St. Landry democrat., 1882-07-08

most desperate of the gang, in spite of
his comparative youth. | have tracked
him from Napoleon, where he has rela
tives, to this neighborhood, where | am
certain he is in hiding; it's thousand
dollars in my pocket, besides a benefit
to the community at large, if get the
nippers on him. l am fully prepared
for any emergency, and
s'And you won catch him. said the
Colonel, grimly, interrupting me in his
| turn. ..-.~..
| "What!' Il
"No; simply because he's dead. O,
I've gotit on the best authority! There
a young fellow been stopping with me
for week past-just returned from a
European tour, the only son Of an old
friend of mine, Judge Barker, of the Long.
Shore Plantation-who used to 90 to
school with that scapegrace, Clint More
ly, and who brought us the news OF his
death when he first came down here
from Napoleon. He's up on the porch
yonder, with the rest Of the household,
looking out at the flood Come on, and
FL introduce you. He'll tell you all
about it,
| Much as I5was disappointed at what
he told me, I had to dissent from this
proposition, for reasons that were salts
factory to my host; and when, a mo-
ment after, Twas made one of the party
on the piazza, it was with no intimation
to them as to the real nature of my
business in the neighborhood. la ~
Besides the Colonel and myself, the
party consisted of his wife and daugh-
ter, both, of whom | had had the
pleasure of meeting before in St. Louis,
and two young men, the one referred to
as Judge Barkers son, and handsome
but rather dihident young planter,
named RenshaW, from one of the back
| counties, who, as a timely whisper from
| the Colonel had given me to under.
stand, was the accepted sutton of his
| daughter. F.. + + tf tan
| 1t was, indeed, a grand and imposing
seen that they were engaged in con-
templating, and which my appearance
in the group but briefly interrupted;
though the view itself-that of the
lordly Mississippi in all his terrible
majesty, more than bank full, flooding
the opposite shore with irregular lines
Of back-water, stretching and winding
| away for miles and leagues into the in
terior-was accompanied by any num-
| Der of running comments and spccula-
| tons as to what would be the result of
it all. in case the rise should not slacken..
But terribly imposing as was the pan
Drama unfolding before us, was chiefly
occupied in secretly studying the feat
ures and characteristics of one of my
new companions - Mr.. Barker, the
European tourist, and son of Judge
Barker, ofIong Shore Plantation, etc,
as he had been introduced to me, with
the profuseness of personal explanation
that frequently accompanies introduce
tons among the warin-hearted South
erners. -
This I was the better enabled to do
without his knowledge, by reason Of the
assiduousness Of the attentions which he
seemed bent on bestoWing upon Miss
Lavigne- to herliking, thought,
for she was a vain. pretty little thing,
undulv fond of admiration but as evil
IDENTITY to the jealous discomfort of
young Renshaw and the disapproval of
both Colonel and Mrs. Lavigne.N
This Barker was an athletic fellow, of
five or six and twenty, good looking
withal, except for furtiye, restless ex
preston of the eyes, significant of any
thing but sincerity, and with a certain
self-assertion and loquacity of style that
/ made up my mind had never been Gull
tivated by European intercourse, wher-
ever else it might have been acquired.
In fact, had about got him down
pretty fine" and by no means to his
advantage, when supper was announced.
An hour later, We were smoking our
cheroots in the billiard-room, where the
guest from the Long Shore Plantation
was undertaking to instruct Miss La
vigne in the mystery of sundry new
fancy shots on the only table there,
while the rest of us ehatted or looked
on, when Colonel Lavigne took my arm,
and, under the pretense OF showing me
some new works in his library adj
joining room-led me away.
What do you think Of Barker?''
said he, little anxiously, / thought, as
soon as we were alone. Tell me
frankly .....
81 will do so-perhaps to your lasting
benefit, Colonel-if you will answer me
two or three preliminary questions,
said I. lin the first place, had you
ever met him before his present visit?''
"Never. But Judge Barker has often
spoken of this son being in Europe, aft
er finishing off at one OF the Eastern col
leges, and it is no more than natural
that he should have sent him here to Wis
it me, you know"
"Did this young man bring any letters
to YOU from the Judge ?"
"What question: OF course not!
Why, Judge Barker and | have been
intimate friends for over fifteen years"
"Good! Does this young man look
anything like his-Judge Barker?'
s'Nos in the least. | suppose he must