Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1878-05-22
The Four Guardians of
Lagrange.
By BRET UARTE.
Part ll,-HOw The Trust was Fulfilled.

NtOHttudtd)
When the combined guardians of
Lagrange first practised to deceive,
they did not forecast the tangled
web whose pleasant intricacics and
snuosities they were presently
to weave. And when Capt. Rats
calmly announced to his gentle con.
fcderateS. his intention of writing
his first lcttcr-in loco pdreMtis-to
the orphaned girl with his left hand,
explaining to her the thereby chang
ed chirography through the ingeni.
GUS fiction OF an accident that had
happened to his right-it was ac-
ccptcd with acclamation. "Iou
see,' said the Captain, sentcntious-
~, "eyery man sings ink with his
left hand at about the same gait.
The style amt pretty nor plain, but
she'll never find out it amt the old
mans
The possibility of detection thus
obviated-and, indeed, it atterward
appeared that the supplemented
girl dwelt moro anxiously upon the
discomiorts of the accident to her
father than on his changed and al.
most illcgible hand-various other
gentle frauds and dcceits were in
troduced in the correspondence.
\ certain emulation of the Captains
skill and Importance as a correSpon,
dent grew up among the other guar
dams. They began to make sug'
gestions of their own, until at last
steamer day brought them general,
" together, in conclavc, in the back
room of the saloon, where the fort.
nightly cpistlc was dictated finally
by all Capt. RatS's pride, which
at first resented this interference,
was finally placated by the conpro
mise that the composition or sword.
ing OF the letter should be his own,
although the subject matter might
be n various contribution.
The result of this unhallowcd col,
alteration was n series of the most
extraordinary letters ever inflicted
on IL single correspondent. 1t was
not long before their fame passed
beyond the horizon OF their fair reel
picnt. ado you know. papa dear,
wrote the simple girl from the scclu-
sion OF Nine. Brimborion's acade'
my; "do You know your letters are
so very, very interesting. ] conld
not help showing them to some OF
the girls here! Your account the
Coloncrsl OF the fight with the bear
was so real that | almost saw it. |
laughed till | cried over that funny
story of tie Chinaman mcnding
your clothes a characteristic contrt.
button from IIortoni, but then ! did
cry really, too. papa, over what You
! Fleet said abont your feelings that
Sunday YOU saw the sunset from
the poor littictorlorn cemetery OH the
hill. Oh, papa! 1t was Just lovely
and 80 sad-So very sad. Mary
| Ricketts, said it was just like Shakes
peare, and she knows, oh, So much,
and is considered very, very smart
They all think | ought to be so fond
OF my dear papa, as if wanted any
thing to make. me love him, She,
Mary, asked me fyou were very old
and | said you couldn't be very
are youi Then that was very good
about the mines that you the Colo
nell wrote. Nine. Brimborion ask
ed permission to copy that par,
where you the Colonel describe the
manner of reducing ores; she said
it was so instructive and valuable
Dear papa, how much yon do know
But think like you better wher
you're a little-just a little sad, ant
say such sweet things about thu
landscape and your lOngings. I'm
sure you're a real poet, papa-ain'
your
1t is scarcely necessary to say tina
when this letter was read Flee
coughed slightly, colored percepti
bly,, mnttered something vagucl,
about Greatly having forgotten i
ALL" but remember only that he ha,
dictated to Capt. Rats some sugges
tons that he "thought might pleas
the young thing &c; nor that
slight feeling of jealousy crept int
the breasts of all but the complaccn