The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1905-04-22
ASeriouS Mistake
BY L- Newton BunEev.
Observation-Disclosures

s And you really love me, JOan?'
1 Murmured, hardly believing me
. ears.
More than my life she replied
passionately.
AS in a dream l gazed into the
beautiful eyes of Joan Ainslie, while !
i ned her tightly in my arms.
We stood in the old garden which
surrounded the home of my love in
the. little town of Errington. Joan
was an orphan, and, with the excep-
1lon OF an old servant she lived a'onr.
She sometimes spoke Of her brother,
Z Jack A,nslie, who had long ago gone
10 oregon, and had never since been
heard Of, but otherwise she had no
living relative.
met Joan at a garden partly al
most directly after | went to live at
Errington. and at once l fell in love
with her. Now, six months afterward,
mad asked her to marry me. and
4 her reply was still sounding, like the
music OF the fairies, in my ear.
Allan, / have little confession to
make to you,' said Joan, during the
evening. She nestled closer to ME
and hid her face against my shoulder
as she spoke.
How terrible." l cried, with
laugh. Say on, and | will consider
. the case"
fou-you are not the first man
whom | promised TO- She paus-
ed, and her hands clutched nervously
at each other.
"Ha! Then there is another?" l
cried, in affected dramatic style.
Joan seemed glad that | was only
amused, and then told me that two
years ago, when she was only eigh.
teen years Of age, she had agreed to
marry a visitor from PHILADELPHIA.
His name was Jack Carstairs, and he
ieit Errington, promising to write to
ner.. This he did. but eventually went
70 South America, since when Joan
mad not heard anything from him.
And what was my rival likeo" I I
questioned.
oh, not your rival dear" mur.
INJURED. eT did not really love him. #
was but a girlfsh infatuation, which
! got over almost directly after Mr..
Carstairs left Errington.
But what was he likeo" I repeated
Wei, not quite so tall as you. nor
SO good-looking, and he had a thick
beard. Ugh! I'm glad you haven't a
oeard. Allan Joan stopped and
pushed violently. and after little
Wnlie she made me understand whv
sne preferred clean -siayen faces.
Time went on, and Joan and lived
N the little earthly paradise that we
mad constructed, until, as in olden
time. 1.-The serpent entered.
Although ! had laughed awav the
story OF Jack Carstairs. yet 7 could
not get rid Of an absurd, jealous feel
ng that clung to me. BY degrees T
began to hate this man whom / had
never met, and whom I thought I
lever should.
was one evening about nine
nonths after our engagement, that I ,
'llmbed into Joan's garden. over the !
ence. IN my usual manner, for it I
aVed going round to the gate. Sud :
Ieniy caught sight Of a figure strid-
hs ". the path. In establishment I +
aused, and there came wild. ieal- !
us tug at my heartstrings. !
IL was Jack CarstairS,
There he was. just as Joan had de.
crined him. Slightly shorter than I
'as, wearing beard, and bronzed !,
fesumably by the warm sun of South :
Imerica. ssaa
Inc door was open. and, without
hooking, he deliberately entered
rom where | stood l could see Joan y
trough the open window. ! saw her .
prlng' to her feet as her visitor en-. :.
cred, for a moment they gazed at :,
acn other uncertainty. =
"Jackr. II
joan" =
! heard their voices distinctly, and :,
len-then they were clasped In each
'Lre's ar.ns !.