St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1882-06-24
MARY JANE IN FARMLAND.

MARY JANE IN FARMLAND.
"Tm so tired an hungryr' sighet
Mary Jane, a pathetic little sob rising
in her poor, parched throat; can
dassent go home till l get somethin'
It's gettin' dark, too. o, what sUil
Granny O'Brien say?''
She was sitting outside of grocery
store, on one of the steps-a forlorn
ragged bunch of humanity, with great
solemn eyes, that looked like twin
pair of pansies, and tangled meshes Of
yellow hair.
Mary Jane was little beggar-girl,
and she lived with Granny OBrien and
one lame beggar-boy. You may think
that they were brother and sister, but
they were not.
Granny had picked them up on sew.
eral occasions, because she thought
they would be of great use to her in he1
profession. Doubtless you have
guessed what that profession was.
She had picked up Mary Jane be-
cause of her beautiful, pleading eyes.
Lame Jimmy had been the son OF
| Widow McGrath, neighbor of Granny
7 O'Brien. Mrs. McGraths death had
been very sudden. If it had not been,
| am sure she would have tried to get
HIM into an orphan asylum, Or made
some provision against his falling into
Granny O'Brien's clutches.
But Granny O'Brien told the neigh
bors that little Jimmy had been left to
her care by Mrs. McGrath herself
Nobody could dispute her statement,
and so Lame Jimmy, who had been ac-
customed all his life to care and tender
ness, was sent out into the streets to
beg.
Darkness was slowly descending upon
the streets of the crowded city. A
whistling boy, with a short ladder I'M
der his. arm, was fitting blithely past,
lighting the street-lamps on each block.
Mary Jane watched the lights as they
began to shine further and further down
the streets.
cit looks like a road leading to Fairy
land" she thought; IAN l do believe
it is?' forgetting that she had walked
down it many times, and that it termi-
mated in the dirty alley-way in which
Granny O'Brien's howell was situated,
down by the muddy river.
Lame Jimmy could read, and had
often told Mary Jane the fairy stories he
had read before he came to live with
Granny O'Brlen. Granny had taken all
his precious books away from him, de-
claring that they made him idle and
lazy. Mary Jane accepted the marvel
Gus tales without question, and doubt
ed not that a fairy would some time ap-
pear before her and grant three wishes.
She had even decided what those
wishes should be. First, big marble
house with door-bell; second, a Cpl
amy third, white horse for Jimmy
to ride on.
She never left Jimmy out of any of
her calculations. for she loved him more
than any one else in the wide world.
Mary Jane dared not go home to
Granny O'Brien with empty hands.
She knew too well the strength and
cruelty of Granny's skinny arms. She
was now quite sure, moreover, that this
street would lead her to Fairy-land.
Why not go now and obtain her three
wishes? Granny O'Brien wouldn't dare
to touch her if She had s'pianny'' and
marble house with door-bell.
SO Mary Jane stretched her cramped,
weary limbs, and set out for Fairy-iand.
The first part of the way wasn't very
pretty-only great gloomy ware houses,
and ugly, shabby little shoe-shops and
grocery-stores.
But further on the street began to
grow wider. There were also more
lamps over the gateways and on the
corners. On either side were just such
great marble houses as the one Mary
Jane was gong to have.
"Why-ee!" said Mary Jane, "Mis
must be Fai1y-land, sure 'noughr' and
she stopped before one of the big man
sions.
A flood Of light was streaming from
every open easement. Mary Jane was
quite sure that it all came from the gold
en- throne of the queen fairy.
There was music, too-clear, sweet,
lively music-that, falling on the de-
lighted ears of Mary Jane, made her
shabbily-shod feet go up and down in
spite of themselves.
How Mary Jane laughed softly to her
self, and how the little rusty shoes twin
killed. on the tesselated marble pavement!
If the fairies had known she was there,
I think they would all have gone out to
look at Mary Jane jrst then, and l know
thew would have enjoyed the dance
quite as much as she.
When the music ceased, Mary Jane