibly, "what she
couldswant," even if they did not alb
solutely mistake her for a tramp"
81 wish | could have gone through
the strawberry pasture once MORE" she
thought, as she turned back toward the
railroad station, tired, hungry and IN
refreshed.
At the foot of the lane, gentleman
in Il summer suit of silver-grey, stood
leaning against the bars, with his
straw hat drawn down over his eyes so
tar that he failed to see the strangers
silent approach.
"Will you let Inc pass, if you please?"
said Hester, at last, after waiting some
moments.
He wheeled around, as if she had
struck him, and stared doubtfully into
her face.
She uttered great cry.
Maurice Maurice | heard that You
had sold the farm and gone to Colorado
"Hester. Can this be you " he an
swered.
His eyes seemed to devour her Words
rose to his lips, and were forced back
again. At last he asked:
as your husband here with you. Hes
ter ?"
"My husband"
"Why, yes! | heard that you were
married after you went to the city, I
"You heard wrong, Maurice, | have
not been married. l have never even {
thought of such a thing" ;
"But why did you go, then, Hester ?
Why did you leave Deepdene Why
did you refuse to marry me, Tiff there
was no one else in the way s
Poor Hester I