The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-04-02
TAKING THE VEIL.


moved along with something like ma
jesty in its smooth, broad surface, and
creates an impression of its Titanic
power perhaps far greater than where it
bubbles and boils, twists and turns in
discontinue at being forced to change
its straight, onward rush to the sea to
conform to the idiosyncrasies of the ir-
regular banks. Here and there the
branches of partially submerged willows
We're swaying to and fro moved by the
impetuous current, and RATS of drift
wood gathered by the eddy from the
great masses floating down, kept up their
slow revolution some twenty yards from
the bank. Every little while portions of
this confused aggregation of trees,
branches, twigs, fence rails and other
Hotsam, always seen in high water on
the Mississippi, would be caught by the
main current and go sweeping down as
if glad to part company with the heter-
ogenous mass it had just left. Deadman's
Eddy was known in those days by all the
steamboatmen, and few of them cared to
put the noses of their boats into it on a
dark night. for it had reputation that
was any thing but inviting. Numbers of
boats had their wheels disabled by the
accumulated drift. and one or two had
been snagged within the boundaries of
this ominousy named portion of the
river.
Opposite Deadmans Eddy, embowered
in grove of stately live oaks, stood the
large plantation house of the Cavellier
family, a roomy, comfortable building
h,1., 80. tl.& L., -, Nf l.,
lecture that probably affords more shade
and ventilation to the square foot than
any other known to southern climates.
1t stood about 200 yards back from the
levee, and the intervening space was
laid out in parterres of roses and palms,
camelas and sweet olive.
Neither the quiet charm of the land
scape, the delicious atmosphere of per-
fume, nor the ravishing pearl shower of
bird notes produced anything like the
effect on visitor to this place that
the queenly beauty of Marguerite Cavel-
lier did. A brunette of %, her eyes had
set more guitars drumming i'll bach
elors quarters along the river than any
other belle ever known thereabouts and
her face had flooded the table of the ed
itor of L'Abeille, in New Orleans, with
hundreds of poems, some of them writ
ten, it must be admitted, in questionable
French, but all warm, passionate and de-
voted. She was tall, with the figure of
some of those delicately chiseled Grecian
statues, and possessed of a manner that
was 50 perfectly natural and free from
constraint it left with everybody the inn
preston that they had been intimate
friends of hers for years. She did not
know what guile or duplicity was, and
with the naivete of child would reprove
| or compliment the action regardless of
any thought of the actor. Every negro pic
| aninny on the plantation worshiped her
with blind idolatry as something en-
tirely supernatural and not of this earth.
| Her voice was low and musical, and
when her great black eyes were fixed on
the listener the effect was almost mag
netic. The French word svelte applied
to her most appropriately. To see her on
horseback in the morning galloping along
the river road, followed by her gayly-
dressed negro boy was a sight well worth
the trouble of early rising, at least so
thought Edouard de Montpre, the strug-
| Cling young attorney of the parish. No
matter how late he may have been pour
ing over his books endeavoring to fix in
his memory precedents and leading cases
he never missed his promenade on the
levee Just at that hour when the young
equestrienne came cantering along. a
lifted hat and deferential bow was al
ways 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 Hem
mems digest, and out of the panels of 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
disposition and excellent education as the
only legacies from the Montpre estate.
Everybody along the coast, as the banks
of the Mississippi river was called by the
residents in those days, esteemed the
young man and applauded him in his ef-
forts to re-establish the'paternal name.
He visited the Cavelliers once or twice
a month, but his self-pride imagined
that his receptions there We're not as
| COIuldi vi tit paw vi NtiiCidbit iiool
as they might have been, and this he at
tributed to his own modest purse.
1t would be pleasant writing to tell
how the friendship between the lawyer
and Marguerite ripened into an init
macy that soon developed into pure
and deep love. The Cavellier family, al
though opposing De Montpre's frequent
visits, We're all of them under the sweet
influence of Marguerite, and could re-
fuse her nothing.
"Edouard," she said, was so different
from the other callers, and she never
saw him without learning something
he was so gifted and knew SO much"
And so it was within year after hei
return from the convent they We're en-
gagged, Mons. Cavellier agreeing TO give
the young man the Belle Colombo place
on the other side of the river, for start
after marriage.
In the midst of that beautiful season
of contemplated love and betrothal, the
old plantation house was startled by th'
report brought from New Orleans tina
the state of Louisiana had seeded, anC
troops were being raised for a war Tn,
news spread rapidly. People that hith
erto had taken little or no part in polit
ical affairs began to discuss the situation
eCol. Laiferranderie, an old army office
had established his headquarters at tn
Cutoff postofiice, not far distant from
the Cavellier place, and young men wer
enrolling in scores. The conversation
around the dinner tables now was dc
voted to the new artillery company O
Capt So-and-so, or the splendid chas
seurs a-peid Of young Molaison of the adj
joining parish. Edouard Montpre caught
the infection, Forty young men ten
, dered him their captaincy, and in thre,
weeks he and his men We're on steam
boat bound for the Crescent City.
The parting of Edouard and Marguerit,
was most tender and affecting The mel
T of the company, long afterward, arounC
the camp fires in the mountains of Vir
ginia, frequently talked of it, and not I
little of the love and solicitlde for thei
! captain was due to their knowledge tina
he had left behind the most loving anC
noble girl in the state.
The boat blew a long and dscordan
! whistle, as if impatient of the della,
caused by lie Montpre's leave-taking. Ii,
D realized that the supreme moment haC
come. lie bent tenderly over her anC
| whispered. Ma cherie, | will be witt