The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-03-20

awful desolation of his surroundings,
and thinking of his comfortable bed at
home, and of the security there, he
dropped bitter tear, which fell on the
leaves with such a lonesome sound that
others quickly followed to keep it COM
pany. The "Red Hand" was also
whimpering audibly; and though Meth
er of us dared express it, the thought
uppermost in the mind OF each was that
he would give $780, 900 If he were only
at home. Thinking of nothing else at
the moment, we clasped each others
hands, held and pressed them warmly !;
but our hearts were too full of sublime
misery to utter a word. 1t was finally
agreed, however, to make bed OF
leaves and so pass the night, at the pros
pect of which we both shuddered; but
there was no other recourse, and half an
hour found us resting side by side, when
jeff sooR fell asleep, giving his eyes and
cheeks saltwater bath before drop
ping off.
His rest was uneasy, for his occasion
al remarks indicated that his mothers
COW was rambling through his dreams,
and he was making terms with the
butcher for her recovery. l listened
until my eyelids got heavy, and soon
was in the midst of herd of horrible
Nightmares, the largest of which was
astride, when laundering noise in the
distance awoke me, and discovered in
the gray dawn of the morning that we
were not 800 yards from our OBJ.
| jective point, and the early train was
then coming.
Accusing Jeff acquainted him with
the fact, when our bold designs received
a strengthened impulse, and we hurried
to the station, the train coming up
minute later.
Personally, prefer that this narrative
stop here, but that would be unjust tf
the reader, who may have risked hi:
or her sanity by proceeding so far, and
I give the rest. The first person to steI
off the car was-my father, followed BY
Mr.. Dobson, Jeff's mother appearing
on the platform, wringihg her hands,
thought, in disgustingly, distressing
manner, which made all the passenger
anxious to see what was going on
and did not court notoriety just at tina
time.
i Taking in the situation, JEFF startet
to dart under q car, but Mr.. Dobsol
grabbed him by the rear end of hi
Jacket and hauled him OUT making tn
ill-timed observation that we ought to b
ashamed of ourselves. The explana
ton is, that Jeff's mother had discovers
simultaneously that her watch and Sol
were both missing, and knowing hos
strongly we were attached to each othe
his disappearance was at once connecte'
with my leaving. This belief was com
municated to my father, and he was in
duced to telegraph the train on which
left in the morning to find if was stil
on it and alone. On being informe
that left the train at the six-mil
station they put this and that together
which resulted in their unsea
sonable presence as described.
We returned to the village, two of tn
meanest looking culprits whose nefari
GUS deeds ever disgraced the catalogu
of crime. Clemency was extended +
US, which was the greatest possible pun
ishment. Jeff's mother recovered he
J cow. Mr.. Dobson forgave him.
magnanimously relinquished my clair
} TO the Border Queens" hand, an
had an interview with my father. Ipu
on my jacket after he had consumed th
third barrel stave, and few days latel
, the humiliation and disgrace proving to
much for us, jeff and might have bee
seen cautiously vending our way to this
same station, through those same woods
bent on adjourning to the West.