The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-12-20
first thing he did with his moneg was

| to come home and see his aunt.
Swell, you never did see any thing
so pleased as Marianne was at his
coming. It was Tom here and Tom
there, and she must take him round
and show him to every body; and he
scds a real kind fellow and no mistake.
"tNow, Aunty,' he says, here's
your chance. I'm able and ready to
| fix you out any way you say. Shall
build you new house to end your
days ine or will you have the old one
| done upp or shall I settle regular
payment on you, SO that you needn't
teach any more, or what? I'll do just
as you decide. Take me while feel
rich, says he, for it mayn't last, you
know
80 that was the way Marianne Dem
ny got her telescope. She said the old
home'd last out her time and was good
enough, and she didn't want it fixed
over, and that she'd always done for
herself and hoped she always should;
but the thing she had longed for all
her life was to get to know something
more about the stars. Soft Tom really
meant what he said, and wanted to
spend his money on her. and had it to
spend, why, he should give her tele-
scope. 1t was the thing in all the
world that she wished for, and the
only thing.
Il guess Tom thought it rather fun
| ny, but he wanted to please her; and
he didn't say any thing, only looked
sort of queer. He went down to Cam
bridge-or wherever it is that they
sell telescopes-and he got the best one
that he could; six inches across it was
-assbig as the house would bear. Then
there was a great time building the
observatory and making the wall
strong enough to bear; but at last it
was all done, and Marianne could turn
her telescope to this side and that, and
sweep the heavens, as she called it.
Poor soul! she never had been much of
hand at sweeping, but this kind of
sweeping seemed to suit her.
Il do really believe she was the best
contented woman in this town when it
was all ready. She used TO go up into
the tower the minute the sun was
down to be all ready, and she could
sit up as late as she liked; there
was no one now to hinder. Then all
the learned people that came to stay at
the Old Beach heard about the tele-
| co1,,a ,,ool 4 ,,f W.. <,,a,, ", zoo -
and talk about it. 1t was the first time
she had ever got in with her kind of
folks, and it did her lots of good, | can
tell you.
''There was one Professor at the
Beach, that came quite often, and I
guess he taught her how to use the
telescope better than she knew how at
!, first. Anyhow, all that summer and
fall, and way down into the winter she
sat up in that place, taking solid COM
fort. I said then, and I say now, that
I never saw but one woman in the
world who knew when she had got her
wish and was perfectly satisfied about
it, and that was Marianne Denny. She
didr'
did she ever take you up to look
through the telescope?h
Eyes, two or three times. She'd
have done it oftener if had wanted
to. Marianne was always for sharing
with other people. She showed me a
nebuly--a ring nebuly think she said
it was-little shiny stars which you
can't see without a telescope. 1t
didn't interest me much, except as
things do interest you that you can't
see always. / liked the star with a
ring that looks like a school-globe a
great deal better, but Marianne didn't
seem to think much of that She said
j quite little telescopes showed it; but il
needed big one like hers to show the
nebuly. | didn't care a snap for the
nebuly, but did care for seeing Mari
anne SO pleased. She actually looked
younger, and she used to talk about
the summer consultations and how
she was going to enjoy them, never
thinking, poor dear. how it was to be. =
/ "Why, what happenedP"
30, she died. It was the very MAY
| after the telescope came. She didn'-
| have it quite a year. 1t did seem too
bad! shall always think that staying
1 up in that cold place so much hurt her.
"What pity! was she sorry to gop'
/ mo; don't think she was. recol
lect her saying one day when wa:
sitting beside her: You needn't fee
bad about me, Alice. Some people di,
and never in all their lives have theil
wish granted. I've had mine. Heaver
has been brought close to me all thi
year. And know just how wonderful
it is and how satisfying; and now an
going nearer still to it. No one will
miss me much. and ] am content, onl,
/ wish / could know that somebod,
would enjoy my dear telescope as
have done.
"And did any body?n
i "My dear. not soul has looked
through it since that day! Tom wa