The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1877-03-22
but won't hobble that way-it is best

awe are to take advantage of the few
noontides left us, now that the season is
on the wane; Miss Mary is to bring
soothing old volume out on the sheltered
porch this morning, and we are to have
one of Miss Martha's chefs-P evrre in the
way of luncheon in the early afternoon;
the excellent doctor will take me to
drive, and am your unspeakably COM
Portable and lucky,
"JAcK LIVINGSTON.
"P. S.-Pve just come back from the
drive. Whether it was that autumn is
really creeping upon, and the winds up
here at night-fall chill to the marrow of
ones bones; whether it was that icy fog
that crept down from the mountains and
envelored us be ore we had gone many |
miles, or the lugubrious mood of the
doctor that made me out of sorts, l can |
not tell; but have limped up here to
my room and shut out the CHASTITY phan-
toms on the mountains yonder, stirred
UP the fire-and it would be hard to fird
in the four quarters of the earth cheer
Ter nook than this-yet, Dan, I am grim
and uneasy, dull perception of misery
somewhere makes my whole harmony out
or tune and harsh. Confusion to the
worthy surgeon, with his direful proph-
ecies! 1t can not be expected that
weak little bones like Hetty's should
knit together as satisfactorily as my griz-
ely muscles and yet he did not say it
was her arm. He muttered some trash
about an unconquerable weakness and
apathy that had seized the child; how
she would lie for hours with her face to
the wall, big tears rolling out of her
eyes, and an indefnable yearning in her
face, which haunted the worthy doctor
day after day, and which he declared
to me had reached a positive pain
to him. And if this burly follower of
Jason, this chopper of sinews and splint-
erer of bones, can be thus affected, is it
any wonder that he has infected me with
his grim follies? Besides, can fancy it
so we'll, even when Hetty was strong and
1.-the as a young fawn, there was always
that beseeching fervor in her eyes-l
caught it pretty well in that sketch /
told you of. I'll get it down now and
have look at it-no, won't ought
, to have been satisfied with that morning 5
work. INTENDED to take it back to town
with me that afternoon, and 60 the next
, day to Newport to my mother and the
girls, but old Bilsby was little violent
, that night, and Hetty chung to B,e. Oh,
! well, Dan, didn't go, as you can plainly
!, see, and ] am your perplexed and mu-
@ tinous j. L."
"When you get this scrawl," ran the
third and last letter of Jack Livingston
G to his friend the Rev. Dan Delaney, 81
shall be well beyond the reach of al
r storms, bowls, and excavations save those
e of the old Atlantic. This mountainous
e region is beautiful yet; even in its grim
s severity there's wonderful charm. Bu
l. the air is keen, the winds are bitter, tn,
}. days are short, the nights long and un
d compromising, and have it in my hear
to seek more merciful climate, and TAKE
shelter under softer skies. There's .
'' torn soul and broken body to b.
. mended. Dan. and / mean to take then
over to shop we know of--you and l.
> beyond the seas. Unfortunately, il
patching up ore existence ] must maxi
!" drain on another, and in your hands
9 my old comrade, leave it to smooth on
Il this tangled skein of destiny as best yo'
,, may to my poor proud, blue-bloodet
a mother, who will, perhaps, unrayel it t.
Is my excellently imperious sisters; they
in their turn, will shape it to suit tn
n big bombastic world to which they be
- long.
70 "a Henth or SO after that last letter G
g mine, the good doctor burst into the sit
ting room, where we were listening
" Martha and /, to the conclusion of tina
y soothing old volume rendered to us by tn
- musical monotone of Miss Mary. TIL
~ fire in the CRATE cracked cheerily; tn
= south window was mass of sheltere
= bloom; peace, serenity, the joy of calm
y were apparently there; but l vaguel
felt some indefnable horror, and for a
- hour back a tumult of confusion ha
:, racked my brain--when the doctor brok