The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1903-01-17

white dial Twice John rose and
pushed The hands buck; but even at
that, time went on.
The faithful old lamp barned its
s~teadfastest, but at last the cruise
was dry and the fame, after a few
spasms, collapsed, and q tower Of
funeral smoke rose from the chim-
ney.
And stiu John had not said his sag.
They drew the curtain, and sat in the
dim eandlelight Of the stars. Silence
engulfed them as a night, and though
they we're in mutual embrace, their
souls seemed to be cropping for eaeh
other in a cave Of gloom. The
thought of parting. and the daily risk
there was in each moment Of absence,
added fear to the awe of the loneI-
ness that was awaiting them.
In the depths of this sadness, john
felt able to speak He felt that moth
ing he could say could make either
feel more %sorrowful. AS he caressed
Lucy's hair, he said, with kisses as
commas, semi-colons, and periods, in
plentiful punctuation:
AaAkN LII y AaA EEa w RA1AAAA1
not to misunderstood me intention-
ally in what I'm going to tell you.
/ want you to promise not to think
even for a moment that it springs
from anything but the greatness of.
my love for you. You know that The
highest ambition Of my soul Is to
make you my wife. If [ win you,
and can keep you close with me to
the end Of my days, I shall have been
successful, even if I never get be-
yond living in a log cabin. And if /
get back from that cursed wal safe
and sound and all complete, I'm go-
ing to make you marry me, whether
you've changed your mind by that
time or not. But there are certain
things called bullets and shells flying
round battlefields like birds of prey,
and they occasionally hit people, and
they usually leave a man lacking in
some particular. Now, I don't carry
any charm, because I don't know any
that will work. So it is not a bit
unlikely that [ shall come home with
an arm, or a leg, or a couple of eyes,
or three or four ears missing. I've
already shown that I can be hit by
a good marksman. There's a dimpls
in my cheek that will always say;
This way went the bullet and
there's a large spot on my side thai
looks as if it were puckered up with
a draw-string, that says: "A piece Of
shell ran into me- Suppose I come
home looking like an example in sub
traction or long division, you'd want
to marry me just the same, and take
care of the remnants, il you had to
keep them in a work-basket. But I
don't propose to tie you up to any
such unconditional surrender. So,
when I go away, Lucy, I leave yo1
as free as I found you; not so hearts
free, 1 hope, but absolutely free from
any obligation or betrothaI.
1t was a long speech, and Lucy
{ took it all in silence. There was the
first temptation TO complain that ia
Z offering her her freedom he protest.
{ ed too much, and really sought his
own. Lucy let it pass. At the end
of Johns ~peroration, she sat in deep
musing silence for a few minutes.
It was an eloquent silence, and
/, thought and devotion and studious
unselfshness throbbed through il
S like a pulse. After a long while, she
D put her lips to her lovers, and muir
v INJURED:
81 understand you perfectly, dear
d John, and it shall be as you wish
/ Afianced or free, it can make no diff
ference in my love for you, my
prayers for your safety, and for your
e great splendid success and my long
ing, longing, longing to have yor
n back home again"
Still they sat together under th'
starry shower. And when midnighr
n doomed from the old clock-an un
d speakably late hour in the country
S old Mrs. Darr appeared in the hal
81 above with a lamp, and called al
gently as she could-for she hear.
d the sobbing of the girl, and the deep
e c~onsoling voice of the man.
u "Lucy, my child, it's terrible late
better come upstairs"
It was to Lucy as a proclamation,
rude intrusion on a sacrament. Blu
John, knowing that lovers last good
n bys are none the easier for repeti
ton, hushed the protest Lucy wa
h about to give voice to, and called out
"Im leaving in just a minute, Mrs
Darr. I'll bid you goodnight ant
good-by."
IS The old woman wished him luck /
a his warfaring, and departed takin
with her the inquisitive lamp-light
It and giving them back to the star
h that have watched so many partings
r and have learned to be merely stoi
~Iookers-on, without comment o. emo
- ton. If the stars had not learne
indifference, they would long ag
k have wept themselves away.
n At last John managed to say tn
# last farewell, and to cease the kiss
ing Of the tear-embittered sweets @
Lucy's cheek. He found his horse j
the stable, mounted him, and pause
at the edge of the piazza to give an
"a other farewell kiss, and to repeat tn
alternate farewell. He begged Luc
to hurry in out of the frosty air, bu
as long as he could see the DaT