The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-04-05
Oar New Neiglb0rS at P0IkapOg.
BY i. B. ALDRICH


When saw the little house building
an eighth of mile beyond my owe, O
the Old Bay road, / wondered VINO wer
to be the tenants. The modest structun
was set well back from the road, amonl
the trees, rs if the inmates were to carr
nothing whatever for view OF tn
stylish equip4ges which sweep by during
the summer season. For my part, like
to see them passing, in town Or country
sut each has his own taste. The pro,
prietor. who seemed to be also the archi'
teet OF tine new house, superintendent
the various details of the work with al
assiduity that gave me high opinion
of his intelligence and executive ability,
and ] congratulated myself on the pros
pect of having some very agreeable
BeighboIs.
1t was quite early in the spring, if l
remember, when they moved into the
eottage-a newly married couple, evil
IDENTIFY; the wife very young pretty,
and with the air of a lady the husband
somewhat older, but still in the first
flush of manhood. 1t was understood
in the village that they came from Bal
timore but no one knew them person.
ally and they brsnght no letters OF
introduction. For obvious reasons j
refrain from mentioning names.l 1t was
clear that, for the present at least, their
own company was entirely sufficient for
them. They made no advances toward
the acquaintance of any Of the families
in the neighborhood, and consequently
were left to themseiyes That, appa-
rently, was what they desired, and why
they came to Ponkapog. For, after its
black bass and wild duck and teal, soil
tude is the chief staple of Ponkapog.
Perhaps its perfect rural loveliness
should be included. Lying high up
under the wing of the Blue hills, and in
the odorous breath or pines and eedars,
chances to be the most enchanting bit
of genuine country within fifty miles of
Boston, which, moreover, can be reached
in half an hours ride by railway. But
the nearest railway station Heaven be
praised y is two miles distant, and the
seclusion is without flaw. Ponkapog
has one mail a day; two mails a day
would render the place uninhabitable.
The village---it looks like q compact
village at distance, but -unrayeIs and
disappears the moment you drive into it /
--has quite large floating population.
j do not allude to the perch and pickerel. |
Along the Old Bay road, highway
even in the colonial days, there are a
number of attractive cottages struggling
off toward Milton, which were occupied
for the summer by people from the city.
These birds of passage are distinct class
from tine permanent inhabitants, and the
two seldom closely assimilate unless there
has been some previous connection. 1t
seemed to me that our new neighboB
were 10 come under the head of per
manent inhabitants they had built their
own honse, and had the air OF intending
to live in it all the year round.
Are you not going to call on them?"
asked my wife one morning.
When they call on us," she replied
lightly.
But it Is our place to call first, they
being strangers"
This was said as seriously as the cir.
demanded; but my wife
burned it off with alaugh, and said no
more, always trusting TO her intuitions
in these matters. She mas right. She
would not have been received, and
cool Hnot at home" would have been a
bitter social pill to us if we had gone out
IF our way to be courteous. II
I sawa great deal of our neighbors,
nevertheless. Their cottage lay between