The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1886-04-01

in bachelors quarters along the river
than any other belle ever known there
abouts, and her face had flooded the
table of the editor of L'AbeiHe, 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 a manner that was so per-
fectly natural and free from constraint
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
mGtVete of a child would reprove or
compliment the action regardless of any
thought of the actor. Every negro pic
aninny on the plantation worshiped her
with a 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 a listener the
effect was almost magnetic. To see
her on horseback in the morning gal
Looping along the river road, followed
by her gayly-dressed negro boy, was a
sight we'll worth the trouble of early
rising, at least so thought Edouard de
Montpre, the struggling young attorney
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 by 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 p%aternal name.
He visited the Cavaliers 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
attributed to his own modest purse.
1t would be a pleasant writing to tell
how the friendship between the lawyer
and Marguerite ripened into an intimacy
that soon developed into a pure and
deep love. The Cavellier family, al
though opposing De Montpre's frequent
visits, were all Of them under the sweet
influence of Marguerite, and could re-
fuse her nothing.
"Edouard," she said, ''was so differ
emit from other callers, and she never
saw him without learning something
he was SO gifted and knew so much"
And so it vas within a 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
old plantation house was startled by the
report brought from New Orleans that
the State of Louisiana had seceeded,
and troops were being raised for a war.
The news spread rapidly. People that
hitherto had taken little or no part in
political affairs began to discuss the sit
uation. Colonel Lafferranderie, an old
army officer, had established his head
quarters at the Cutoff post-office, not far
distant from the Cavellier place, and
young men were enrolling in scores.
The conversation around the dinner
tables now was devoted to the new
artillery company of Captain So-and-so,
or the splendid chasseurs a-peid OF
young Molaison of the adjoining parish.
Edouard Montpre caught the infection.
Forty young men rendered him their
~captaincy, and in three weeks he and
his men were on a steamboat bound for
the Crescent City.
The parting of Edouard and Margue-
rite was most tender and affecting. The
men of the company, long afterward,
around the camp-fires in the mountains
of Virginia, frequently talked of it, and
not a little of the love and solicitude fol
their captain was due to their knowl.
| edge that he had left behind the mos
loving and noble girl in the State.
The men and their baggage were al
ready on the boat that was putting an6
wheeling at the bank in the front Of
the Cavellier house trying to keep hel
nose to the bank in resistance to the eff
forts of Deadman's Eddy to draw hel
off into its cross currents. With hel
arms around his neck Marguerite stooc
on the front gallery looking up into
Edouard's face, her eyes filed witt
tears. She vas struggling to concea
the emotion that moved her whole be
ing. Her pride and dignity kept hel
! from displaying her deep feeling fol
| some time. At last. however, her reso
luton gave way and resting her heat
frame trembled, shaken by a storm O
feeling. The newly-made Captain wa
as white as a ghost, his firmly com
pressed lips evidencing the strong effor
made to remain calm in this trying mo
ment.
The boat blew a long and discordan
whistle, as if impatient at the della,
caused by DeMontpre's leave-taking
He realized that the supreme momen
had come. He bent tenderly owe he
and whispered: 'Macherie, 1 will b
with you soon again. 1t may all b
owe in a month. Look for my return
on every boat. Think of me often, m,
darling. 1t is for you and our people
60" He kissed her, muttered a tremu
lous "Adieu," and started down tn
steps. Marguerite stood motionless TO
a moment and then sank to the floor
Assisted by her father and an oil
negro. Nurse she reached the levee jus
as the boat was backing out. AS Ion;
as Deadman's Eddy was in sight tn
flutter of a white handkerchief could b
discerned against the background
green willows growing on the bank
Boats passed and repassed. Sometime
they would stop near the Cavellie
place, sometimes they would go on, br
none of them bore her lover back t
her. She waited weeks, months, year,
Each day that figure in white could b
seen seated in the shade of a live oak i
front of the old plantation house, keel