The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1855-12-22
THE PATRIOT.
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF TIM PARISH OF SAINT ,u#Dsy.
That old Hat.

That old Hat.
Mrs. Mason and Mrs. Kent Internationally
met in the parlor of Mrs. Wells a member OF
the same church with themselves. AS they
walked from the house in company, the CONVEX
sation naturally turned upon the visit just
made.
II. think" said Mrs. Kent, ".that Mrs.
Wells must be q very excellent woman she
seems to have such earnestness and spirituality.
I shall cultivate her acquaintance it. will be
profitable, I think. ITO tell the truth, / am
ashamed to say; that / have hardly met her
advances halfway. l was not conscious OF
any prejudice but something in her manner
repealed me. l thought her excessive suavity
artificial, but / fear ! have done her injustice ;
it is perhaps the natural result of,oyerHowing
kindness Of heart" rotst,l ab
II imagine your. first impressions were the
most correct" replied her companion " there
are some persons whose countenance and man
ners are q far 'better index Of, their character
than their conversation" alo1a q. ~
"Then you do not like her I thought from
the manner in which shespoke to you, that you
we're intimate"
"You received then the impression. she de-
signed to make and perhaps paid me the
compliment of surprising that l swallowed her
fulsome batteries. l entered no disclaimer, be-
cause l did not think them worth replying to.
They only disgust me, and | am ,vexed that
any could have SO low an opinion Of me, to
say such things to my face" l9t'@&t
",You are severe" ls4b q,,iG H' 41'iats AT
"Perhaps so but I own / have no patience
with such fawning. / find it hard to be civil
when she says such absurd things as she did
today taflY g AbRa'ii" ait 4
"May she not be sincere? perhaps it pro-
ceeds from an excessive kindness of feeling"
"Let her show kindness, then, where it is
needed. But l will say no more I ought not
to prejudice you. Are you going home?"
"No; l have not quite finished my collec-
lions for the Tract cause, and shall make a few
calls on my way. I believe that poor Jane
Cotton lives in this street, SO | must leave you.
| am almost ashamed to ask her for money,
she will feel hurt if she is not called upon" .
9"She would indeed" replied Mrs. Mason !;
{" you will find her ready for you, her mite
neatly wrapped up and laid away. I was just
thinking of her when you spoke of--but
good morning, I will not detain you"
"Why should my remark about Mrs. Wells
have brought Jane Cotton to mind?" thought
Mrs. Kent as she looked inquiringly at the
numbers upon the doors Of a long row of small
tenement houses, till she came to "a. She
knocked at the first door in the open entry,
and q weak and rather fretful voice babe her
" Come in" ltr., 80 .G 10 . oo0j tl4
Does Jane Cotton live here 2" she said,
opening the door; " oh, Jane, it is you how
do you do to-day?"
&c Lo,t %bo oo,,o ,u,.1 1850, >, ..uis.l
Jane ; /" but that's never well. I think / grow
weaker every day, and shall soon have to give
up work. But I'm glad to see you Mrs. Kent,
you've spoke many q kind word to me in
church, but ! never see you in my poor place
afore. Won't you sit ?"
She placed q chair and Mrs. Kent sat down,
while Jane, excusing herself, went on with
her stitching, saying = I'D. a
"You see | can't afford to be idle, ma'am,
o minute on my well days; for some days |
can't take a needle, with the pain in my side
and my back" e @liaI III - T.
II called, Jane, to see if you wished to give
anything to the Tract Society this month"; .
said her visitor 1T seems hardly right to ask
you, but I thought you would expect a CALI
$50 l did, and | have been looking for it
several days, for its getting late in the month.
Here is all I have" said she, taking a small
parcel tied up in paper from the bottom of her
work-basket ; sits only eleven cents. 1 hoped
to make it q shilling, but I shan't have no
money till l get this %shop-work done and I'll
have to buy son -four, for I'm almost out of
bread" Seeing that Mrs. Kent h~esitated to
take it from her, she said, 90, l shan't want,
God always takes care of that He never let
me want yet, since I begun to serve Him, i
used to want often, but that was when | was
a dreadful wicked cretur, and never cared a
bit about doing right . 49, JVr7
".Well, Jane, He has promised" said Mrs.
Kent, that our bread and water shall be
sure, and that they that trust Him shall never be
ashamed but how is it that you are so very
destitute just now? Have you had no work
before this that you are doing, this week 2"
Yes, L worked two days for Mrs. Wells
one day ironing, and one day mending up
things but didn't get paid"
A"But you should have told Mrs. Wells that
you need your money, and 1 am sure she would
haven given it to you." a
swell, she thought she paid me, her kind
of way. She said she'd noticed my hat was
shabby going to church, and I'd ought to have
o better, and so she gave me that old thine"-
pointing to what might have been in its day 9
very nice Ieghorn hat, but was now brown
with age and careless usage. "She said ]
might get it fixed up for a trife but, dea,
knows where I'm to get the triae and ther
there's many a thing I wants more than q new
hat. Il it is shabby, nobody minds what ole
Jane Cotton has got on her head rl.
"But Jane, you should have told her yor
preferred the money, and she would no doub,
have given it."
"Dear, mama, you don't know her, She's
dreadful soft in the parlor to ladies, but shes
right sharp i'll the kitchen. She make tn,
girls stir round pretty quick sometimes: sh,
gets wonderful angry when things don't go t.
her mind"
"But Jane, I do not quite like to hear this
is it quite right for you to speak so of a fellow
Christian"
Well, maybe it amt. Mrs. Kent, and NOR
| ton 0c cha has hoan yrnr1,,E,J 1.,l -. =.