St. Landry democrat., 1882-06-24

you what deV 1S''-f,nd here his s5scc
sank mysteriously as if half afraid to
I utter his thoughts-'dey is de debHs
toe-,oils. Amt you neber heerd dat song
. bout
Did You eber' eber, eber see the debil, debil'
A-scra a,;j, up de grabble wild his long toe
AFTER while dey gifts so long he's
'bleeged ter cut EN- off. an den he glib
'em ter Nanny Izzable fer ter trick
wild. Golly! hope she won't neber git
wrarthy 'ginst mer' and he covered at
the very thought.
Nanny Isabel's personal appearance
was very striking. Although of a
great age. she still carried herself per-
fectly erect, and her small trim figure was
always clothed in scanty black wooden
dress, short enough to expose another
token Of her royal blood-tiny feet of
beautiful shape. Upon her head was a
huge red turban, disclosing at each
temple a tuft of snowy wool. Her skin
was intensely black, and pair of heavy
white overhanging eyebrows gave a
singularly uncanny expression to her
small brilliant eyes; and the big silver
rings which dangled from her ears put
the finishing touch to an appearance as
weird and striking as any ''witch-' oman"
could have desired.
Woe be to the unlucky individual who
offended this embodiment of magic and
the black-art, or for whose discontinue
anybody would pay her good fee!
His children would begin to pine away,
his craps would fail, his hogs grow
lean, and his fences tumble down, and
he himself be subjected to aches and
pains innumerable, and perhaps even
death itself, unless the "cunjer' was
| removed by Il timely bonus to the
dreaded ''witch-' oman This being
the general belief, there is small wonder
Nanny Isabel, whose rule for money
making certainly worked both ways,
should gradually have become the
| Crnsus as well as the oracle of the
neighborhood. She was also much
esteemed for her skill in "doctorin' ;"
and was as careful to keep secret the
ingredients of her''ager pills. - ''rumatiz
ile,'' and "mizry powders as any
quack physician alive. She was sedulous
in preserving an air of profound mystery
in all her sayings and doings, was
blessed with fine command of Ian
guage, a hot temper, and a voice which,
| when raised, resembled that ola screech-
owl. 1t was impossible to appeal to her
on moral grounds, as she did not
trouble herself with questions of right
and wrong, insisting that twas quite inn
material to her '.whar Is gwine when
Is done ceasted, 'caze | always did
'spise milk and honey, an neber cud
git warm huff nohow 'thout settin' right
up in de fire."
Such was the old woman, object of
untold fear and respect, to whom Isham
| Coombs, the hero of my tale--for there
is brief yet affecting love story in
volved-having screwed up his courage,
plucked up his wits, and adorned his
person, presented himself in order to
request the hand of her granddaughter,
who resided with her, the beauteons
Salindy Ann. Salindy Ann had smiled
upon him, but SO had she upon several
other youths, and it was generally un-
derstood that whoever was bold enough
to gain the consent of Nanny Isabel,
would not find his Dulcinea at all I'M
willing. Nanny Isabel was we'll
known foe to matrimony, and she was a
Judge, having been married three times.
So the proposed interview held no
charms for Isham, who did not even
know that consoling line: "None but
the brave deserve the fair
Our hero was small, dapper youth,
very bow-legged, and with an expression
which ran very much to smiles, es-
pecially when he was excited or appre-
hensive. He attired himself in his
"Sunday close" crowned the effect by
huge white standing collar, took a
cane, the care of which would at any
rate present occupation for his trem-
bling hands, and set forth to learn his
fate. He whistled and sang as he went
along, but instead Of keeping up his
spirits, he felt them grow lower and
lower. He reached the gate, and would
fain have turned and fled, but he thought
of Salindy Ann, and entered. "Sher,"
he said to himself, bravely, as he pro-
ceeded along the path, g amt skeer' d
O. trickin'. 'Tain't nothin' nohow.
Mas viii he sesso-''
Nanny Isabel was sitting just out
side the cabin door, her eyes and atten-
ton apparently fixed on her knitting.
Salindy Ann was nowhere in sight.
Isham approached as near as he dared,
then
"G-g- good-ebenin' Nanny Izzable,''
he said, pulling off his hat, gripping it
tightly in one hand and the cane in the
other, and visibly trembling. Excess
sive perspiration had lowered one end
of his collar, the other stood fiercely
erect Nanny Isabel raised her eyes,
let them wander around, above, beyond
her visitor, and finally drop upon him
as though it was by the merest accident
she had discovered any object SO insig-
nificant.
sOh! good-ebenin', Is'am," she an