The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-01-13
CHAPTER III.
Vows.

CHAPTER III.
Vows.
Driving forward with her scattered
vedettes the vestiges Of winter, spring
began to intrench the main body or
ner army. The lilacs became delicious
spreaders Of fragrance, the japonica
unfolded Its exquisite single flower.
Violets hallowed the dead grasses or
winter. Then the dogwood trees hung
out their snow-white blossoms like
huge white butterflies. Against the
drifting cloud and up into the warm
air famed the daring color OF the red
maple of the swamps.
The seventeenth of the month
Toinette O'Bannon met with a puz-
cling experience that afternoon. She
was working in the garden behind her
cabin, so that it might not lack for its
wealth Of bloom that spring. The
tears gathered in her eyes as she bent
over the task. She was thinking OF
the garden in New Orleans, whose
first cool blooms had been gathered to
be laid beside the still, white face that
had grown cold at her birth. Now she
herself was a woman and had found,
with her father, a new home In the
northern wilds. .-
She gathered some sprays of purple
hyacinths that q late frost had with
cred on their stalks. These she twist
ed into detected posy and tossed
into the lane, mourning even for them
Then she stopped and began to dig
idly about the roots Of some love-in
the-mist. Suddenly she was reused
from her day-dream by the sound Of
footsteps passing on the side street
that passed the garden. And then she
heard an ejaculation like the moan Of
beast caught In a trap, and heav
Ter voice speaking. Too startled te
move. she listened behind the screen
ing bushes.
"What ails you, manT
'The mark! The mark !"
"What foolishness now? Wha
markr
"There! The purple posyi Oh, m!
GodI" The speaker seemed to choke
The other laughed CONTEMPORARY
Nonsense, man, those be but fower
someone has dropped. They meal
naught."
"You cannot know" said the othe
convulsively. "If you but knew tn
| oath"
"A fddlestick for the OATH" tn
gruff voice blurted. 'Throw the thin
away, tell you, and forget it. Has
1t with you?"
There was a pause, and then tn
commanding voice resumed:
'Throw it away, man. It was naugh
but mummery."
The girl heard their steps pass o
down the street. Rising quickly, sh
stared at their retreating backs. Tn
one was a tall youth, whom she RET
ognized as young Doctor Elliott; tn
other a broad-shouldered, portly fit
ure, a stranger to her. As she turne
back her eye caught sight Of
crumpled bit Of paper lying on th
path outside the garden and with CIR
ish excitement she hastily ran out an
picked it up. Dirty and greasy it wa
as IL with long handling, and on /
written In a struggling hand and III
coutl1 spelling, were the words:
I. Edward Scull, Of my own free WI
| and Acoard do declare and solemn
4 sware that / will never reveal to ant
| person or Persons aney thing that ma
lead to the discovery Of the same Eith'
4 in or by word sign or action as may lee
to aney Discovery under the Peneity
being sent out Of this World by the fir
Brother that May Meet me after the pc
pie mark further more do sware that
| will Punish by desth aney trater
traters should there aney arise ,
| amongst us will persue with unseaceiy
vengence, should he fly to the verge
Statute. I will be gust true sober al
faithful In all my dealings with all n
Brothers. So help God to keep this n
Oath Invoilafed Amen"
What had Doctor Elliott to do Wi
| edward Scull7" She puzzled ov
| the riddle and tried to dismiss 1t wi
"a laugh. But as she returned to Il
smiling garden 1t seemed to her that
cloud, no bigger perhaps than a mar
ihand but still cloud. came over Il
place.
When Elliott. having ridden in fro
Louisville on his mare, called on II
.nette later In the afternoon, tn
istrolled, at his suggestion. along t
river path. She had not known hi
long; but on each of his weekly visi
to Corydon he had disclosed In eve
Hook and word q growing passion I
y her.
|. The girl, walking In a reyerie th
4 | drew a veil of tenderness over t
deep sapphire OF her eyes. and {
+ April day, fading ont In a dream
" amethystine blue and q dazzling glo
t of gold, seemed part Of each 9th,
BY her side, walked the tall you
d doctor; and he. too, was part, sure
!. lof the beautiful fellowship of
. happy world.
ell He speaks: '4Toinette, here are v
q lets. ~. Blue as your eyes, Z
meter
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