St. Landry democrat., 1888-05-26

journeyed seeking the sign that never
came. She grew nervous; sleep ana appe-
tite failed her, but not her courage. Sne
was in Virginia now, and took the tram at
length to come to Fredericksburg. INC
spring was here; the air was ful of it.
She vaguely wondered if it was this
that gave her such feeling OF languor ana
made her so drowsy. Occasionally, as she
lifted her heavy lids, she became conscious
of the watchful gaze OF a pair OF Keen,
dark eyes. She wondered vaguely II any
thing was amiss in her attire to attract al
tention, and lapsed again into droWslness,
the flush of fever deepening on her cheek.
Presently the conductor passed through
the car. and the owner of the dark eyes,
who was also the owner of an empty sleeve,
| touched his arm and engaged him IN
whispered conversation, which, from their
glances, concerned the sleeping lady. In
| a moment or two the conductor took the
vacant seat at her side, and, after address
ing her twice without response, Shook nef
| her arm gently, with the result only
| of causing her to open, for momenb, eyes
that seemed already too dull Tor seeing.
Another whispered conversation with the
| dark eyed gentleman, whom the conductor
| courteously addressed as Colonel, and a lit
| tie later, when the train stopped at Holly
| Springs, Colonel and conductor together
| half led and half lifted the fevered traV-
| eler from the train, into waiting carnage
| which presently rolled away into the dusk
| And that was the end OF Kate Wlltcn's
pilgrimage. 1t was mid-April when she
| opened her eyes languidly upon %le room
where for weeks she had moaned and
tossed in pain and muttered in dellrlum.
She looked moment at the pleasant-faced,
| 1o1 rhnC cot at q
chair; at a tall dark man with ali
empty sleeve, who stood by the lady's
side; her gaze wandered over the appoint
ments of the room, and then the eyes
closed again, and she sank into restful
sleep. The lady, who had watched her IN
silence, rose and bent over her moment,
and then, crossing to her son, said: The
danger is over; she will recover. When
she wakes again she will be conscious
truly hope that, as all our inquiries have
failed to discover any friend who was IN
terested in her or waiting her coming, SO
no unpleasant results or serious shock
NAV follow when she learns of her long
sickness and detention" Kate did get
well, but her recovery was very SLOW
When good Mrs. Gardiner, with kindly in
tonation and many motherly caress,
told her how she came to be among
strangers, the tears that flowed were tears
of gratitude and thankfulness. The kind
ness and devotion shown to her, a
stranger, touched her deeply, and won up
on her loving nature. She grew accus-
toned to the coming and going Of "Alex,"
as his mother called him, simply as if he
were yet boy, and received with glad
humility the kindnesses that were showered
on her Little by little she told the story of
her life, her love and pilgrimage. The at
mosphere about her seemed so restful; she
felt such a strange content in her helpless
ness and dependence that she began to ask
herself if she were too content; il she had
grown disloyal to the dead. 1t was one OF
the things that troubled her, that the past
really seemed dead now; not forgotten, but
dead; and buried as it should have been
long ago. She had tried to embaiIa her
dead and keep it with her as living thing.
! Now it was buried. Often she tried to
renew her grasp upon the old, but it eluded
, her 1t seemed impossible, in this new at
mosphere, to rehabilitate that old life.
Perhaps, she thought, when go away, the
old feeling will return. But did she wish
, it to return? Was it not better buried
, since it was dead? Often she questioned
, herself in this wise after one of the
Colonel's daily visits, visits she had grown
\
, mighty magnetism about the man. He was
! so courteous so unobtrusive. He seemed
to divine her wishes and ministered as
thoughtfully as gently to her wants. One
, day he had dropped a bouquet of her favorite
roses on the coverlid of the bed. I" How
, did he know the flowers she best loved"
, But this was the South; this man was
one of his murderers. Nay, she
had been unjust; wrong he may
. have been, but never wicked. So she vexeo
. | herself with question and answer as she
strove to reconcile the past and present Of
a her life. Strange, that we will not be con
!. tent to follow nature without this attempt
; at reconciling the differences of her dis
!, pensations. With her slow convalescence
came the month of May. She was able te
rise now and to walk little, and passeo
. much of the pleasant morning upon the
!. | cool shady veranda, upon which her win
F dows opened. There, among the climbing
roses, the color came back to her cheeks
and the brightness to her eyes. She begar
to talk of the time of her return to the
North, From the edge of the veranda the
large garden stretched away, as yet unex
plored for her, save only when she had taker
q brief tour among the flowers leaning
on the Coloners arra. "Do you know what
day this is?" said the Colonel one day
when Kate was beginning to feel that NJ
excuse was left her for the Incidence Of
invalidism. "It is the thirtieth, isn't it'
she said. A flush came to her face. Itwa:
Memorial Day, and she had forgotten. The
grave in the village graveyard in the NORTH
rose up before her; "and t. she thought
sit in the house of the enemy" Yet sht
felt the thought was foolish; there was NJ
enemy. "Come with me-" said the Colonel
presently, "you have never been to the es:
of the laurel walk, and I have some thing
there to show you. There was certain
seriousness in his manner, and he was un
usually silent as they walked slowly dowl
between the laurels. They paused a
the end Of the walk, where was al
/ open space bordered about with low shrubs
;, In the center of this inclosure two grave!
: lay close together, the narrow path that let
s between alone dividing them. She looked
e at them in surprise, and then glanced ques
!. tioningly at her companion.
t "You wonder,n he said, ''what thes'
; graves are and why | brought you here
: Sit down moment on this bench and
: will tell you. I had brother, an onl,
Y brother, who fell at my side at Petersburg
oro 4s,,,a %ob bo1@ ~, baI,,