Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-08-28

vines grew around and over tit had its Soup
ole garden. Across the marsh meadow, from
the house to the guilt, ran q natural canal, @
which stood an old boat shed. A little slOop
lay mOOred hard by.
It's neighbor. Between them lay the great black
swamp-thc Ierre Aux LOups- Gar0us. From
one place to the other, although the distance
was several miles, the shrill Quillmusic OF rival
negro pipers could be heard. when the weather
was very favorable. So the songs OF the cane
cutters would meet on the half way ground and
struggle and die In the swamp.
Toulm6 DE Blieu found q great change In
things at the DE Blieu place when he returned,
INTERVIEWED, aud now freedom was proclaimed
TO the slaves upon the closing echoes OF the war.
HIS father and all his brothers were dead Sis
ters ne had not, and his mother was growing
very feeble for one Of her age. He looked over
the plantation and found It badly run to weeds
ana neglect, whilst many OF the negroes had
gone away 70 enjoy wide liberty under the new
regime.
Toulme was youth of fine presenee Of good
impulse and faultless manners; but he felt that
his first duty was to kill n CoupcOurt Great
was his chagrln, therefore, when upon inquiry
hand. Reluctantly enough he put away his
pistols and knives and began to try to console
himself with fishing and sailing. To tell the
whole truth, he soon ceased TO think about the
ieud and gave himself up to his sloop, his fish
ing tackle, his gun and his dogs, with genuinely
Old Tete-chauve. the Chief SO to speak, Of the
De Blieu negroes, had remained true to his
former owners. and had hailed the return Of
Toulnle with such demonstrations of delight ~
no one but an aged and loving negro can make.
be now followed the young master OF DE Blieu
place about, as II he could never tire OF serving
him. He Was IA garrulous old fellow, given to
stories of the marvellous and the uncanny.
touline listened to Tete-ehauve With an Idle
and called up again the haunting legend Of the
LOup-garou. No matter how light-hearted the
young man was, he felt in no ind ennite way the
home IL.
ings, and day 10y day a melancholy as tenuous
as IL was obcure grew ia ms breast. 1t was
hard To realize that the grandeur had departed
from his family name and that he, the last OF
tue De Blieus, lett without q ture and
yet he did, in way, understand that this was so.
Most of the time, however, he was gay enough.
He was u daring and expert sailor, and from
morning until night he would sport with the
wind and waves, coasting about now in the
blghts and coves and now under the white sand
bluffs, or anon under the gloomy shadow OF the
IeTTe AuI Loups- GdFOtts as free and careless US
the white-capS aud the breeze.
One day he saw another slOOp, almost exactly
like his own, running close to the wind not far
ahead vi him. He bore down upon II Tor q race,
thinking 1t a fisherman, but US he ram alongside,
near enough To have tossed An orange iuLoit, he
saw "a beautiful young girl 1T the helm. For u
space the two little sloops sped side by side,
their sail, S.0nting III parallel ltnes the white
wisps OF foam shining above their dipping gun
wales, while just ahead Of their bows wing and
wing flew pair Oi snowy sea-birdS. YOnder
on one hand was the dreary old swamp ON the
other lay the beautiful bosom of the gull, rising
Touline DE Blieu ieit u great exhilaratiou
thrill through his heart. Those large soft eyes
warmed his blood like wine. and those half
parted lips seemed 10 send their pure sweetness
Into the most sacred hooks vi his consciousness.
SO side by side sped the boats, and wing by
wing led on the snowy birds. or course this
could not last. The beautiful girl adroiLly put
her boat ABOUT anu started on the other tack:
Toulme could not honoraOiy follow, 30 he kept
watches u star, until it passed behind the head
land beyond 1erre AuI Loaps- Curious, then ne
sighed and smiled as one VINO feels rare new
JOY tinSling through every nerve.
What picture young mans heart can
make of two boats and two birds, with himself
in the other! The whole of all lovely and Iasci-
mating roInace is crowded into the sketch. All,
foam-touched reach of salt water, ali exchange
of eye-beans, and then follows u world OF bliss
crowded INTO u dream.
Alter that DAY Toulme cruised for that lovely
prize, anu, shy as the maiden was, somehow
her slaunch little craft ieii often In Ills way.
