The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1894-03-22

scure 'yes'-he didn't recognize in It's
disguise. This time-I don't like this
| I'll make it plain for him."
| She tore up what she had written,
and penned in scrawling, careless char
acters: "Yes-Louise Bragg. like that
better" she said She read Newmann's
note again, half smiling. ~ wonder if
this last phase in the evolution of Mr..
] Newmann's feelings is as compliment
ary to me as the first" she speculated-
Hes man of moods, phases and pe-
RODS It's hard to make out the mean
ing of this last. 1t sounds like last
appeal. He is a human paradox"
OF all her love affairs, this was the
most interesting to Miss Bragg This
was due to its novel history and to
other reasons. Newman was So
ciety man of 4 not remarkable mental
caliber. He measured up to the aver
| age of his set He was rather tall and
handsome, with face typically south
ern. What particular quality of his
that drew her toward him. Miss Bragg
| herself could not say-but she was con-
| scious of liking him. Their walks, as
has been said, were frequent, and their
| talks, while confidential. had never
touched upon matrimonial topics.
He reserved the mention of this sub
| 1ect for the letter that has been re-
ferred to. Miss Bragg was bit dis
| appointed at having SO important
| question treated after the manner of a
| business negotiation. 1t seemed lit
tie cowardly to write. Her reply was
Enthusiastically worded. To few
men in the world it would have meant
mo-" but to the generality of men
''yes'-a woman's yes.
A call the next day would have ac-
corded with Miss Bragg's idea of what
the behavior of q young man in New
mann's place should have been, but he
did not call the next day, the next
week, the next month or the next year.
Indeed, three whole years passed and
he neither wrote or spoke to her upon
the subject After short time she re-
pented of having replied as she had
done. Her letter now seemed so hasty
SO ill-considered. If she had waited a
month to reply it would have been diff
ferent, she felt. Still she could not
| understand Newmann's conduct, and it
was far from her to ask him for an ex-
planation.
Miss Bragg dressed with great care,
and calmly self possessed. she sat
awaiting for Newman. She read his
last two letters again, but the reperusal
of them left her puzzled still. From
her cabinet she fished out package of
letters she had received from him. She
had not seen them since first receiving
them, but now she read them with pc
| culiar interest. In the package were
| three or four written while Newman
was away on a business trip. others
were written to her at mountain re-
sorts, others still were nothing but
mere formal notes asking for an en-
gagement-all breathed the spirit of
love. She could understand his actions
even less as she read them, which she
did with marked eagerness. Out of the
confused tangle of odds and ends that
| filed her cabinet she searched for let
| ters in Newmsnn's well known hand
| writing. The letters had been tossed
in promiscuously and hidden from view
| since.
A bright, crisp, new-looking envel-
ope dropped from her fingers as she
drew out bundle, and, picking it up,
she examined it curiously. AS her
glance fell upon it the blood left her
face and her heart stood still. 1t was
in her own handwriting addressed to
Newmann-her answer to his letter of
| three years ago.
AS she sat there regarding it in bewil
derment Mr.. Newmann's card was
handed to her.
No traces of agitation were visible
in Miss Bragg's manner when she smil-
ingly greeted Newman minute later.
He nervously shook hands. Miss Bragg
did not sit down II believe we are to
| walk?" she said. us if the matter was
OF SO little Importance that she had al
most forgotten. Yes" h e said, getting
up hastily.
As they reached the sidewalk they
stopped undecided which way to go.
"It's a nice walk out in the vicinity of
Jefferson Heights" Newman said,
hesitatingly. 1--WE used to walk there
often, you remember" "Oh, no, not
Jefferson Heights" she said, as If the
place was not to be considered, "it's so
stupid detest the place" She slow
ly set off in an opposite direction
Newman walked silently beside her
for few moments Presently he an
nounced the discovery that it was
fine day for walking. Next he OBJ
served that the day was just like that
on which they had taken their last
walk together. This was followed by
another and longer pause, broke by
Newmann's question: you remember
what fine day 1t was, Miss Bragg?"
She made an effort to remember, knit
ting her brows and looking thoughtful.
Utterly failing to recall it, she excused
herself "You see we walked together
more than once and the days were al
ways fine-I knew they were, because
wouldn't have gone otherwise. And
then three years is too long to remem-
ber such q thing as the state of the
weather"
After that Mr.. Newman evaded the