The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1878-07-25
CLOVER.

berries. when she was startled by the
blast of a horn. Alook of anxiety came
over her sweet face as sfe ran quickly
and climbed the ifencetto seefif Mr.. Thy
son. thes meat man, "who blew his horn
twice q week to announce his coming,
was to stop. She watched the horses
climbing the hill; and when abe saw her
mother come to the back door and swing
a towel ahe threw herself on the ground
and sobhed as though her heart would
break She knew full well that 1t was
net to buy meat that her mother had
signalsd for Mr.. Thysen to stop, for, al
though she was but ten years Old sine
was aware of the fact that there was no
money with which to buy it. Oh, no
She realized that the event she had been
dreading go long was to happen now
that her pet call, Clover, her only play
mate, 30 white and so fond OF her, was
to be sold. Week after week she had
heard her parents discussing the subject
of selling Glover, but week after week
they had heard the butchers horn blow
and had let the wagon go by. But
affairs had been eeming to a crisis lately.
Her father, who had been sick all sum-
mer, ryas still too feable to work, and the
small stock of money he had saved was
rapidly going. She knew that ne could
not afford to feed the calf through the
winter, and she knew that Mr.. uhys0n
wanted her and had offered q large price
for her. Mr.. Thyson was man who
wanted to possess all the rarest speci-
mems of cattle, and he had been very
anxious TO buy this calf, which was said
Al n N 9pnlnY
and shape ever seen IN L0udon county
He was selfish man, withal, and was
very ready to take advantage OF Mr..
AIoore,s misfortune to get her Tie was
known throughout the country as a man
who always got the BEST OF a bargain,
who thought of making money than
of ANYTHING else, and vino never worried
himself about his neighbors' troubles or
feltiit his duty TO ehare or relieve them.
He had one child, boy about fourteen
wears old, named Tom, and he WAS deter
mined, ii possible, to teach him to he as
shrewd In business matters as himself
but 80 tar Tom had not shown much pro-
gress in that direction. lie often went
with his father as he rode through tine
country with his meat and was ADVISED
by him to watch sharp, for i,e would
s0op be old enough to take the business
himself. And Tom did watch sharp"
and his large brown eyes grew moist with
tears to see his father take lBessie's calf
away fOr he knewhowB Bessie lovedC Glover,
and that it was only necessity that made
Mr.. Moore sellher. Meantime Bessie had
climbed the pasture fence and erept
quietly behind the barn, where, through
q big crack, she saw and heard all that
passed. Then, as the wagon turned to
30 out of the yard, she went back, and
running across tine pasture with ali her
might, climbed tine fence on the other
side, ran along the road to the corner
which she knew the wagon must pass,
and waited Tor it. as she saw 1t coming
she waved her hand Tor it TO stop, and
in trembling voice CITED:
con, please stop minute i want to
ask you somethi ing" H
Mr. Ihyson drew up his horses, wor>
dering what child itWas in such apparent
distress, tor he didn't recognize Bessie at
first, as, in her haste 10 reach the turnin
the road before the wagon came along,
she had fallen down in the dust, and
then, wiping her tears with her stained
hands, had smeared her face 20 as to be
hardly recognizable. Her long, taken
hair was blowing in every direction, and
her hat was lying on the other side OF
the pasture fence, where 1t had fallen
when she climbed over.
"0h, please, Tledse, Mr.. Thyson," she
screamed, 'tyeu won't kill my calf, will
your"
Father" said Tom, "that,s Bessie.
Moore. Why, Bessie, what's the maj
teri"
"0h, j am 90 afraid your father will
kilLmy Glover. X0EdOn't know hsw i
love her, and can't help crying" and
here the poor child broke down, and
sobbed bitterly. Den, as she saw Mr.
Thyson draw up the reins TO start, she
continued:
9.iHarnapaIif papa gets well he esnbny
her back, you know. So you won't kill
her, will your"
enc, mo. child; j WON'T kilIher. She's
too pretty TO kill. i will take good care
of her, and you can come and see her
whenever you want TO-"
a''ThenI guess 4 can stand it better
j came out here 40 that papa could not
see me cry, for that would make him
worse. j knew l shOuldcEy when 4 said
'goed,bye' to Clover And sure enough,
when the horses started her tears started
again too, and there she stood in the
dusty road, weeping and watching the
wagon until it disappeared behind the
nextIhill.
Queer" said Mr.. Thyson, as they
drove along, f'ithat she should feel
80. Well, L can't help lit. III Il hadn't