The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-09-21
True to Her Ideal

/ BURST of laughter arose from the
"A group of girls.
you don't mean it, do you, Mar
raret? You really don't mean that
you'd be satisfied with love in a cot
tagc?"
.Yes," she answered, persistently,
and with more seriousness than usual.
4 don't believe in marrying for money
or position. l believe in marrying for
love, and I'd a great deal rather live
In cottage with the one man in the
sorld that | cared for, than to live in a
Parjsian hotel with anyone else!"
"Ha, ha! Love in cottage! That
sould be altogether too romantic for
ne" laughed one of the girls.
'.I'd call that romance with the paint
eratched off," said another.
The above bit of conversation took
phce one summer afternoon in 1876.
Just two years later Margaret found
herself ensconced in tiny home just
Such as she had always said would
make her happy. 1t was the veriest bit
Of place--almost dolls house in
the center of a little village where her
husband, young physician, had just
opened an Office. Their wedding pres
ents had almost furnished the house,
and the few hundred dollars that DR..
Duval had left from his college course,
bad completed it. He still owned his
horse and phaeton that he had driven
during his senior year-otherwise he
had nothing.
At first their life was as sweet as
the strains Of love song. Practice
came slowly, for the clientele of a
Young physician always consists of in
curables and patients who cannot pay
but then, they had managed to live,
Tor each had owned several pieces of
valuable jewelry. These had been
pawned to friends. or sold, one at a
ume-reluctantly perhaps, yet cheer
ieily-for Margaret always said: ''If
se can only manage to stay here long
enough. practice will come. and we can
aaord to part with these things now.
After all they are of little value,' and
then she would twine lock of his
har gently through her fingers, look
MO his eyes with the sweet confidence
mat only true love can express, and
press gentle kiss upon his brow.
such love is priceless, and they were
sery happy, for awhile.
but time came when money was
heeded, and there were no patients with
ucolt to collect from, and there were
= 1ewels. The larder was filled with
toduee that the farmers brought in
yment for their bills. but there were
Osner things, such as clothes and house
that required money. and for
Neeks the family purse had been
imply. The clouds had been gather
ng tcf SO long that heavy gloom had
aept slowly but successfully into the
n''le cottage; but one day it suddenly
s,esfed. !. for letter came that seemed
.Ae special dispensation of kindness
.lom Fate. 1t contained commission
ut : pr. Girard Duval as physician on
MI s,u inc steamer -. plying between
uoufnc, Australia, and Hong Kong.
algarets eyes were blurred with
eers as she read it, for she said, an
sAngiy: you know, Girard. that
..s e, means our separation
ss' out only for little while, dear,
~ ~ y also means sloo per month be-
- my expenses. can afford to send
/. ~ soo or SIS of it every month. and
=. n oe big improvement on starv-
IAN .ong as we have done so long"
-. the climate is bad. and suppose
J. ! snoald ruin your health. or. worse
3 80 'hat-if-" but she could not fin-
"a NE sentence.
s 'hat case, you know, Margaret,
ss,. you'd De provided for; my life in
.raee ~sas would take care of YOU,
g.. .sa.n q week the furniture had be IN
-, .I Aargaret had gone home to spend
..,s, ass weeks with her family before
permanent arrangements for
aorang the two years that her