The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-12-20
STORY OF A LIFE.
Tne Quiet Comfort Miss Denny
Derived from Her Telescope.

U6r1V6d LIOm 10E 1eioseVp0a
There come unsocial periods to the
lives of every one of us; days and
weeks when our own moods and en-
pigments and thoughts are of para
mount and engrossing Importance and
other people lose their interest for us
andf1cefle into temporary distance. It
Is not that we love man less, but
ourselves, for the moment, more; some
instinct ofsself- preservation prompts
US to be isolated and left alone for
awhile. 81 u
Such a period came to me summer be-
fore last, when, after nearly 8 year of
enforced idleness, shut myself in the
third story corner-room of Mrs. Merry
weathers quaint old boarding house.
to make up for lost time, by short
spell of continuous work. Day after
day lwrote. and read and took notes,
sitting beside a delightful west win
dow, which, irom- beneath the pensile
sboughs, of an immense willow. looked
over green meadows and copses to
where .. distant chain of hill outlines
stood against the sky. With that
vague, unseeing gaze which does not
see, watched the cloud-shadows blow
across the distance and dapple the face
OF the blue ranges, the crows rising
and falling in the meadow with hoarse,
1 largoning cries. the doves on the
neighboring boughs but not the vii
lAge houses, which formed the fore
ground OF the picture, and the men
and women who walked the sleepy
streets among them. This was easy,
ior am unobservant, both by nature
ana training, and, for the moment, by
intention, | shrank from idea the of in
serrupton, from the danger of ofbecoming
interested in man or woman till my
work was done. ] elected not to see,
% did not see. Happily it rained a
good deal just then, so there were
lever people and less temptation.
But ny the end of the third week,
Nnen the weather had cleared and nv
work was we'll along, my dormant OBJ
servafion quickened, and, among other
'nings, began to wonder idly what
could be the purpose of strange
structure on neighboring roof. 1t
vas spherical in form, and seemed
asogether too big and ponderous for
ae very small house which it sur
mounted / resolved to inquire of
mFs, Merryweather about it, but forgot
NJ intention from time to time, until
vle aay, when returning from walk,
louno her placidly knitting stockings
on her own doorstep, with a book on
ner lap, and suddenly recollected to
ask the question.
inat she replied, indicating
WIN 2 wave of her needle the object
.a xalen = had excited my curiosity; don't
sra .nas you never noticed it before?
.aM curious. for it's queer enough to
poA ~. Most folks pick it out at
scope is.n
a.. an observatory! never thought of
ae Inc house is SO very SMALL
ho, % !. Is. 1t always was small
a0use. They had great times getting
ms sool liked to hold it, and bricking
sa.s : sne sides to make it strong. But
ao'alng else would satisfy Miss Denny,
ney managed it at last. / guess
81. 81 wnole thing would come down to-
senes y they tried to move it away
nut who was this Miss Denny and
uaa' did she want of a telescopep
sae 90 very fond of astronomy ?n
hss;se ase' seating myself on the steps
,..ss, .oa're one for stories, / guess,'' OBJ
H.. = my landlady, shrewdly. This
ii. a1ucn Of q story to tell about, tho
thssr h'ys makes me feel little bad to
lux about Marianne Denny. She
lss.e .le o the Kennybunkport Dennys.
a.. Knew what made them come
~. i sne first place, but here they
s. = Iar back as remember. There
"A . e Ola mother who was feeble.
.nsa sister who was always sort Of
Thai aua complaining, and Marianne.
sAe - s all except Sarah Denny, and
djss.s ! g young. Marianne taught the
SekIld & school when / was q mite of a
~ Il = you can see there was q good
aaueFence between Us, as much