The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-12-15


eously decline, he thought, besides there
was the singing Of Celeste and her great
blue eyes, and he went homeward with
the judge.
Mrs. Bower and Celeste were sitting
in the porch, the girl, in a soft muslin
dress, looking exquisite in her cleaf-
ness and purity, John Earring thought.
Mrs. Bower greeted him in her moth
erly way, and Celeste gave him her
hand with touch of shyness, and soon
they all went in and tried song to-
gether. Then John Earring begged
that Celeste would sing alone for them,
for, though he did not voice it, he
thought it pity to jar and smother so
infinitely fnea voice as hers with theirs
of coarser timbre. So Celeste sang
simple song with touching sweetness,
and the Young man felt his heart move
as it had long before in the same room
with melody of the same voice; but
when standing there with her hands
hanging down and caught together be-
fore her and her eyes lifted, she broke
into soft bird-like Italian carol, and
following its melodious ripping up
many crystal flight until at last it
broke and poured along and ended in
an ecstacy of passionate joyous feeling,
though he could not understand word
of it, for a moment he could have
knelt before her, she seemed 80 fair
and her music moved him so.
| After that Judge Bower went to his
library and the three others talked on
for long time; John Earring in his
exaltation leading into the fine fields
of Immortality, thought and music, but
everywhere finding Celeste with him
or before him. He felt that her in.
stincts were very subtitle and sweet,
and that her mind was like spring,
clear, deep and bottomless to him. but
full of light and sparkles. All! here
was soul that matched his own, a
spirit that could feed him and be fed,
but he could only half perceive it. As
he walked away through the starlight
he thought of her life and how it had
been shut away from him, and tried to
picture to himself how it had been
chastened and well-nigh broken; Of
how she had lost her mother two years
, before, and what had been the manner
of her life since, for he had learned that
she supported herself teaching in 9
school OF music in an Eastern city; Of
what influences had been about her,
t what temptations, what sorrows, what
5 strengthening identifying forces, that
| she, though young, should have come
so far upon the lovely road of woman
e hood. lie saw. or rather felt, through
t her songs and conversation into hel
e heart, and knew, without shaping i
J, into distinctly conscious thought
: that her maiden soul was deep ant
. lucent, and capable of feeling far int
e the spiritual, far as indeed no othe
e thing in this world save woman
r spirit may. Thus turning over in hi
e mind half consciously the things tina
n touched her, he came into the heart o
J. the town when suddenly in his rumin
: ating his blood gave bound, for SOM
:, one on horse pulled up in the roa'
e and said; "Earling, have you seen any
thing of Maun Woodman?'
If In an instant his thoughts of Celest
it were swept away, and the young ma
IS was by his interrogation, and saw tina
k it was one of the old lawyers neigh
% bors. ssWhat's the matter, Mr.. SheI
II man?' he said.
n "White Tom has come home wit
re blood on him, and we cant fin
$. Maun!' said the man, painting as if b
II had been riding hard.
ID With thrill of indescribable fes
s and horror john Earring locke
E. at him. "Tll be at her fathers
ii a moment" he said, and turnin
lie about went quickly into livery -stabl
t. 'Give me horse as soon as you can.
ip he said to sleepy young man, VIII
a tipped back in a chair in the dingy ha
s. ness-rcom, was reading a dirty Poll
as Gazette by dirty, but not equally dirt
to lamp. The Young man yawned, toe
le up half-consumed cigar from tt
k rough desk, and looked up at the imp
ID tent speaker: ''Wat you want 'erfur:
,ir he drawled.
John Earling gave him BLAIR
lg glance: 81 want the hotse to try al
th find lost child with, "he said. "Plea
I'd hurry, sir! !"
lis Whose young 'uns lost?" drawle
H. the loutish youth, leaning forward wi
I'd elbows on his knees.
y, For answer John Earling in his il
at patient ire caught down saddle al
1T, bride from one of the hooks in the We
ly and flashed back among the stalls a,
rs threw the saddle on the first horse
up came to. He brought the horse o
rs, quickly, pulling the halter from
ed head and forcing the bit into its mou
pi- he buckled the throat-latch as t
.rt sleepy youth came up lantern in han
en- "Here, you," exclaimed that worth
his putting out his hand toward the rel
lid ''you don't want ter take that ho'
he mister!"
es- Without word John Earring in
,ft anger whirled about and flung the f
He low headlong against the wall, a
est leaping on the frightened horse stru
lot his heels into it and went flying out
his the barn and up the street.
irl "Gummy mud! what kind of wi
at cat fool is that?'' exclaimed the slo
rs; moving youth as he got himself a
Je- lantern together. ':S'pose he's ste
Id in tn hosp" and he stood nome
ng with his mouth hanging open, start
The before him. Then he went grumbli
ed to the proprietor's house. few doc
it away, and told him the incident. IT
of gentleman asked who it was that s
Ike the horse, and when the sleepy yot
nd said ut wus that lawyer Teller as
with ole Woodman," he laughed a
said: "Oh, Earling will pay for usi
the horse all right. Guess you was
an spry enough for him."
hn "N-a-w." said the youth, rueful
nd "s'pose | want" and he W,