The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1896-12-03
A SOLDIERS ROMANCE


AcOV Dn1TAN-fr
II bOi1D1l1lt - l01-h AMI
rvprv aV.rfog oft.r ,,,,,5,4,..,s Mn
rice Tonrnisr q, vo,,,,,, Iian.sn,rt IN tho
reserves wa CIV foo 4 I'd n ga+ bael,
10 the housa where he nd hmm ouar.
tered Fran, the G,st d,v tl,.t ba ND
been ouarf,F5d IN tins banse his ha.
hayior toward il. oeeonants had heen
marked bv araaf courtesy and consider.
atian If ha fanpeu.3 ia moot oither of
the Two laa1es in. NJ hail mr. on the
stairs. he zyf,51d al,yavs stand aside re-.
spertfully Ia allow her n MASS hnt
when the eIalf lady won over nv his
Difference. invited him H. dine with
them he had ALWAYS accented the invi.
tation gladly. As rule thp elder lady
would he lvino on the sofa while tbe
yonnoer one would be rasdino aloud
From the dicfatorjal tones and Sudden
capljces Of The forr,e, and from the re-.
signed obedience of the latter thu Young
officer had seen guessed that il WAS u
ease Of u wealthy aunt and a moor niece
The fact was that t6e youug pjrl
Louise de Lery. had been left IN crnhan
and totally pnnrovided for. Nine Pr.
mean her orpatai. If and fine only rela.
tive shr had IN tbp world had therefore
adopted her Without being Of Il realty
nnkind disrosjtion Nine. Prjmoau
who was = prF8t invalid 6ad oradnsl1y
worked on AID protited by her uiece's
gratitude until at lensfh the Door Girl
had become ogite n slave Her aunt
would not sil1irr any one else tn do any
THING for her She ron1d mot hear ia
hear other t5o,steps in the room or To
hear any other voice but that of Louise
and for the last five wears she had thus
thoughtIessly aad Quite unconsciously
been crushing all the ynirit and all the
oavetv out af the vonno Girls life
Louise de Ierv was now 25. and
tbopgh she had lost the freshness of her
pirlhood the youup officer Thought her
very henutienl Her ewes were Of a deem
nnrhougi,o Fine She had AN nnuiGne
nose orcbed Inns and waving chestnut
colored hair Win inst q toncb of the
gold in ttbat enc sees in autumn leaves
Little Inv litt1s had tbe plderlv lady
been won over Inv the oay good humor
and never faiIinq courtesv of tbe vonno
officer. and so he had seen a great deal
of his hostess and her niece dnrjug his
months sojonrn with them.
He had delighted i'm I,oujse's CONVEX
sation and soeietv and had soon discoy-
cred that this oirl who had lived TINS
ohscurelv in tbe shade. possessed a mind
which was only waiting for n touch of
sunshine to burst into the most perfect
beautv. and there WINS something ro-
mantle in the idea that IN this old gray
looking dwelling. half buried in a little
old world town ne had thus come across
nv chance the male. cantiyp nrincess of
his dreams.
During the last week of his stay il
seemed as though Mime Primeau had
scented danger for suddenly. and appar.
emily without any cause. her manner
toward the younp man had changed
She was ALWAYS cold and sarcastic when
she sroke Ia him. and she did not invite
him to dinner with herself and niece
The time was getting desperately short
only three DAYS more = and then
through his cwn foolish procrastination,
he woujd forever have lost the oppor
tunity he now had of speaking and per.
haps of winning as lis wife the only
woman he waEid eve 9yoye.
In the evening, when the two ladies
huppened to be sitting out in the gar
den. Lieutenant Fournier on his arrival
took his char. and in suite of the ag-
Qressive expression winch he read in
Mime. Primeau's eyes planted it near to
hers and began TO talk boldly about his
departure about Paris, and then about
his own position and means Then sud.
denly and without any leading up to it
he announced the fact that he W as weary
Of his solitary life, and that he wanted
to marry and settle down. Louise, bend.
ing over her embroidery, listened to all
the young man was saying, Just as she
might have listened to one of the love
stories such as her aunt ndOrcd and
which she was always having to read
,l,,d