1890. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



363 



coeeKs. 



Suddenly, at daybreak, Louise was 

 awaJjeued by a bugle blast, bold, clear, 

 victorious, rousing froru slumber the si- 

 lent fields and the whole country round. 



The young girl started up, and sho 

 saw a faint, rosy light penetrating 

 through the closed veuetian blinds. 



In the distance she could hear the 

 confused uiuruiur of men's voices. 



An invincible desire took possession 

 of her to break away from her monot- 

 onous existence, to live and breathe 

 and to answer the appeal to her lovo 

 which had so bewildered lier yesterday. 

 She went quickly to the window and 

 stretched her two hands up eagerly to 

 open it, fearing to be too late — when a 

 cry of distress stopped her short. 



The sick woman, livid and shivering, 

 was sitting up in bed, and seeing what 

 her niece was just going to do she cried 

 out in a hoarse, desperate voice: 



"You are opening the window, Lou- 

 ise. *** Whatever possesses you? lam 

 cold — oh, so cold! *** Come here to 

 me. * * * Don't leave me. * * * Oh, 

 what pain I am in ! I am terrified. * * * 

 Child! * * * I am dying — I know I 

 am." * * * 



Just at that moment Louise could 

 hear the measured tread of the soldiers; 

 but, nevertheless, sho went to her aunt. 

 As soon as she reached the bedside the 

 sick woman seized her in her arms and 

 kissed her over and over again. But for 

 the first time Louise was impatient and 

 tried to disengage herself from her 

 aunt's embrace. It was as though she 

 were attracted toward the window by 

 some hitherto unknown force, powerful 

 and almost unearthly. 



The sick woman took the girl's band 

 and placed it on her own heart, which 

 was beating wildly. It was enough. 

 * * * A deep, an infinite, pity overcame 

 the young girl. * * * She resisted no 

 longer, but quietly and submissively 

 sat down on the bed, and, taking the 

 invalid in her arms, she kissed the poor, 

 wrinkled face and soothingly promised 

 never — never to leave her. The two 

 women remained thus, with the blinds 

 still down, while with a measured tread 

 of heavy boots on the pavement and a 

 clanging of steel the soldiers marched 

 on, and on, and on * * * until finally 

 Louise heard nothing more but the beat- 

 ing of her own heart. 



In front of the old gray house, hold- 

 ing his sword loosely, Maurice Tournier 

 had felt a terrible pang as he gazed up 

 at those closed blinds. When the detach- 

 ment had passed, he had stopped short, 

 fcnd then, walking back under pretense 

 lif inspecting his men, he had gazed and 

 llazed at that window. 



When at last the thick screen of pop- 

 lar trees hid from him, first, the house, 

 then the square, and last of all the lit- 

 tle church, he clinched his teeth tightly 

 together, for he felt sobs rising in his 

 throat, as though they would choke him. 



Suddenly, ashamed of his weakness, 

 hardening himself by a tremendous ef- 

 fort of his will against his grief and 

 amotion, he tried to feel anger instead, 

 and he kept repeating to himself : 



"It i» all her pride and vanity!" 



And tv,o lives that might have bless- 

 ed each other were divided forever. — 

 Strand. 



Hard on Mothers-in-law. 



In the islands of New Britain a man 

 must not Si k to his mother-in-law. 

 Not only is speech forbidden to this rel- 

 ative, but she must be avoided, and if 

 by any chance the lady is met the son- 

 in-law must hide himself or cover his 

 face. Suicide of both parties is the out- 

 come if the rule is broken. One of the 

 English missionaries tried to get the 

 natives' ideas of an oath, and he found 

 the most solemn asseveration among 

 them was, "If I am not telling the 

 truth, I hope I may touch the hand of 

 my mother-in-law." — Pearson's Maga- 

 zine. 



Gun Barrels. 



To brown gun barrels, wet a piece of 

 rag with chloride of antimony, dip it 

 into olive oil and rub the barrel over. 

 In 48 hours it will be covered with a fine 

 coat of rust. Tlieu rub the barrel with 

 a fine steel scratch brush and wipe with 

 a rag dipped in boiled linseed oil. To 

 rebrown, remove the old coating with 

 oil and emery paper ; then remove the 

 grease with caustic potash. 



Peacocks generally scream vociferous- 

 ly when a change of weather is impend- 

 ing, lu the countries where these birds 

 are native the sign is regarded as un- 

 failing. 



