The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1877-09-08
WE TWO,

] fortune hrin5sl In some boats that are not steeret
-CymbeEine.
8 It's just a bit of a story, sir, that don
| sound much to strangers, but I'd like
. tell you about it, if you have time
listen, for they've all forgotten Bobber
down here, except me they're poo
folks, you see and things drift out G
folks heads when poverty drifts in.
Robbery yes, sir, that was his nam
-leastways the name we gave him dow
here. AS to a father or mother, we neve.
had any. | think; lever had anyone il
the wild world to belong to except on,
two selves-Bobbery and me. I was tn,
elder, tTo long years older than him
but then | was blind, you zee, SO the two
years didn'tcount for much, and Robbery
got ahead of me after the time when
the long days of pain slipped into long
nights, and God shut ms cut of the
world; not that / grumble, strive
given over that; and Robbery was always
such a good lad to me that perhaps
didn't miss SO much, after all.
Igrew to fancy things, and make be-
lieve / saw a great deal, particularly
after Robbery took to working at his
sso olafaReeqhlf0Fa7b sir; and sometimee,
when | became accustomed tag
always in the dark, | went out with
Robbery, and held the money that he
made.
Well, not much, perhaps, but enough
for us two, and the little room we had
down at Kingstown, or over against the
river; only Robbery was an extravaganza
lad--not in drink, sir-we were always
asober lot--but in oranges.
They were almost his ruin, sir--those
oranges. He used to come upstairs
SUCKING them softly, SO hat I might not
hear. and thinking to deceive me-; but /
somehow smelt oranges, and it always
made me sharper to catch Bebbery
whistling little tunes to himself on the
way up, just to put me off.
He made a deal of me, did Bobbery--
along of being blind, you see-and 80
did the neighboro; but I was rare proud
OF him. You don't know what it is,
sir, to sit alone in the dark all
day, and then, on a sudden,
hear a fellow call out Here
are again! Come down and feel the
set, and we'll count the coppersl'
It would make you love any one, sir, who
had a voice like that, let alone q fellow
ike Robbery.
Perhaps you didn't happen to be in
sir, last spring when the
loods had risen, and the land was under
Vater for miles round. Robbery had to
Vade q little going down to his work,
ut he rather liked it, he said and he
lsed to tuck up his trousers, and call /,
ack to me and laugh, as the water crept
round his feet and he said folks
couldn't want their boots BACKED, he !,
Jared, for the water would soon take off ,
1e polish.
| used to sit On the window-silI to feel :
zee sun, and if ! listened very hard ] :
'uld hear the ripple-ripple of the shallow
alter at every step that Robbery made. !
it had a pleasant sound, and made a :
nd of company feeling; but when be :
out of hearing, and it still came !.
up against walls, the COM !
lny-feeling went away and left me lone !;
] and sometimes | thought the water !,
lteful, because it lay for so very long :,
me and Robbery.
Well, once ] was sitting alone on the ],
LndoW-sill, and the day was very quiet J,
quiet that ] did not even hear the ].
tie ripping waves and in the quiet I :,
sW frightened at last and in the quiet
out my hands across the siIl,
feel my way down. | felt something
made me shiyer, and drew back ont
the sunlight-that made my whole :
life grow suddenly a beautiful and
sclous thing felt the water ripping !,
most up to the level of the sill, and =
= quite alone, and Robbery would :
know. u
did not call ont or 60 mad with -
ght, as ! thought At first I might do =
Y erept away, IN nay everlasting 4,