The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-24
THE RESCUE.
BY F. H. LANCASTER. Copyright 1904. By Daily Story Py

|
 Copyright 1904. By Daily Story Pub Co.,
 l Hein. but it was warm evening,
 Warm for Aristide. Sylvanie did not find 1t so-she said. More than once
 In the course of that spirited tdiscus-
 sion she had reiterated with emphasis: "J'en suis bien aise."
 Ha, but she did not give the impress sion of being at her ease. Her eyes
 burned and her nostrils quivered. What would you have? Is it not
 lie? But, yes. And if the woman be a Cajan girl all fire and beauty-just turned seventeen, surely she might declare that she was at her ease | when the very heart of her was temp est tossed. And in the very truth | might she declare again and again in fine scorn, "Jen suis surprise pas," albeit her brain was even then reeling
 from the astounding discovery. Aris-
 tide-her Aristide-unfaithful, false. Ha! Paying court to another--and , that other little yellow-haired, gray eyed school teacher. Hein, but 1t was warm evening.
 Aristide tipped his hide- bottom chair at a perilous angle on its hind legs. and looked moodlly at the pine tops shimmering in the sun. He tried to cheer himself with the reflection that, 'Seevarnee mas mek beeg row, bout noting, yas." He succeeded only n bei- ing patiently sullen.
 Sylvanie's indignation waxed at his silence. >
 'Mebbe tetch ask you to carry her books for her." sine taunted. Ha, that legs and Aristide's eyes from the pine- tops.
 "Seevarnee." he said sternly. "Aristide?" she mocked. You say what you want bout me.
 Das all right. But you ain't going
 say noting bout fletcher. Comme ca?"
 'Hewee." sylvanie tossed her head
 and shrugged her shoulders. T don't want say noting bout fletcher or bout you either. Me. I don't want to say
 wont to see you or hear bout you. comme cap
 Aristide jumped up. Ha. Your
 'cajan boy can get mad as well as
 your 'Cajan girl"
 You mean das?" he demanded ''Yes. I mean das.' she repeated pro-
 vokingly. Cool enough now that she
 had made him mad.
 "Bien," he said. shortly. and strode
 to the steps. Down the steps to his
 mare, all gay in her Sunday saddlery
 Thence home again through the hum
 ming air. If Sylvanie wanted to play
 the fool she could "aller ou diable"
 Hein. It was a hot evening. The lit-
 tie mare leaping under whip and knee. putting wide spaces between him and
 his happiness.
 The sight of home sobered him. His
 home. The home he was building for
 "Seevarnee" The mare slowed under
 his relaxed knee. There it all was.
 The nearly finished cabin, the corn growing about it in fair array. The
 peach trees budding to their first
 blooming. Ha, and the little empty
 space in front where Sylvanie was to
 have planted her parterre--as soon as
 she became Madam Aristide. That lit-
 tie empty space made Aristide's heart
 hurt him. It looked so lonely now.
 And suddenly he swore a great oath:
 Mere du dieu, no Madam Aristide
 should ever plant her flowers in the
 bed he had laid off for Seevarnee." A
 bitter temptation assailed his honor. To go back and tell Sylvanie that tie
 teacher had asked him to carry her
 books those two days-because she
 had hurt her wrist whipping that big
 boy. But he shook his head making sorrowful farewell to joy but holding fast to his manhood's honor. 'I can't
 do teacher dirt, me- he muttered, knowing that the story once told would go like wind along the bayou
 and that nobody would believe about | the injured wrist. The madam's and | the big girls would laugh and shrug | their shoulders-and the little teacher
 who had been so sweet and kind to
 everybody would have to close her school
 Aristide rode on home and unsad- | dled his marc and took or his best clothes and when little brother asked
 why he had come home so soon com
 manded him to Shot op," which little brother did.
 Sylvania went airly into the kitchen 'Eh bien, Mamma, I t'ink me I go
 to L'Isle tomorrow. Nick visit wit my tante Camille" "Pourauoi." uttered Mamma She had been planning the wedding gum | bo.
 "Der's going to be beeg ball down