The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-04-05

did not appear go much an Object
exercise. Possibly it was neither ma,
be they were engaged in digging II
specimens of those arrowhead and fiir
hatchets which are continually coming
the surface hereabouts There isscareei
an acre in which the plowshare has no
turned up some primitive stone weapon
or domestic utensil, disdainfully lett t
us by the red men who once held tn
domain-an ancient tribe called tn
Punkypoags, a forlorn descendant 0
which. one Polly Crowd, figures In tn
annual Blue Book, down to the close o
the southern war as a state pensioner
/ quote from the local histriographer
Whether they were developing {
kitehen-garden or emulating Professor
schliemann at Myeena, the newcomers
were evidently persons OF refined musical
taste the lady had voice OF remarkable
sweetness, although of no great compass,
and / used often to iinger OF q morning
By the high gate and listen to her exc
cutting an operatic air, conjecturalty at
some window upstairs, tor the house was
not visible from the public road. The
husband somewhere about the GROUNDS,
would occasionally respond with tive or
three bars. 1t was all quite an ideal,
Areadian business They seemed very
happy together, these two persons, VINO
asked nc odds whatever of the eommu-
nifty in which they had settled them
selves.
There wss queerness, sort OF n1ys.
terry, about this couple, which admit
pigued my curiosity, though, as rule,
| have NJ morbid interest in the affairs
OF my neighbors. They had behaved
like pair OF lovers who had RUIZ of and
got married clandesiinely. / willingly
acquitted them, the one and the other,
OF having no legal right to do so; for, to
change word in the lines of the poet
tits a Joy to think the best
We may Of human kind.
Admitting the hypothesis of elope-
ment, there was no mystery in their
Deither sending nor receiving letters.
But where did they get their groceries
do not mean the money to pay for
shem--that is an enigma apart--but the
groceries themselves. No express wagon,
no butchers cart, nc vehicle of any
was ever observed to stop at
heir domiciie. Yet they did not order
amily stores at the sole establishment in
he village--an inezhaustible little bottle
# shop which Il advertise it gratis)
an turn out anything in the way OF
groceries,, from q handsaw to a pocket.
confess that | allowed
his unimportant detail of their houses
eeping to occupy more OF my speeula-
ion than wss cIeditable to me.
In several respects our neighbors res
minded me of those inexplieabie persons
70 sometimes come across liz great cities,
hough seldom Or never in suburban
iaess, where the field may be supposed
% restricted for their operations--per>
1ns who have no pereeptible means OF
lbsisteDce, and manage to live royalty
u nothing yea. They hold no gov- ,
bonds, they possess no real es~
ate tour neighboss did own their house, }, !
ley toll not, neither do they spin; yet .
aey reap all the numerous soft advan~
sges that usually result from honest toll
nd skillfu spinning. How do they do
!? But this is depression, and / am
ute OF the opinisn of the old lady in
'ayid Copperfeld, who says, "Let us
ave no meandetingl"
Though my wife had declined to risk
ceremonious call on our neighbers as
family, J saw no reason why should
Dt speak 10 the husband as an Individual
hen j happened to encounter him by
he wayside. j made several approaches
40 30, when 1t occurred to my pene. ;.
alton that my neighbor had the air OF
wing to avoid me. / resolved TO put
he suspicion TO the test, and one fore
BON, when he Was sauntering along Cd
he opposite side of the road, in the
emily Of Fishers saw mill, | delibers
ely crossed over to address him. The
-usque manner in which he hurried
way Was not 10 be misunderstood OF !
urse i WAS not going 10 force myself /
pom him.
Ii was at this time that j began to
rm uncharibable snppositions touching
n Deighbors, and would have been as :
III pleased if some OF my choicest fruit :