The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-10-21


plate. In the midst of these researches
Stephen came up with the children.
He looked weary, and put Nanny into
her mothers arms with an air of relief,
disregarding the drowsy protest which
she uttered.
"What lovely rose, Stephen!' said
some OF the girls. "Where did you
find it?''
''In the road,'' replied Stephen.
Somebody had switched it from its
stem and left it to die, so we picked it
up
Eyes, and Mr.. FELTON, said it was
shame to treat flowers so,'' put in
little boy.
The Captain listened impassively,
but Milly gave half-pained glance at
the flower. THAT was just like you,
Stephen" she said, softly; and Stephen
frightened for the first time that day.
1t seemed to Stephen, looking back,
that his love for Milly had begun when
he was boy of five and she was baby
in the cradle. He could not recollect
the time when he did not prefer her to
all other girls. At school he was her
knight, his sled. his jack knife, his help,
always at her service. Stephen taught
her to skate, to row. 1t was he who
brought her the first maple sugar, the
first arbutus; he who took her on
sleigh rides; and walked home with
her from church and the village tea
parties. Milly absorbed these services
not ungratefully, but as a matter of
course. She had been used to them
from her babyhood, and could have al
most as well dispensed with sun or air
out of her life; but sun and air being
never withdrawn, are rarely noticed
or alluded to. ''Dear good old
Stephen" she called him. Now it is
not well for man to lavish himself on
woman who thinks of him only as
''dear old Stephen"
And now Stephen was doomed to
stand by and see a stranger appropri-
ate the object of this lifelong devotion.
He had sown, and another was to reap
his labors. Day by day all that sum-
mer long the glamour grew and deep
ened. Captain Hallett's leave of abb
sence seemed of the most elastic de-
scription, permitting him to stay the
entire season at Baymouth. His morn
ings, his evenings, his moons, were
spent with Milly. Stephen sickened at
the inevitable gold-banded cap that
met his eyes whenever he entered the
house, and proved his rival in posses
sion of the field. Milly greeted Ste-
phen kindly always; but there was
sense of interruption; he felt himself a
third party. Then he tried staying
away; but that was worst of all, for
his love did not notice his absence be-
yond careless What age it is since
we saw you, Stephen?" This state of
affairs, of course, set people to talking,
but Milly was blushingly indignant.
''It was hard" she declared, ''if girl
couldn't have a pleasant friend without
having such things said" But her
pretty poutings and protestings made
little difference, and it was generally
understood that the affair, if not an alb
solute engagement, amounted to IAN
understanding, whatever that may
m can.
At last the long. lovely summer
came to an end, as summers will.
Scarlet boughs famed in the forests,
golden-rod burned along the brook
sides, the birds flew, and with them
Captain Hallett prepared for fight.
His orders had come to report in Gal
weston, Texas, and his leave -takings
were hurried. The last moment was
Milly's, and though no one knew the
exact situation of affairs, it was taken
for granted that another year would
bring orange blossoms and a wedding.
Milly's own expectations were not so
definite. No definite promise had
passed between her and her lover,
but she trusted him and waited
brightly and hopefully. Letters
came and went; the scarlet boughs
burned into ashes and fell to the ground
in pale heaps; then came snow and the
winter, to be in turn scourged away by
the whip of the fierce New England
spring. Still Milly waited; but not so
brightly now, for the letters came less
regularly than at first. By and by they
ceased altogether. Weeks passed with
out word. Milly, with visions of yel-
low fever and indians chasing each
other across her tired brain, wrote
and wrote again; but no presage of the
real danger which threatened glanced
over till one day, opening the news.
paper. this met her eyes:
At Galveston. Texas, by the Rev. Pierre
| St. Cloud. assisted bv the Rev. Thomas Dix
| Captain Edward Hallett. U. s. A, And Blanche
Emily, only daughter of the late Pierre st
| Cloud, of Pilatk, Florida. No cards.
Mrs. Graves upstairs heard no sound
but when she went down Milly lay
on the sofa, white and rigid, the news
paper still clasped in her cold fingers.
1t was long before her senses came
back. Her mother famed with anger
but the girl hushed her with a weary
sob.
1--WE were never really engaged, you
know"
mot engaged! Q, Millyr'
But Milly turned her face to the wal
and said no more.
Baymouth was stirred to its depth
next day by the news that Captain
Hallett was married to Southern lady
and that Milly Graves was down will
| typhoid fever. Every one wanted tt
help to nurse, above all, to know the
particulars. Such masses of blanc
mango and jelly were sent in that poor
Mrs. Graves was at her wits end tt
know how to dispose of them. But nj
one could readily aid, not even poo