St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1893-12-23

Ing for man WEO has given his all IN
love and has received nothing In return.
No man DIES Of love now adays, they say,
and pcrilaps they did not die when was
yourg: tEey just lived On and tried to
forget it.
One night late in the same winter I
saw them together at q great ball that
was quite tEe event Of the year. She
was the glvt>t Of the gay, and no one
else was half So fair as she, with great
red rose almost buried in the wealth of
her dark hair, and smother on the breast
Of her white gown. | watched them
with a closer attention than usual that
night, but later on missed them from
til" throng Of dancers. They were gone
some time, and then | saw them coming
in from the great conservatory beyond.
She had lis arm, but they were not
spanking, and there was hard strained
look about his eyes that was infinitely
sadder to me than tears. He slipped
away later without being observed, and
| saw him no more for many day.
So time passed on and they had well
nigh gone from my t. oughts, until one
i night, couple of years later, this old
church was brilliantly lighted and filled
with all the wealth ami fashion of tho
town. 1t was with dull heart, however,
that sat up here and played the we'd
ding march. Yes, You are right. 1t
was her wedding night, and people
called it 3 wonderfully fine match. She
| had come home to marr7 foreigner Of
rank and title she had met and won in
some European capital 1t was bril-
liant affair, and many a young girl no
! doubt that night envicd her success.
As | played the old familiar strains of
the march, old, yet ever now for two
young hearts if they but beat in unison,
| turned part way round and watched
them coming down the aisle. They
made a handsome pair, he in his gor.
gcous uniform with the jeweled decora-
tons of his many orders pinned upon his
breast, and she--welI, she was radiant,
and she bad that night q proud and sat
i>tied smile that added to her grace and
beauty, If not to her Womauly sweetness.
Once l thought she gave a hasty glance
up into the organ loft, and as she did so
| saw her face grow strangely white and
a look Of pain come into her eyes. 1t
was for moment, however, and then
it passed away as suddenly as it had
come.
| turned once more to my keyboard,
and as | glanced around | caught q
hasty glimpse Of young mans figure
and a sad, white face almost hidden
away among the palms that filled the or
gan loft. | kne" then, and understood
it all
Two years later she came back alone.
| saw her one bright spring morning rid
ing in the park. She was not in mourn
ing, but she locke tired and worried
and anything but a happy woman. |
imagine she had not found life much to
her liking. Perhaps she had but herself
to blame for it, but WAS she any the less
to be pitied for that2 She had done as
many another young girl has done, and
as they will continue to DO through all
time. She had but lived up to the teach
inos of her little world, and had made
about as much out of her life rs she had
been taught to DO. A butterfly would
DO but poorly in harness, you know.
saw him, too. not long ago-no, not
her u>blud, but the other one. heard
that he had been off in the mountains in
the far west, working hard in that open,
free life that is so close to the heart of
Mother Nature. and striving, | suppose,
to forget. But there are some Oh SIS
that will not h: laid. To me the
fact that he had nurscd poor sheep
hrrder thr ugh long illness, and then
has! flilcn il! himself and had been vainly
knocking at deaths door for weeks, did
not altogether account for his pitialle
condition. 1t IT. Y have done So with
the rest, but it i, my opinion that be did
not care very m~ch to live. And SO |
WAS not much surprised last nj ght when
the Old sexton CT #e to me and told me |
that my services would be needed at the
church to-day.
She, too, was Ii, re, and | saw her, eff |
in 1t dark corner Of the church. where no |
one could have notice! that solitary
figure, clad all in black and at times !
shaken hy her silent emotion. Upon the |
black covering OK the box above the
young mans breast, | noticed two great ;
blood red II ses
You say that played with unusual
feeling t0-dav! al, but was trying in !
ny o"n p' or way to bring comfort to
)Ee sa,idenod heart and to tell to the two
that knew and had pity. When she
came down tie a;,Ic just now. after all
the rest had left, saw that she wore two
red roses on her breast l think, per,
maps, he knows now and is happy.
And that, boys, is the Old musicians
story. just as he told it to me. You can
lave it FOR what it is worth At any rate,
t throws new light on that Young feel.
ow's life, and who can say but what he
vas right ? At least he saw the better
;ide, worse luck to me- Washington
Star.