St. Landry democrat., 1882-11-25

..What is the matter, child?" to say.
sob dear! this apple is SO big, Z
sebbed Molly, Dolly, Poly Gray;
Hers was the saddest of all pfights-
My mouf' $ so small I've got to take
Such -yery-little-bites.'
!.-MGrgdrst EUtin1e, IN Hdrpers Young People.
------- - - I.
THE STORY OF LEVPS BEDSPREAD.
Al True Story.
When taught in the .'Mill District, :
the tallest boy in my school was Lew !
Beardsley, dark-eyed, olive-skinned
young fellow of seventeen or eighteen
years. lad of rare merit in every re-
spect. In .'boarding round it fell to
my lot to go first to Lewis home; and
this, with his winning ways and worth,
made us friends from the beginning.
Many were the good times we had at
the school studies, visiting around the
great open re-place, cracking nuts, pop
ping corn, skating and sleighing over
the wild country roads.
One cold evening as we were starting
for a '''spelling-schooI' in another dis
trict some miles away, his mother came
to the door and said we would need
more lap-coyerings for such a night.
We assented, and she turned back into
the house, saying: 'P II bring you Lewis
bedspread." y
In moment she was at the door
again, and as / took the dark mass from
her hand, she said: HE has outgrown
it for his bed, but it is long enough for
a lap robe 81
Tucking it around us, away we went
in our homely back-woods rig; and as.
we glided through the forests and past
the Scattered log houses, Levi told me
about his bedspread. He came into the
possession OF it the spring he was nine
years old. He was very fond Of fishing.
which is not unusual with boys, and was
peculiarly successful, which IS unusual
with fishermen of any age.
One morning early in May. accom-
panied by his little dog, he sprang into
the skitf on his father millpond, and
padded up stream to fish for trout in a
brook that ran into the pond half mile
above the dam. Now in order to UNI
derstand the best point of Lewis advent
ure, it is necessary to get clear idea
of the mouth of this brook. 1t came
down from among the hills. leaping
from rock to rock and scudding across
the levels like a squirrel at play. It's
last leap was its highest; and. as if
scared at having jumped SO far, it quiet
ly slipped in a half circle around a huge
rock, and hid itself in the waters Of the
pond, which at this place was five or six
rods wide and flowing on with strong
current to the dam. Tho pool at the
foot of this fall was Levi S destination; a
spot where he had often been before,
and never without success.
Softly padding his boat to the shore
of the pond, a few feet below the mouth
Of the brook, and pulling one end OF it
upon the shelving rock, he had only to
chamber up the bank little to be in the
best position for fishing the pool.
Leaving the dog in the boat and taking
his fsh-rod, in a moment he was slyly
dipping into the foamy waters where
waited the trout. How many "speckled
beauties he had caught I know not,
but only a few minutes had passed when
a slight noise on the rocks just above
him caused him to look up.
/ All! what a sight met the boys eyes.
There, within fifteen Or twenty feet,
| was his bedspread mot yet his, how
every dappled and glossy, constituting
| the wrapping of another Individual
ana tnae lnal,laual' WIN glalllg ~.
Dails, ears laiu paeh ullsn aea,1 clams
ana lasning lail, seemed Ia. ao9 1a., ~ sees
nearer acquaintance WIN : Levi J.,
A glimpse was enough LOT s. 1he 1., lau .
dropping h1s nsn-po Ne, s ny IKE NE 9
nash Gown .he ! p IAN GoWaIu sne poa1.
ana ooagea unaer tne sne ~ III hoca :;
mus passing instantly oub ~ SIN -. =,
tho s giaflng Eyes put scal9el i.au
ne lett ms peren py ene eaouo.noie ele
y was occupleu ~ tue o.llel l'iulvi.. val.
AT TINS turn OF aia'rs inc aoS pegaii an !,