St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1890-03-29
,fsairs Of life had been shifting position.

affairs of life had been shifting position.
In December father and | were sum-
moned to Long Branch. We were not on
pleasant terms yet, and the journey was
| quite disagreeable.
But it was all changed and we thought
no more of our little difficulty after we
got there. In the miserable howell l once
called home, lay dying woman. l had
known her once as Aunt Katie, but |
should have called her mother!
| Face to face stood husband and wife,
| nv father and my mother. She held up
her frail withered hand, father took it and
| kissed it, as he had doubtless done many
time long years before, And there were
tears in his old honest eyes.
She held his hand lovingly for a mo-
ment, then reaching for mine clasped the
two together and blessed them with ten
| der prayer.
Then laying quietly down again-for in
| her excitement she had really sat up-she
uttered in broken words these sentences,
as nearly as l can remember: Husband
and daughter, forgive the sins of dying
| woman. have wronged you both. My
brother and l kept the child hid for money.
[ would now do anything = but 1t is too
Late but she never finished the SEN
| tence. My mother was dead. We took
her to the little church-house graveyard
near by and left her 20 rest. There was
no one left at the shanty then, for Gran
ME had been dead several months, and |
learned that she was my grandmother.
We left the place and its belongings to
joseph Core, and he may be there yet.
At least he is miserable wretch that
do not care to call uncle.
DR.. Miller came the appointed evening
Rose was very meditatlve that particular
evening, for pride and conscience were at
war in her soul. :.
If she told him her deceit, she would
lose his respect. And the respect of an
honest man is the highest boon woman
can claim.
If she continued, worse would result.
Suddenly an impulse swept over her
soul, and she spoke truthfully and boldly.
.TDr. Miller, have long been wronging
you and another. have led you to think
that cared for you, when l am the be-
trothed of another man"
He looked at her in blank surprise for a
moment.
$50 that undeserving wretch is to be
your husband" he said.
s.You will speak of him in more res
pectful terms, DR.. Miller
81 will speak of him, and every one else,
as he deserves. He is not a gentleman. l
know more of him than you do, and since
you will marry him, yet wish you well. /"
cdr. Miller, hoped we would part as
friends, but if you cannot accept him too,
| withdraw my hand, for we cannot be
parted"
tMiss Baily, am your friend and al
ways shall be, but am no friend of his.
Remember this. Good night" And he
politely bowed himself out.
Rose closed the door and came into the
back parlor, where the family were still
sitting,
DR.. Miller had good prsctice, and since
the failure father was very anxious that
Rose win him, never for moment sup
posing her engaged to Oren Tides.
Vacation over. Rose went back to finish
her school. 1t was not all sunshine, but
she lived through it, and that is the best
thing one can do.
The last day she received many compli-
ments from the parents, and was asked to
come back and take the next term.
But she went away to the mountains
where she visited for several months, and
came back the jolliest girl in White Hall.
But we knew that something more than
the mountains had cheered her life; when
few weeks later Oren Tides came and
took her away to Philadelphia.
The rest of us are still at White Hall,
living quietly and common. Title Tull
has come to stay with US, since Aunt's
health has failed.
am still at home with father to COM
fort his old age, and we are very fond of
one another now, that 1 am child no
longer.
Blanch Sharp, they say, married bust
ness man who supplies her with money
while she daubs paint.
Thus it is that our fortunes came and
went.
And not unlike other people, we are
only known by our own folks, after all
1.-THE End