Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-01-22

feet, and growing wilder after each appeal TO
It and az the sun grew lower, but scarcely
less ardent, he passed out into broader
branch of the stream where the rushes dis
appeared and only salt-marshes stretched
away on either hand. There we're intricate
passes to be gone through before reaching
the Gulf aud night came down meanwhile 90
the abrupt transition, without twilight Of
tropic counties where
"The stars rush out,
At Que stride comes the dark"
The swarms Of mosquitoes few about him
in clouds and fastened on him blood thirstly,
TO which he was Indifferent The negroes
always said Dem muskeeters what bites Or
Louis gwine ter Jest git naichully drunk or
picked. Dey amt nuthin in his blood 'cep'n
'tis whiskey aud salt"
His thoughts we're too far away to mind
them now. He thought be was back in New
Orleans, az he had been forty years ago.
Young, only some fve-and-twenty years of
age, tall and 1.-the and handsome, with boat
OF his own-a beautiful light green lugger
with a red sail, 10 which he sometimes went as
fer as Florida after fruit but mostly sailed
about the coast to bring back boat loads of
oranges. He would come up the river in the
early morning mist, and land at the wharves
of the French market, and there would be
Louise, his pretty twin sister, to serve him
coffee at her stall, and cover him with kisses
and sweet French epithets of endearmeut,
while she stuck flower behind his ear. And
Marie Leloi-only less pretty than his Lou.
ise-was near by selling soup lunches and
creole eggs at another stall
What beautiful days those use 10 be Such
rustling about the town with gay young fell
lows like himself, each with a lottery ticket
in his pocket that might make him rich any
day so that there really was no need aftt r
ALL to do much hard work when a man held
good chance Of fortune in the right pock-
ct OF his trousers Aud the keno parties at
night, where one might cover three numbers
in row, and amid loud exultant cries of
Keno keno keno keno !" sweep in the
silver picayunes Of less lucky comrades. Or
the Sunday afternoons when he and Louise
would drag their rocking chairs out on the
bsnquette to enjoy the sundown breeze and
listen to the mocking- birds singing in the
white and red olesnder trees that looked over
the walls OF the gardens Aud Marie Leloi
would come by IN white dress, and stop
ping to exchange word with Louise would
drift into bsdinsge with him later his two
chums would appear and pay court to Louise
under his supervision, or strum on the guitar
on the door step, all sitting out there in the
dusk with friends and neighbors all along the
street, like one big family.
What could one ask better than that Z
Those Americans who lived up above Canal
street didn't know how to enjoy themselves
no! They amusingly seemed to believe
life was made for work.
He was proud of himself too. His parents
had died several years ago, and yet be man
aged to support Louise and himself, and
even from what she had made at the stand
in the market, TO buy an old and decrepit ne
gro woman, with only one eye, it is true, but
then there we're not many Of their acquaint-
ances who could own Niger with even one
eye.
And so he would kiss Louise adieu and slip
down the river in the night with as light a
heart as ever foated on the water. After a
little while a cloud showed itself, vague
trouble in the air. Louise was hardly so af-
fectionste or confding as of old, though the
stand seemed to be paying well, if one might
judge by her gay ribbons and beads, and the
number OF hounces on her white dress. Yet
she was full of caprice and sharp with Adolphe
and Leon his friends and then sad at times,
not caring to sit on his knee to laugh and
chatter as Of old.
At last came the hot, sitting day when he
sailed up the river in no very good humor be-
cause his boat had been beaten back by con-
trary winds, and delayed and he had been
overresched in his last bargain. There was
old one-eyed Celestine lurking on the wharf
to tell him the shameful story of Louise and
the young American, which made his head
sing with the angry blood that throbbed in
his brain. Then he went rapidly home, and
coming in suddenly found Louise his Louise
in the arms of her betrayer. He stuck his
knife into him at once, as one would stick a
pig and when his sister hung around his
knees and shrieked, spurred by the fierce
tla. ,,;, ka -
he plunged his knife into her too. He could
remember yet how it felt as it sank into her
soft breast
The neighbors were standing around the
door aghast when he came out, but too much
Mortified to touch him. He passed swiftly
out to the wharf, cast of the lines, and so
fed down the wide brown river
He had hidden himself all these years, but
never could he rid himself of the thought
that those stupid neighbors were suddenly
arousing themselves, and making a sudden
rush to pursue him. He never realized they
must nearly all be dead by this time. For
years he had been denying his crime in Eng.
lish, and in "gumbo" French whenever he
was in liquor; and sometimes in the desper-
ate loneliness of the marshes, with only the
rattling chorus of the frogs to hear, he had
shrieked it over and over again in mad despair
of ever being believed.
Tonight it seemed more vivid than ever.
His brain was ahsme with drink, and horri-
BILE fears shook him.
The night was palpitating with stars that
seemed to stare at him relentlessly. If they
would only shut their eyes a moment he
might catch breath and take courage to hide.
There had been no place in these vast lone
ly marshes where one might in all these years
have hidden ones self. Only coarse grasses
and salt pools, bitterns wading about, and
further inland the believing alligators. Out
here, indeed, in those deep, dark waters, one
might get shelter where the stars could moi
peer through. He grew always wilder and
wilder with unreasoning terror, and tackled
his little boat craZily about from one point
to another. seeing in her the same fear that
| possessed himself, so that she skunk through
the water, or when the wind struck her,
rushed away before it in mad panic.
There was nothing to be done but to hide
down in those kindly waters, who would
| spread their cloak over him and stop at least
those ghosts who had pursued him for SC
many ears. There was a gurgle of wateI
tapping suddenly the side of the boat, the
reflections of the stars upon the waves were
| broken and shattered into silver circles, and
then the tides resumed their steady, even
| flow, and the boat which had suddenly bound
ed forward as if in fright, slowly rounded
to, lacking hand at the rudder, and drifted
aimlessly back and forth near that one place
all night, as if searching for something, un
til the pallid dawn came up from that South
arm aaa - H0yJer's R1s1r