The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-07-13
MY PRIVATE SCN00L.

"Look at that" cried my grandma
ther, striking an attitude worthy of
Lady Macbeth when she addressed the
fatal spot on her head; this time, how
eyers, it was only the scissors, which,
in falling, stood upright on the floor.
II see it's nothing uncommon is it 2"
"Did yon ever know it to happen
that stranger didn't come before the
day was out 20
~ never noticed somebody was al
ways coming for the matter of that"
81 tell you that sign don't never fail,
(my grandmother always used double
negatives when she meant to be EN-
phatic, most others do, but that's as
true as book; and another thing,
there was a stranger in my tea to-
night; long one--that shows It's a
man that's COMM. Some folks set a
great deal by that sign, but it amt to
be mentioned in the same day with the
scissors standing up in the floor"
~ hope he will come soon, for the
storm viii be here before him." and
with the words the wind went wailing
round the house, and the first big drops
beat against the window pane.
Three score years and ten had not
taken the first bloom from the romance
Of my grandmother's character; it was
fresh and green as in her childhood
Beggars heard of her afar off and ran
to fall on the neck of her charity.
| She followed the advice of Lamb
without ever having read it. When a
poor creature came before her, she
stayed not to inquire whether the "sev-
Ell small children" in whose name he
implored assistance, had a veritable ex-
istence, but cast her bread upon the
waters and lived in faith. ,3 ,,s,
In fact, she had cast so much bread
upon the waters in the course Of her
long life, and so small Il proportion had
come back to her that she had nothing
left for herself but the old farm and the
gambrel rooted house.
Within its walls my father had first
seen the light, and lived till he went
out to fight the world. He fell early in
the strife, and my mother soon follow
ed him, but not until she had marked
out my way in life, and SO fixed me in
| the groove of her ideas that / had no
choice left. went to a village acade-
my till was old enough to enter the
| Normal School, for my destiny was te
be teacher. My little income had te
be eelled out in some way, and of all
work to which woman may turn hel
hand, school, perhaps, divides the
burden most equally between body and
mind.
When graduated, my grandmother
left the old gambrel-roof to see me dc
/ it, and carried me home for a breathing
/ spell, as she said, before getting place
to teach.
AS to my future I was neither happy
nor unhappy, but rather between. a
twenty, life ran on with very littl'
friction; there is excitement enough il
mere youth to make living a pleasure
The evening drew on with ever in
creasing gusts of wind, and the oil
house shook to its foundations, but i
chung CALAMITY to The great centra
chimney, which, being nearly as broat
4 as it was high, could afford to be indit
ferent, when wind and weather came t
blows and made a night Of it.
81 hope you don't mean to sit up TO
that somebody who is coming. Al
signs fail in wet weather"
The words We're scarcely spoke
! when we heard the tread OF hors
running at full speed down the stee
hill above the house, then a crash 6
the fence, and all was still.
We held orr breath and listened
Soon a mans step sounded low an
, heavy on the walk, and my grandma