The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1884-08-14

opening q door to push the portiere
aaside'F
1t is true the Miller children were
great deal at The Elms, and gave their
father frequent excuse to follow them;
and it is true there. were few congenial
souls in the parish or village, and what
SO natural that he should see more or
less of his pleasantneighbor, with whom
he could journey back to the past. In
deed, they never talked of to-day or to-
morrow; it was Away yesterday whose
praises they sang, whose skies they ex-
tolled, whose pleasures they coveted.
He was nothing like lover, to be sure,
except in preferring her society. and
yet it was happiness to Prue to see
him there, to know that he would come
tomorrow. 1t was toward night, one
summer day, that Miss Prue, looking
out on the lawn, where the shadows of
the leaves were dancing, saw Mr.. Miller
no unusual coming toward her
door. He had been out of town q week
on business; Bridget had confded to
Jane that he had '.gone away suddin',
after telegraph in a yaller wrapper
come to him. but he had been at home
several days without darkening, or to
express her feelings better, illuminating
Miss Prue's door. Naturally, she won
dered what his errand had been; if he
had had cali to leave the parish; and
at that thought her heart stood still.
you have been away" she said,
after the first greetings.
Eyes. / hope you did not suffer from
an invasion of young Millers. during my
absence
''We met, but we missed you,n she
admitted. II hope your vacation was
a rest and recreation to YOU
"My journey was not pleasure
trip, Prue,' he said. ''My wife died
suddenly at the asylum on the 5th of
the month.
your wife!" gasped Miss Prue.
''Your. wife-died-o the 9Th of the
month! Ithought-AustIn- Mr.. Mil
ler-I thought she had been dead years
and years."
II thought you knew" be returned.
Il supposed everybody had heard of it;
it was too sad story too rehearse often
or needlessly. It was in all the dailies
at the time. You must have been
abroad then. Amy was in her cradle
when Lefty left me-eloped with her
music-teacher. Two years ago she
went to the asylum, mad as Hamlet.
Prue, Prue," he cried, edo you think |
have hidden anything from youP Is
not the loss of fifteen years Of happiness
enough? Shall her ghost divide US
still?n
Sand I have been loving another
woman's husband all this time" she
said, moving away from him Heaven
only knows how far her Puritan con-
science would have carried her, but
just then Jane burst into the room, cry
ing:
ats little Tom Miller-the peacock
fell into the river, and Tom jumped in
to save him-and the birds safe-but
Tom-the cramp took him--John's
brought him up the bank
And then Jane tainted away. It was
hours before consciousness returned to
Master Tom, and weeks before the root
of The Elms could be exchanged for
that of the parsonage, owing to fever
which succeeded. Mr.. Miller and Miss
Prue passed many watchful night al
his bedside, and many day of sicken-
ing dread; but it was q year and better
before Miss Hildreth could forgive her
self for having loved another woman's
husband and before.a wedding, which
had been belated fifteen years, took
| place at The Elms.--HGrgSet Prescott
Spoford, in The Continent.