The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-04-09

tcnCtHcHG Ol tn0 occupants Oh the Rf03l
plantation house. A crevasse on som,
neighboring place, every few years
would break the monotony and some
what damage the cane in the real
patches; but beyond this the months
slipped into years as noiselessly as thu
orange buds developed into the luscious
golden fruit.
Neither the quiet charm of the land
scape, the delicious atmosphere of per
fume, nor the ravishing pearl shower o.
bird notes produced anything like the
effect on visitor to this place that the
queenly beauty of Marguerite Cavelliei
did. A brunette of TWENTY-FIVE, hei
eyes had set more guitars drumming
in bachelors quarters along the rivei
than any other belle ever known there
abouts, and her face had flooded the
table of the editor of L A6eilie, in New
Orleans with hundreds of poems, some
of them written, it must be admitted,
in questionable French, but all warm,
passionate and devoted. She was tall,
with the figure of some of those deli
cately chiseled Grecian statues and pos
sessed of manner that was SO per-
fectly natural and free from c9nstraint
it left with every body the impression
that they. had been intimate friends of
hers for years. She did not know what
guile or duplicity was, and with the
natrete of child would reprOve or
compliment the action regardless of any
thought of the actor. Every negro pic
aninny on the plantation wOrshiped her
with blind idolatry as something
entirely supernatural and not Of
this earth. Her voice was low
and musical, and when her great
black eyes was fixed On listener the
effect was almost magnetic. To see
her on horseback i'm the morning gal
Looping along the river road, followed
by her gayly-dressed negro boy, was
sight well worth the trouble of early
rising, at least SO thought EdOuard de
Montpre, the struggling young attorney
of the parish. No matter how late he
may have been pouring over his books
endeavOring to fix in his memory pre-
cedents and leading cases, he never
missed his promenade on the levee just
at that hour when the young equestri-
enne came cantering along. A lifted
hat and deferential bow was always
paid for bya bewitching smile and wave
of the hand, and the lawyer for the rest
of that day saw that face peering into
his own over the back of his Hennen's
digest, and out of the panels of his not
too well filled bookcase. On his fathers
death city merchants had sold ,out the |
Grand BOsquet plantation under many
mortgages, and the only surviving son
was left with an athletic form, good dis |
position and excellent education as the |
only legacies from the Montpre estate.
Every body.along the coast. as the banks
OF the Mississippi river was called by
the residents in those days. esteemed
the young man and applauded his eff
forts to re-establish the paternal name. I
He visited the Cavelliers once or twice
a month. but his self-pride imagined
that his receptions there were not as
cordial on the part of the venerable host
as they might have been. and this he
to his own modest purse.
1t would be pleasant writing to tell
how the friendship between the lawyer
and Marguerite ripened into an intimacy
that soon developed into pure and
deep love. The Cavellier family, al
though opposing De Montprc's frequent
visits. we're all of them under the sweet
influence of Marguerite, and could re-
fuse her nothing.
'.EdOuard." she said, "was 80 differ
ent from other callers, and she never
saw him without learning something-
he was SO gifted and knew SO much"
And SO it was within year after her
return from the convent they were en-
gagged, Mons. Cavellier agreeing to give
the young man the Belle Colombo place,
on the other side of the river, for a start
after marriage.
In the midst of that beautiful season
Of contemplated love and betrothal, the
Did plantation house was startled by the
report brought from New Orleans that
he State of Louisiana had seceeded,
md troops were being raised for war.
The news spread rapidly. People that
had taken little or no part in
political affairs began to discuss the sit
latiOn. Colonel Lafferranderie. an old
army officer, had established his head
quarters at the Cutoff pOst-office, not far
Instant from the Cavellier place, and
1oung men were enrolling in scores.
The conversation around the dinner
ables now was devoted to the new
lrtillery company of Captain So-and-so,
,r the splendid chasseurs a-peid of I
'oung Molaison. of the adjoining parish.
Idouard Montpre caught the infection.
'Orty Young men rendered him their
'aptaincy, and in three weeks he and
lis men were on steamboat bound for
he Crescent City.
The parting of Edouard and Mar que
lite was most tender and affecting. The
men of the company, long afterward.
round the camp-fires in the mountains
# Virginia. frequently talked of it, and
lot little of the love and solicitude for {
heir captain was due to their knowl-
dge that he had left behind the most :
owing and noble girl in the State. Fl
The men and their baggage were al
eady on the boat that was putting and
Vheezing at the bank in the front of
be Cavellier house trying to keep her
ose to the bank in resistance to the eff
orts of Deadman's Eddy to draw her
# into its cross currents. With her
rms around his neck Marguerite stood
n the front gallery looking up into {
'douard's face, her eyes filed with
ears. She was struggling to conceal
ne emotion that moved her whole be- 7
,g. Her pride and dignity kept her =
rom displaying her deep feeling for .
ONE time. At last. however. her reso- .
ltion gave way and resting her head :
n her lovers shoulder, her whole
anne tremblcd, shaken by storm of
,eling. The newly-made Captain was ! a