The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-09-11


curately followed up her movements for
the last two years. Milly considered
herself part of the family now since she
had moved on "'Miss Bellies pas place.
"Walk in, MISS Milly continued.
Is you skeered oh de rain? | is allays
frightened oh thunder myself Mos
cullud pussuns is. Seems like de white
folks don't mind it. Dey tell me it's
muffin but Electricity. But | SEE dat
don't make it noway better
81 am not afraid of the storm exact
ly," Belle explained. "But I'll be glad
to wait until it is over, if you have no
objection. | don't want to spoil my
hat
can don't blame you, neitler, not Il
bit. Sit down, miss. Eff | had expect
ed you, l would ha' tidied up some.
But de misery | has in my head keeps
me behindhanded somehow
"You don't look strong,'' Belle said.
~ hope your husband is living and takes
care of YOU
"No, miss, dat he don't. He are lib
bin, too; but de pore critter don't do
muffin fur me desc days. Seems like |
has hard work to Git along"
Belle looked around her. The cabin
consisted of one small room, with a
smaller lean-to shed attached. There
was one bed, one table, one chair with
back, another chair without back, a
stove; on the stove corn-cake was
frying.
Il works out by de day an de half
day, an | makes Il little dat az way
.,%.I I IL I II
my change fur pills. SO to-day we has
to 90 widout meat
''Your husband ought to do something
for you,'' Belle said, ponderingly
"Where is hep
"He war a good husban' ter ME fur
twelve years; I'd nebber AK fur no bet
ter. But jest var lately, miss, he
hab gone an desarted me, an OATS
de fac'''
elbow long ago?n
"Jest var lately. Bout de time you
got married, miss. We libbed in de
town den. We neber wanted fur muffin,
me nor de chillen. Den foun' out he
war a-foolin' roun' arter anoder woman.
She war one oh yer bright gals wild sas-
sy ways. | nebber could bar her. De
fust knew he war off wild her Dey
went down to Ole Pint Comfort, an he
tux ter shuckin' oysters. l seed man
from dar, an he tell me my husban'
done make lots oh money, but he nebber
send me none. / sont him one word
arter anoder, tryin' ter persuade him ter
come back But nebber hab laid eyes
on him Sence Once he wrote me a let
ter
"Oh, did hep" That seemed a good
sign to Belle. The miserable man hadn't
forgotten his family altogether.
Yes. He wrote ter me an de chill
len rale pitiful like
This sounded odd to Belle. 1t struck
her that the pitiful rhetoric should have
she repeated.
eyes. He say he done married her,
but he hab not glib us up yit. Yer see,
him an me we nebber was not presackly
married. We nebber 90 befo' de par
son. We only jest TUX out de license, so
ter speak
Milly evidently considered this inaccu-
racy of slight moment as affecting the
question.
"Why on earth were you never mar
ried?n Belle asked, quite impatiently.
We allays laid out ter be, him an
me; but somehow we nebber named de
| day. One an anodcr oh de chillen wud
be sick-I's had Il sight oh chillen:
has buried six. An / has had sickness
myself, de misery in my head, off an
on, all de time. SO, as | says, we was
nebber presackly married.
'You poor thing, You were never
married at ALL Belle said.
"Dat's what he keeps a-tellin OBJ me
now, MISS" agreed Milly. Eyes, he
write rale pitiful like. He say She
de yaller woman-tuk de wally OBJ him. -
"Fook what?- the value of him?''
eyes, miss, dat's wot he say. She
tux de wally oh him."
81 don't understand
"She got de upper ham oh him.
"Oh!' Apparently, got the advan-
tage of him was intended. s'Then do
you suppose he was really married to
her.
"Oh yes, miss, heerd all about it
from dis var frien' OBJ mine dat went
down to Ole Pint He seed her a-strut-
tin a-roun' wild all her weddin' fnery
on Dressed ter death, he say-all her
close on, an her trunk a-settin' QUITO
doo's airin', as de sayin' is
Meanwhile Milly's children stood
around, open-eyed and open-mouthed
Certainly they could not be accused of
wearing too many clothes, poor things.
One scanty garment for each girl, two
as scanty for the boy, completed their
toilets. "Dey misses DER pap" poor
Milly sighed. "Twelve years he done
lib wild me, fust an last, an good hus-
BAN he war ter me. No woman need
wish a better. He treated me well as
long as he stayed on wild me-
But don't you mean to do any thing
Can't you force him to come back, or at
least to support the children, or to give
you money now and then?n Belle cried.
No, miss, can't do muffin. | see
one lawyer about it. But he tell me
has no law on my side. Him an me we
never went befo' de parson. We had
orter ben more pertickler.'
This seemed sad tale to Belle, told
as 1t was with the most entire simplicity,
and with q fraul1apt raitarat;on of az, Gov,