The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1880-11-27

~ ;rraced, Find him for me!'
~ Ne have already done our best" replied
a.. subcommittee, sadly. We have
~" .-cA I'd for the man. lie can not be
found.' ...,, o,,,r. doctor.,, nors;sted
tia "x:;t. d chief. "She recommended the
;"u IN, ID be apt to know. Can't some
u 10" ,h i;"" ,",n ont young Or. Frank looked
h,nrardly into l. he Relief ONCE. .e.
81 am taking h er cases. y ne sa'u' '"o
is down with the Il 'er'
It was the moyuin. after his last pay day
l :. "ns my m,rn;nv The first in October; y
1r, ,1..;dlv differing day. Zeryiah had
E "rs, :" hi, attic 10 rest and battle: he had
bean there some hours since sunrise, IN the
old nl,ce by the window, ana watched the
red sim kiud,e, and watched the dead cans
link away into the color, and kneeled ana
nrayed for frost. Now, being st'cngiheu IN
mind and spirit, he was descending, TO MS san
h,,h's work. when message met IN III t!ie
Ioor The messenger was y negro boy, VINO
thrust Slip Of paper int" his hand, and,
seeming to be seized with snpcrstitlou>
fright. ran rapidly up the street anu dlSap'
peared. .u,,,., ros,,r ., tho
education of the ircedmcn's evening school,
and succincty said:
Give Gut IT.. Nobuddy Wunt Nuss me.
| Norr no Doctor nEther
"p.s ,Joopitcr the burn hee sed he'd kerr
~ This don't serpose you'd kum SCiP."
The sun went down that night as red as it
had risen. There were no clouds. There
was no wind. There was no frost. The hot
dist cnrded in the shadow that coiled be.
meath the stark palmetto. That palmetto
always looked like q corpse, though there
was life in il yet. Zerviah came to the door
Of Scip's howell for air, and looked ut the
thing. 1t seemed like something that ought
to be buried. There were no other trees;
The everglades were miles away. Inc SAM
and the scant. starved grass stretcned an
around. Scip's hut stood quite by Itself. NO
one passed by. Often no one passed Tor .
week. or even more. Zeryiah looked from
the door Of the hut to the little
city. The red light lay between
him and it, like great pool. lie
felt less lonely to see the town, and the smoke
now and then from chimneys.. lie
thought how many people loved and cared
for one another in the suffering place.. lie
thought how much love and care suffering
gave birth to, in human hearts. lie began
to think little OF his own suffering; then
SciD called him, sobbing wretchedly. Sci[
! was very sick. Hope had sent for DIR: Dare
She had not come. Scip was too sick to bt
; left. The nurse found his duty with the ne
gro, Scip was growing worse.
Zeryiai thought of these things. lie hat
never felt so lonely before. 1t seemed hare
place for a man to die in. Poor sclP:
Zerviah casped his thin hands and LOOKED
+ up at the purple sky. ..,,
d South to do my duty. Because ne tod
3 me, had ought to turn against him: 1t IS
b lonesome place; he's got it hard, o"t II
stand by him. .,,don,v .of,sed and flushed
taer SteaG as he lifted it-"Lord Go
e Almighty! You stood by me! lcouldn
Z. have been a pleasant fellow to look afte1
i You stood by me in my scrape! hadn
treated You any too well. 10
u needn't be afraid III leave the crectur."
lie went back into the hut. Scip called
q and he hurried in. The nurse and II
m plague. like two living cOmbatants, met
h the miserable place and battled for the M
\ gro. =. 90,
ip Tuesday. but the nurse and the plague ST.
y battled alone together over the negro. re
I, yiah's stock OF remedies was a. ample as
to skin. lie had thought he should save Sell
to lie worked without sleep, and the food W
d not clean. He lavished himself like a low
over this black boatman; he leaned IKE
ed mother over this man who had betrayed hi
s. But on Tuesday night, little before mi
y night, Scip rose, struggling on his wretch'
10 he'd. and held up hfs hands and cried out !:
SIX "Mr. Hope! Mr.. Hope! l never do
mean to harm We"
IS. "You have not harmed me-" sald Le
,e yiah, solemnly. ''Nobody ever harmed
sp but myself. Don 7 mind me, scip.".
ed Scip put up his feeble hand; Zervlan TO- To-
. it.: Scp spoke no more: Inc nurse NJ
h, tho nerrO's hand a long time: the lamp we
9. ont. they sat on in the dark. Through I
d, flaming wooden shutter the stars looked
Suddenly, Zer,ia h perceived that Sci
rse hand was quite cold.
Ter He carried him out by starlight, and bur
'er him under the palmetto. 1t was hard w
digging alone. lie could not make Az v
a deeD grave, and he had no coffin. WI
mt the earth was stamped down, he felt eXtren
IN. " weary and weak. He fell down beside
shovel and pick to rest, and lay there IN
TX, night till he felt stronger. 1t was damp
his dark. Shadows like clouds hung over
of distant outline Of the swamp.
,e. The Sunday bells in the town had ceas
hat There were no sounds but the cries OF
lonely birds and wild creatures OF tne ny
nen whose names he did not know. Ids IL
liar fact added to his sense Of solitude.
to. lie thought at first he would get up
hen walk back to the city in the dark. An
flee tense and passionate longing selzea MN !!
do he anon. living men. He TOOK lew .,
q in down the road. The unwhOlesome q
me. New nm through the dark against his Fl
Jew He found himself 50 tired that ne concll
TO 20 back to the hut. lie would sleep.
led, start in the morning with the break OF
oil. dawn. He should be glad to see the lace
his kind again. even though the STIR OF
man come and the light Of trust were gone on ~
that them for him. They lived, they DreatL
thew spoke. He was tired Of death ana
lie He CROPPED back into the hut. The oil
,yer, low. and he could not relisht the lamp:
threw himself in the dark upon the ned.
I'd He slept until late in the morning, hea
I'd 1t When he walked, the birds were shrlll III
not hot air, and the sun glarei in: a.,
~ will go now," he said, aloud. u
fol. clad can co." and crept to his leet.
II He took two steps-staggered-ane
most back. He lay for some moments, SUI
,zlei more with establishment than a'aFu''
ually first words were: u,,..
took "I.ord God! After all-after 81! i've
r. througl-Lord God Almighty, II 1o~'
rick. lieve tive got 8" \
gOs. This was on wednesday, -, '',i.wshut
I the fell, but no one came. Ihurs9ay-Ou'
vert. side the hut no step stirred the pare
white dust. Friday-Saturday-no
.ho,+ but his own moaning broke upon inc
49, mans straining ear.
, Co%; As the days passed and no one ca, =,
," I"Ss him, he was aware Of his not DelnY ~ ~
',r ,o 80 reason with himself clearly about ms
1 ~. ~ tude. Growing weak, he rememDeIe
,,.rer averted faces Of the people for Wnom q q
y Ma labored, and whom be had loveo. !.
per. stress Of his pain their estranssJ eySs
YES of ~ MN. me- ,;s. . Patient a. IN
Ons Of cause ne was . u'ss'"S'''
d the TINS seemeu na'u' ,, o.. "a. +r
public "Ihey did NOT cai0 cnU" ~ g ann,