The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1858-10-16

4-N .fflIi9
suays N the v.
w. w. sally morning rev
4 singular woman, Jan
ii piece Of printed pap 4
q.~Ss YOU 50 much day after day, nil
80 Cousin Sarah, | see a gr(lt deal to
make me love it, and to keep truln ever being
wearied by it but over and above all that. !
lave Il d great deal If gratitude. because it once
saved me from being a California widow"
AAdid, did it, We'll, | declare, TINT is
misunderstanding. But | should fancy that If
youir husband is bound to you Only by the fra
gile lies Of printed 'paFef, his matrimonial en-
thralmenf &C a be very strong or durable
Amy kind bgbiuding material, 4 said Jane,
r. would, / think, be better than chains Of ironi
but You do not want to hear the story Of my
escape ~frorn.S Yhood ? As the cireumstan-
ces connected Wfyfrall happened while you were
absent fran America, sserhaps to hear them
talked over, will interest and amuse your
. Yes" answered Sarah, ~ would like TO
hear it, if you can leave your paper long enough
to pay me. that much attention.
Jane did not condeseend d. onn.ice her cousin
hint on good manners, bnt commenced at once
her story Of how she missed being made q pro
ten widow tie worthy habit OF daily reading
the newspaper made her kind, courteous, and
forbeating. !,
6 When we were first married. we we're not
as well off as we are now, for my husband was
a clerk, and bad only his salary to depend up
on yet by being economical and prudent, ard
not consulting the tastes aud opinion Of other
people, we lived within our income, and made
out to save d few dollars every year.
/" When those saved dollars amounted to
about seven hundred. James bought with them
a vacant building lot in one Of the suburbs of
the city. where he intended, some day, should
lie ever be able, to build him q permanent
home. NJ
e A few months after be had made this land,
able purchase, the firm in whose establishment
he was employed unexpectedly faxed, aud he
At frst Til did uos ,ars< either Of Us
much, as we both hoped tfrs b fore long he
would obtain some other occupation. But to
our dismay, we fpnnd that all his efforts 10
procure another situation, were utterly fruit
less.
:" He was almost daily told that the heads Of
VI NhttNl iNt' - fh'AiiN b' tlh hhiN v EtfJ ilGD M y
Clerks, and mary Of them were filling their
places by their own sops, who were kept
from school or college for that purpose, or they
were taking on Themselves double duty by act
ing as their Own clerks. e54-,$
{ Retrenchneht was the order Of the day
and want Of employment, by many able aud
|, industrious men, was the natural consequence,
+" Week after week passed away. tlgen month
after month succeeded and my husband s.as
forced to eat the u~nfruitfal bread Of idieness.
: !" The little money we had on baud was soon
c exhausted. Then we were obiigel to part with
our best furniture, aud move into a smaliet
; house. Then in a few months, we were re,
dacsd To the necessity Of moving into two
rooms. with ooly such things we were required
: to live in q very humble way. .
" Yet we never parted with oar daily NOR
l ming paper we clnng to it with the frmness
of a dying grasp.
" have often said, let us live on dry bread,
before we give mp orr daily paper and it has
frequently occurred, that when the carrier has
called for his money we have mol had enough
to pay him and also to procure orr week :
supply of butter, and still we have paid him
and gone without the butter.
/" Well, this state of affairs could not last
long. Tt is said that " Necessity is the mother
Of invention; and | have often thought that
the spur Of poverty is the keenest sllarpener
Of the inventive faculties yet, although W.
lived severely pressed by necessity, and sharp
y driven by The spur ofpoyerty, we. found that
our inventions were as hollow as our pockets,
and that to obtain an honest living in our ma.
tive city seemed an impossibilily.
/, 40 come to this unwelcome conclusion was
very heart-rending. for we both loved our
birth place very dearly, AID it was to us ago,
nizlng to think Of leaving it. But-mnney.
~money-we we're in want of money, and orr
many. efforts to procure it were all useless
Starvation was staring us in the face, and the
aspect was very hldeous to our eyes yet, hid
cons as it wasI can truly say, that to ask for
help was still more horrible.
Oh, the agony 10 which humanity must
submit, before it, is driven ia beg ring, cannot
De conceived by any one who has not exper-
fenced The utter hopelessness of its soul narrow.
ing pangs!
James at last resolved to sell his lot
leave one half of the money he should obtain
Tor 1t with me, for the temporary support of
our infants, and take the other half and 90 to
the mlnes OF California and dig for the living
which he despaired of every obtaining at home.
".lhe lot was sold, and the preparations for
MS to'S 1ooftey were nearly completed. /
was in wretched spirits-the thought of part
ing with James seemed to be tearing my hear;
to pieces. 60 b. .--
Zone morning, while he was dressing to go
out to make the last arrangements for his de-
hrtnre, said to him in the agony of my
grief;
"Oh, James, James, how can / part with
you E4+D~
Il know Jane" he answered, sit is hard
quite as hard for me as it is for you. But.
dearest wife, you know the alternative must
go, or we must all starve p
Now. james, dear James" ! said, II will
make one more effort. | will look over the
paper once more, TO see If cannot find some
thing that viii suit you ut home.
While he finished dressing, / hastily looked
over the fresh advertisements and saw for sale
a retail grocery store, which | thought must
be III "a good location, and | begged James so
earnestly 10 enquire about it that he conld not
feIpse TO grant me my petition. He did in
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