The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1900-03-03

pered as he tucked her into her little
pony carriage beside her fat old aunt:
"Ill see your grandfather little later
to-day" for then the first pink streaks
of morning were beginning to show
above the black line of swamp that
bounded the horizon ON either hand.
1t was already dawn ere the pony car
riage reached home and MarcelIa could
see hergrandfather seated in his favorite
chair on the gallery facing the rising
sun, slipping his early coffee and ready
to review the hands as they passed in
a long struggling line before him.
swell, and how was the party?, he
asked as the two women came up the
steps in the first beams of the very
early sun.
"Oh, success, as few farewell par
ties are. Each young hero was danced
with impartially, by all the bellies,
blessed and hidden Godspeed and a
safe return with victory, etc" She
spoke in her usual bright manner, help
ing herself to cup of the old ma jor's
steaming coffee the while, but the
glances she stole at him were anxious
and troubled, and she said nothing at
all of the subject nearest her heart.
Many of the young men, the flower of
the county who had answered at once
the call to arms, came over during the
day to bid good-by to their old friend
and neighbor, and among them young
Capt. Stewart, brave in all the glory of
glittering war paint. But his was
different errand and his heart almost
misgave him as he followed the fat old
negress along the wide, familiar hall
of the majors home. He had proposed
writing from camp, but Marcella had
insisted on personal appeal face to
face. 1t was a bad half hour the young
fellow underwent in the library that
morning. He felt very small and fool
ish in his unwon shoulderstraps and
glittering buttons, before the old war
horse who held him at his true value,
and he heartily wished he had appeared
as plain Hamilton Stewart instead of
in his yet unmerited role of captain OF
company c. Under the best of circum-
stances the old major was not the cas-
lest man in the world of which to de-
mand granddaughter's hand, and he
listened now in grim, impassive silence
as the gay young soldier made his rath-
er stumbling plea.
Il don't mind telling you, SIR" he
suavely, "that / have other
views for Marcella. All, yes, other
views which believe offer much more
assurance of happiness for her than
the offer you are good enough to make,
and if you please, my dear boy, we will
say no more about it-especially TO
Marcella herself. There must be no
vows, no promises, no nonsense of any
sort. 1t is much better So"
The captain left the library angry
and sore at heart and, from the parlor
farther up the hall, Marcclla darted out
with big, anxious eyes and white
cheeks.
'Never mind, I'll wait for you," she
said. ''I'll have you or nobody. I'll be
true, true, true, no matter what"
And so she was, poor child, in her
heart, but alas for the purposing OF
maids as well as of men. A few days
later, by the strange ruling of heartless
fate, the old major ceased to exist, and
found herself compelled to
face the knotty and often dishearten-
ing subject of how and where. There
was nothing left when the necessary
debts were paid, and don't blame her
or call her forsworn when she gave
her hand to retired liquor merchant.
very rich, very quiet and gentle in man.
ler, and very nearly as old as the major
himself. The Spanish-American cam
paign went merrily on. The eagle
screamed anS the stars and stripes
Hoated in triumph. But short as il was,
every step to.victory was marked by the
hearts blood of some woman-maiden
wife or mother.
Another revolution of the wheel of
lime, and very short one, and fate
again laid her hand heavily on Marcel
a.. She sat in her chamber-the very
luxurious chamber of her husbands
Below in the big, dim
there lay in awe-inspir-
ng silence the man who had called her
wife. Three silent watchers sat beside
he door, but the one knit TO him by the
closest human bond sat 6ry-eyed, pa
iently waiting until the last rites
would remove him forever from her
bath.
She had fulfilled her promise to honor
nd obey. There had been a gentle,
grateful Difference always, but her
leart had never ceased from straying
'mong the parched wilds of Cuba, nor
her eyes from scanning eagerly the
neager accounts of the dreadful scenes
u suffering through which the heroes
we're passing to hard-won victory.
Extra! Extra!" strident voices cut