All love stories are alike, and they are all
delicious. Hearts are blown together by all
sorts OF winds, tut the contact is ecstactIc in
every instance. The Older grows the story, the
deeper becomes It's passionate hold upon Lhe
great heart Oi the world.
Toulme and Annals became lovers before they
knew tuat II was u renewal Of the Snakes
pesirean StOry-DeIore she dreamed that he was
RomeO or he suspected that she was JulieL-yet
So IL "as, the children oil the rival households
had exchanged hearts.
ola IeLe-ciisiuve shook his big bald head and
looked gloomy when by chance he discovered
low matters stood. He felt at once now terri.
bic might be the end, ana although his kind
heart warmed toward the sweet uung girl, he
Gould not help Wishing that his master had
never seen her.
Wnen at length Toulme found out who his
sweetheart Was II was too late Tor him To turn
about. sue held him last In her lovely net, lost
beyond hope OF escape. As for Annals Coup-
court, she scarcely was startled by the discovery
tuat she loved IOulme De Blieu. 1t Was enough
Tor her happiness that she loved him and that
Xs.H
iull.
Day after day they met out on the water and
lsniDg their little sloops together, driited side
by side, rocking On the gentle waves and con.
Nerslng in the low soft tones of love. Always
somewhere between them and the horizon fiut-
tered the W hite wings OF the two birds II was
a good omen, they argued, this apparation OF "a
PAIR OF birds, pure white and inseparaDle as the
hearts of true lovers, always nitLing around or
before them. Thus the time went by sweetly
enough Tor these iurtiveiy happy lovers until 1t
last they were betrothed.
Then jacques Coupcourt came home when
least expected, ana, indeed, when least needed
he had had u hard time vi il, alter his shin.
wreck, anu he was but the mere shadow Ut hi m.
sell, scarcely recognizable by his mother and
wholly a stranger w Anais, wuen he Stood upon
the threshold vi the Old house by the blue gun
sea- But jacques Coupcourt had lost none vi
the spirit oi his fathers. He rubbed up the rusty
Old pistols aud put the CUupcourL Knives la
shinins order. Ine Ieud must 60 ON 70 the end.
v.
Tete-chauve, when he found that his young
master was brOoding the thought Of renewing
the iued, grew melancholy aud silent. He mad
NO more stories " tell, NO more sOnxs " slug
True, he did NO; abandon his "Quills, !" but the
notes lac piped from that rude syrinx were as
doleiui the trelnulous voice Of tive swamu
screech-owl His whole soul had become ali
sOrDed In his young master and the tnoux ht of
any narm Detailing him was the most distress
Ing that could come 10 Tete-chauve.
Iouime de Biieu was woIulIy tormented by
the prcdicament IN which he now found him
sell. He very much desired, In pursuance of
the family habit, ~ KIN this last Remaining
male Coupcourt, Uut he well knew that To do IL
WAS To lose Anais forever. lie found that his
mother was very anxious that he should aban-
don the teud and abandon AuaIs az we'll In his
distress ne went ~ old lete-chauve tor adyice
Poor old negro! he did not know what 10 saw
For once in his lie he was without an expedient
la the lace Of an exiyency. He stood with his
head-tnae smooth Old head with his h.,lo of
white wooi-oowed In perpiexily and siIance
lOuine turned away.
That very day jacques Coupcourt held long
bitter conference with his sister Annals shs
pleaded with him eloQusntiy, tendsriy, ear.
but Ia vain. jacques was Inc XOrabis Hs de,
nounced her as traitor " her fauiIy--a dis.
grace u the Coupcourt name, and lett her In
bitter despair.
About TINS time great excitement arose
among the negroes On both estates on account
vi certain sights and sounds III the swamp at
lrlDuIed 10 u revival OF activities 10y the spirit
o. the original Loup-garOu. Indeed, the ghost
vi tue slave murdered long ago was seen
pine Knot In hand, and strange cries had been
heard.
Tete-chauve was exceedingly disturbed and
begged loulme TO cease going into the swamp
W Aunt deer ana turkey; but OF course the
young MAJ gave NO heed 10 the neyro's Tears.
POSSIBLY Iete-ehauve, knowing Lnat Jaco ues
Coupcourt Was also shooting in the swamp mad
t3f two