St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1881-06-04
CONDENSED NOVELS.
MANA.
CHAPTER i.

CHAPTER i.
Mana was IL child of misfortune.
Born i'll poverty an1 r 1t Alley, and
raised III rags and vice, it is 40 Won
der that at thirteen she was the
widest of tie uuisy aud reckless lot
Of & rs that sewed the hind legs on
funnel elephants that the children
delight 10 play with. IN great
square building that stood in re-
mote part of Paris. Trade in a
thickly populated city is n great
mouster with the aims Of an ccto-
pus and the nav of shark. 1t
stretches out its myriad tentac!es IL
al directions, each one coming back
we'll irden 10 the central mouth with
as much certainty as the uufnrtu-
nate vessel, once within the dread
circle of the Norwegian maelstrom
is drawn raund aud in wild waltz
end IL its heing plunged into the
gaping votex that Seethes and blsscn
III very Joy us its prej disappears.
When Gervaise, Mama mother, WAS
= little gill, she, too, sewed On the
hind legs Of flannel elephants, but
it was then IL trade at Which she
gained nearly two francs day. AT
Is size had been mrrrled ny the
Cure DeaIchery to Coupeau, an
honest, harL-workins YOUNG man.
CHAPTER II.
Mana was born. The neighbor-
hood gussips laughe,l and wagged
their heads. Coupran did not
laugh. He kissed Geryaise tenderly
as she lay i'll the little cot 10y the
window. Just as his lips touched
hers the rays of tbs setting sun
came through the glass and tel on
the mo;her and her child.
Look" said the midwife, "she
is bat!led in golden flood"
do not let her battle" sai,i
Cuupean. He was u trne French
man. In little while he went on;
saying nothing to the women, wno
eyed him clriously.
Can it he possible that he does
not know ?" said Yirs inia, a woman
who chewed snuff. and had once
been in the hands of the gendarmes
for saying that Rubespierre was no
sucker, if he did finally get licked,
Some men will never tumble,
responded an old haS. who fasci-
mated rats by smiling at them, and
id their skins to Z lovemakers.
CHAPTER III.
The evening passed, but CHnpeau
did not return. Just us the clock
struck twelve his heavy and nncer-
tain step was heard upon the stairs.
Gervaise started up in bed and
listened. Presently the door opened
| ana lie came in. One glance told
every thing. He was drunk. Ad
vancing unsteadily to the side of
the bed, he placed upon a little
table a pitcher. Here is some
beer" he said, aud fell to the ficor
in a drunken stupor. Gervaise look
ed in the pitcher. He has not de,
ceived me" she said; cit is beer.
After drinking it she said to herself
"Coupeau loves me-" and turning
her face to the wall, she slept.
When she awakened in the morn
ing Coupeau had already risen, and
was looking into the empty pitcher,
"Where did you get THAT bees
last night?" asked Gervaise.
"At the Assomoir saloon, said
Coupeau.
"Ge. snme more" said Gervaisr
He went out with the pitcher
From that moment he was the slave
Of tho still.
CHAPTER ".
When Mana was sixteen, she met
one day. on her way to the place
where she sewed hind legs on tan,
mel elephants. o IMAM whom Sue had
never before seen. "Would you like
to i've with me and have tne
clothes ?" he said.
Yes" answered Mana. putting
her hand in his. That night she did
not come home. Two weeks later
she drove through Rat All y IN Il
carriage. No one knew her. She
had been washed. i am Mana,
she said to her mother. and laughed
mockingly as the poor woman
pleaded with her to return. Then
she drove away.
That night Coupeau started foi
a pitcher OF beer, as usual. Tie Cat
u.,. nurr,n,r on the laudinU of the