The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1921-03-26

der the words that Bathsheba had so
lightly sung:
For his bride a soldier sought her.
And winning tongue had he.
On the banks of Allan Water
None was gay as she.
That very night the soldier came In
to her life, came as she walked about
the farm to see that all was secure.
Her skirt was caught as she trod fear
fully through growth of high frs;
she heard the mutter of mans voice.
A dark lantern revealed spur en-
tangled In her skirt, young and
slender man clad in brilliant brass
and scarlet. It flashed like a CLEAN
of romance in gray days, that scarlet
coat that was afterwards to be re-
membered as so sinister a portent.
The man was Sergeant Troy,
light-hearted scoundrel whose ready
fiattery sounded sweeter in Bath
sheba's ears than the stammering long
ing of Gabriel or Boldwood. He
courted her romantically, wooing her
with his sword. She stood, few days
later, in hollow of ferns and about
her flashed his whirling, edged weapon,
slashing so close to her that she could
hear its sharp hiss as it carved out
in the air her lissome figure. And when
he turned to leave her, he stopped
swiftly and kissed her on the lips.
Gabriel tried to warn Bathsteba but
she scorned his reproaches. So he bore
silently with his grief and he did not
tell her that Troy had beguiled little
Fanny Robin away from Weatherbury,
Boldwood, whose heart had never be-
fore beat faster at woman's ap-
proach, could not so control his anger.
He shouted maledictions upon the man
who had robbed him of all that had
made life joyous. His madness pre-
cipitated that which he most dreaded,
Bathsheba's marriage to Troy.
The hasty marriage led swiftly to
sorrow, inevitably TO tragedy. Troy
celebrated the wedding by revel in
the barn where he and all the jovial
rustics We're soon hopelessly befud-
died. Gabriel dared not drink with
them. The creeping things of the
night and the huddled sheep had
warned him of the nearing storm and
in the fields the high ricks of wheat
and barley lay uncovered.
The moon vanished and the wind
subsidized; on far horizons baleful fires
fiuttered. The mutter of distant thun
der rolled into sharp rattle. The
flashes grew bright as he worked te
protect the grain. Then Bathshebs
was with him and their laboring forms
were outlined in black by the greer
snakes of fire that darted venomously
earthward. As she trembled witt
fright, Gabriel felt her warm arm
tremble in his great, sheltering hand
She was another mans wife; she dit
not love him; but there was solac'
in the strange ways of fate that hat
brought her nearer to him than whei
her heart was free.
Tragedy came when Fanny Robin
crept home to die. Her body, will
that of her child, WIS brought bacl
to the house where she had worked
Standing by the coffin, Bathsheb'
learned that Troy had never loved he
as he had this girl who had born'
death and shame for him. He fled from
Weatherbury and word was brough
| to Bathsheba that he had been swep
out to sea and drowned.
The seasons rolled on and sorrow
gave to Bathsheba's, face a serious
ness that added to her charm. Bold
wood dreamed again and he was mad
happy by promise, although six year
must pass before its fulfillment.
To celebrate his joy. he planned
Christmas-eve party. more than yea
after Troy had disappeared. And
was on this night that Troy chose t
reappear, striding like a spectre anon
the merrymakers.. AS he advance
upon her, Bathsheba stood like
stricken thing. half-cOnvinced that az
fusion had enthralled her. But Their
was nothing ghostly in the rough CON
mand that he shouted at her, nor l
! the brutal grip that he took upon ne
arm. Then only did she stir, but SO
!. could not speak. A strangled screar
was heard, then deafening roal
Some eyes were upon Troy, pitchin
forward and never to rise again; otf
ers upon Boldwood, standing with
smoking gun IN his hands.
Not until the next August, long afte
it was known that HOLLYWOOD was I
BE Imprisoned for life, was Bathsheb
able to walk as far as the vlllae
street. Fate had been hard to ne
OF three men who had loved her, ou
had been killed by another who woul
never stride on the daylight agail
And now word had come to her thu
Gabriel--honest. sturdy Gabriel
whom she had found the one man
i the world who did not fail her IN ht
need, was leaving her. She sougf
him in his humble cottage and 3
confessed that he was going becaus
4 people were coupling his name VII