The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1889-06-29

car window in saying: 'The Lord love
you, Miss Belle, and don't you learn 81
much you'll forget your ole friends, nov
will you, deariel'
Through letters to the Woman's EX.
change, the squire had secured homo
for Belle, and bachelor uncle i'll New
York had promised to meet her when
she got to Boston, to see her safely set
tled, and to visit her from time to time.
But the best laid plans gang aft agley, y
in all truth. Illness kept Uncle Outhet
in New York, ana when Belle arrived At
her journeys end there was no one to
meet her. To make matters worse, the
steamer. in which the last part OF the
voyage had been made, was late in get
ting into the harbor. ard when the pas
sengcrS were set on shore it was after
dark, in driving rain storm. The yoy-
age had been rough one, and sea-sick-
utSo ulu ICuuCth lDtiit " 81 >tdtt vi uttcI
wretchedneSs, and to find herself friend
less in a strange land was not calculated
to raise her spirits. But the mere act of
stepping off the fitting ship upon mother
earth was JOY in itself, and her natural
presence of mind stood her in good
stead now.
In writing home about the experiences
of that first night, she said she came to
the conclusion there was no need of being
nervous, for there were officials in uni
form standing about on every hand with
apparently nothing to do in the world but
answer questions for just such novices as
she was. She knew where she wanted to
go, and they could tell her how to get
there. The good-natured custom house
officer examined her luggage in what he
called quick metre, and an obliging
policeman picked out hackman, whom
he knew to be an honest fellow, for her
And that was all. Belle said il was not
much ofan emergency, after all, when
one had eyes and ears and tongue, and
knew enough not to ask questions of any
body who did not wear some kind of a
badge to show who he was.
Mrs. Outhet groaned in spirit when she
got this letter, at the idea of girl driv-
ing about strange city after dark, quite
but the doctor said: ''Trust
to Bellies common-sense, my dear Mrs.
Outhet. A bright, level-headed girl like
she is can take care of herself"
The excitement of getting established
at nome and at school occupied the first
few Gays, without leaving a loop-hole for
to creep in. Belle had
argued with herself that she could not
afford to indulge in it at any time, and if
it laid pretty desperate siege to her peace
of mind during the next winter, she never
confessed it in her letters home, though,
if the truth must be told, it sometimes
needed deal of courage to keep from
Matters did not always go smoothly. |
In what walk in life do they, prayl But
there was the pure delight of study that |
nothing could lessen. To offset minor |
that one never gets wholly |
away from, there were the agreeable |
courtesies shown her by new friends.
To one particular circle of people Belle
always felt especially grateful. This was
A club of musicians who held fortnightly
Sat homes, to which they made point
Of inviting students who were strangers
DR. alone in the city. To these delightful
musical evenings Belle owed many agree
ible hours and pleasant friendships.
With various long goings and short
,omings the school years wore away The
irst summer vacation Belle spent at home;
the second year she worked right on
through the summer, devoting the vaca-
ion season to additional studies.
Commencement came at last, and, as
night be surmised, when obstacles had
been encountered as a matter of course
md had never been turned into bugbears,
Belle had good reason to be happy over
,er years of hard work. The ink on her
.hesis was barely dry when request from
he college at Halifax to the Institute of
to recommend a teacher of |