Old Creole Days

surprise of her new dominion, while with gentle dignity her brow accepts the holy coronation of womanhood.

all its other beauties, only a tender accompaniment for the large, brown, melting eyes, where the openness of child-nature mingled dreamily with the sweet mysteries of

mnant of vine-covered lattice, and partly by a crape-myrtle, against whose small, polished trunk leaned a ru

ne on one of those evenings,

natural to her, and which her

a ribbon. The mother looked at her with fond solicitude. Her dress was white again; this was but one night since that in which Monsieur Vigneviel

was again laying aside to re-assume the medaeval bondage of the staylace; for New Orleans was behind the fashionable world, and Madame Delphine and her daughter were behind New Orleans. A delicate scarf

not prepared for the movement, and o

you thinki

d upon hers between her own palms, bow

daughter's conscience felt the burden of having withheld an answer

ng of Père Je

e poor mother was almost ready to repent having ever afforded her the opportunity of hearin

hat her mother knew her own; but now that

t Père Jerome knows it wa

Delphine, "I am

stion came

think he

said in his s

the moon gliding in and through among the small dar

-I wish I was as g

gth to say what she had lacked the courage to utter,-"my child, I pray the good G

bout her mother's neck, laid her cheek upon it for a moment, and then

not! I w

t of willing consent, but

said the mother, laying her a

e kiss, prolongin

," murmured the girl;

for a third embrace, when a soun

e, in a frightened voice, as the t

ans

ered, after a long holding of the breath. But t

f time, but not soon, they fell asleep, holding each other very ti