The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1893-10-28
A SPINSTER.

A SHlNSIEK.
She became a spinster 81 years ago.
Thus fate decreed it.
Young men had become afflicted with
. passion for Caroline-wartime gal
lants, three decades back. But before
their mouths had caught courage from
their eyes or their arms had acted ont
the convictions of their silences, they had
received her unspoken No" Her proud
bearing was part Of natures gift, and if
in part it was a screen for her timidity,
the mask was too deceptive, had Caro-
line but known it. Her lovers fell away
one by one. from q fortress that only
seemed invulnerable.
When this troop Of towards had yield
ed, there had stepped forward a mar Of
courage. of broad mental compass.
Though young, he had served his coun-
try-not alone passively, but actively.
IN battle, g private at first. He had
fought bravely. and when graduated
from the scnool of war had an ugly scar
On his left arm to show for it. He was
almost Ashamed of it-so slight. The
ssne bullet had killed a conrade near
by. He had ambitions noble. strong. He
had q will Of iron, energies unfaltsring.
He possessed, besides a fine physique, the
sufficient physical backing to uphold
him in his exploits. He was persistent
m love a. in elbowing his way forward
among his fellowInen. He loved Caro-
line.
She had often analysed her feelings
toward him. She knew his love was
honest. She approved his perseverance,
and vt, when he demanded an aneweY,
she had said no. Later she had re-
Dsetsd it-''No." Still he was obstinate.
Then he'd come that farewell
when he was about departing for broader
fields to give his ambitions play.
ANSWER me! Answer me fnally" he
had demanded.
At that critical moment she had adj
mired his manner. He had given no in
dicasion of q lack of hope. She had hes
itated an instant. A denser film had
oyerspread her eyes. And then. con-
trolling her nerves, she had answered:
Forever, Mr.. Hadon. no."
Her eyes had looked into his an in
slant. and then upon the ground. The
agony that they suffered on the porch
there together had been Of brief mo
nent.
Il so now" he had said. and left her.
She had never called him by his given
name, but, as he passed through the
gateway these words had almost es-
capped her:
II do love you, John. Come back"
The words were never spoken. That was
the instant in which Caroline hecamea
epinster.
When she reflected upon what she had
done, she wa half regretful. After all.
that which had deferred her from at
cepting him was only q wllim Of her
own. He was handsome? Yes. He wa.
manly. Without a doubt: He possess
ed for her q certain fascination. but
with q leap, that to the whole world ex-
cept herself was unaccountable. her
thoughts Went back to the ugly nurse
she had had in her infancy. She shud-
dered as she beheld then. as clearly as 20
years previous. the aged bag lowering ut
her, ogling her through those wary spec
tacles. How she had wondered if she
appeared distorted in the distorted eves
Of Hannah!
But those were tiny cares, childish
compared to the worries of the present
moment to which her mind returned,
Undoubtedly another man would love
her exactly like him, except-Caroline
haI rested her elbows upon her knees,
her face in her hands and wa weeping.
Her.reverie had presently taken a more
practical turn. How could she tell her
father and mother that he had gone. gone
forever; that neither they nor she should
Sec him again? She dared not give the
real reason, the paltry objection that
had offset his words of m%anliness.
= X X
Ten years ago Caroline found a white
hair in the midst of that cascade of
black. She drew it over in front of her
face, looked upward at it with a slight
cast of the eyes and petulantly pulled it
out. She was not old. Forty is not old
The following day she discovered al.
other. It had.root near the right temple.
Yesterdays gray hair had been upon the
hft. If she must grow old a virgin.
Providence at least intended that she
should grow old symmetrically, in per-
feet form till the and. Then, as she
swept the long wisps Of black around in
front Of her, she discerned another. This
nsttled her. She carefully separated it
nom the wealth Of surrounding black
and fingered it to its source at the top