The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1894-04-28

4
responded the story teller.
''Oblige me, then, by not lying any
more than is absolutely necessary"
Miss Vivian was fair and lovable.
Consequently when she met Mr.. Du.
bois at lawn party he fell in love
with her and she reciprocated his affec-
ton"
"A lawn party in Central Africal"
expostuiated the young lady. pray
are you telling me romance among the
Manyemas?"
"The color of the skin is inmate RIAL"
replied Mr.. Dennison, but as you OBJ
ject to Africa l will call it Europe
England will do. All went well with
the lovers until, like the snake in the
garden of Eden, a third person stepped
in, Mr. John Halifax. Well, one cannot
blame Miss Vivian if she preferred the
corn and wine OF Egypt to love in a cot
tage with poverty"
| There was pause, which Miss St
John broke by exclaiming irritably:
"You are not entertaining at all.
Your story is not worth writing. No
publisher would accept it"
why not?" politely. "have you
| never known a similar case?"
"No, never, except in some absurd
story
by and by" continued the young
man, "Mr. Dubois decides to win or
lose it ALL He asks Miss Vivian to
marry him at once and share his mod.
est income, which is, however, a sure
one. He-made fool of himself"
| "Most men do" murmured the girl.
| THAT is true, otherwise women
would not care for them, but in this
case the lady shared his folly"
''In what way?"
| "She threw aside a loyal heart"
Probably she had good reasons for
so doing"
| ut occurs to me that you espouse
her cause very warmly"
Probably the young man was over
bearing and imperative. She very
properly declined to be slave. 1t is
Briton's privilege"
~ grant it. But suppose that Du-
bois loved her deeply and truly, that,
realizing that he had spoken hastily
and regretted it and wrote her letter
full of entreaties for pardon. which he
sent by mail with bunch of Parma
violets."
''Well?" whispered Miss St John;
''well?" It was easy to see that she
was at last deeply interested.
''Mr. Dubois asked her in this letter
if che still loved him to wear his flow
ers the next evening at dance where
they would meet He called her his
little queen'-he was madly in love
with her."
"And then?" The girls voice sound
ed as if she were crying.
''Oh, then, he went to the dance.
She was there radiant, smiling, beau
tiful. But she did not wear his violets.
Her gown was white, but upon Der
bosom nestled bunch of crimson roses
which had been given to her by John
Halifax"
The voice of the narrator trem bled,
but he did not glance at his companion.
Already they were approaching q
tunnel which heralded the end of their
journey. Miss St John realized it. and
was thankful, for she hoped the semi
darkness might hide her falling tears
THAT night" continued Mr.. Denni-
son, ''he met friend who was to sail
for Africa the next day. Impetuous as
ever, Dubois decided to go with him
He was away four years"
Ibid it occur to him." whispered the
young girl, reaching for satchel out
of which she drew a small jeweled box
and laid it on her knee, that Miss
Vivian might not have received the let
| ter until after the hot-headed and im-
petuous lover was beyond recall? Be
sides, she might have been too much
hurt to evince her desire for his return.
With such men Love flows like Sol
way but GIBBS like its tide
Already they were at the mouth OF
the tunnel The revolving wheels of
the train sounded like thunder, but an
instant before the engine plunged into
darkness Dennison saw Miss ST. John
pinning with trembling fingers bunch
of faded flowers to the bosom of her
dress. On her lap lay the open box and
a letter.
'Madeline" cried the young man,
seizing her hand and covering it with
kisses. "Oh, my little queen, my sweet
heart"
She uttered no word of protest; only
her tears believed the violets upon her
bosom, and lay there sparkling like
| lAHlI-Nh