St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1880-09-11

landlord. Ineres always tramps
and burgulars around. They're a
crop that don't belong to any par
ticulsr season of the year"
AS / turned away did not no.
tice it at the time, but it came back
to me afterward, as things do come
back like a sudden fash across the
dark shield of memory--a man who
was lounging on the steps looked
hard at me.
/ colored little and thought to
myself: well, he'll know ME the
next time he sees me" and then
forgot all about it, for / had mothers
black bombazine to match and Lil's
spring hat to buy, and some dinner
china to select, aud the doctors
prescription for Leeman to fill out
ut the druggists, SO it was we'll on
to Z when l turned old Pomp's head
homeward, in the suburb of the
town, with a feeling of emotion
which was quite pardonable, when
one considers my inexperience in the
marketing line and my exceptional
ly good success.
The sunshine was warm, and still
on the high road, and 1 was rather
glad when we came to the cool
shadows of the Red swamp, where
the birds were all silent in the noon
heats, and the sweetest of odors
came floating up from the tangled
recesses of fern and cowslip, on
either side of the solitary, railed-in
road.
All at once old Pomp gave side
wise start, his ancient idea of shying.
and then / saw a man. pale, dusty
and tired looking, sitting on fallen
log, Just outside OF the road. / felt
sorry for him; was like mother,
who never would let the sLabbiest
or meanest-looking vagabond go
past our house without a draught
of milk, or a piece of fresh-baked
pie, or slice of her famous home
made bread cake, and without stop
ping to think, l drew in old Pomp's
rein.
Are you going towards Lennox
Cross Roads, said l. yes? tnen
Jump in; I'm going in that direction
too, and I'll give you lift"
He thanked me in a silent, droop-
ing sort of way, and seated himself
on the board at the back of the
wagon, toward which 1 pointed
with the handle of the whip.
You look i'll, said I.
"I am not ILL.," >he said with a
smothered cough; "only tired with
my long walk. / didn't know it
was so far to Lennox."
II suppose you are going for
work." said /. Deacon Briefly
has a good many hands just now in
his tobacco factory.
"No," said he, Il am not going
to work"
/ asked no more questions. I did
not like the idea of mans shroud-
ing himself in mystery in that sort
of way, and, as I glanced once
more, sudden revelation came
across me like a blaze of light.
tt was the same man who had
eyed me SO keenly on the steps of
the Park Hotel.
Then remembered my mothers
words of caution, Leeman's reiter-
ated exhortions, and the landlords S
friendly words of warning. And,
in spite of il all, / had deliberately
thrust my silly head into the jaws
of danger There was only one
thing for me to do-to get out of
the scrape as well as / could.
l cas- about in my mind how to
do this; and presently. with beating
heart, 1 dropped little parcel OF
blue ribbon into the road.
"Oh!" l cried, checking up Pomp,
I've dropped my parcel. Would
would you mind getting out afterlt?
"Not in the least" said the stran-
ger, and he climbed laboriously out.
He had scarcely set his foot on
the ground before laid the whip
on old Pomp with Il will, and rat
tied away over the long. straight
road at a pace that seemed posi-.
lively marvellous to me and PomE
both.
So we left our passenger behind
in the middle of the Red Swamp.
could see him standing there blanl
with astonishment, the sole pictur,
i'll the long perspective, as l ven
tured to look back; but I onl,
whipped Pomp the harder, ant
never let him abate his pace till W