St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1883-06-23

SaFTy.
sob, you DOR said the man. .'What
do you play? And what's your name?"
Oh, lots o things. Carry and me
has planted garden. My names Tom
my. What's yours?''
!" Mine?n said the man. "Well, ]
haven't any just now"
They chatted on for a minute Or two,
and then Tommy said: Let me in there,
want to sit down.
A queer look came over the mans
face. Il can't open the door, he said.
''You sit down on the floor.
"Why can't you open it?'' And
Tommy looked very much puzzled.
g Because it's locked, and l haven't
got the key said the man; and then
he said, half to himself: .'Wish / had. "
"I'll get the key" and Tommy turned
to 60 back to the big gate.
ssNo, no" said the man, in quick,
sharp way, and Tommy looked at him
and was half scared again. But by the
next minute the man looked as pleasant
as he had at first, and so Tommy sat
down on the floor in front of the gate,
with his legs crossed in front, his little
pail of fading dandelions on one side
and his wooden shovel on the other,
and, with a little dimpled hand on each
knee, prepared to have a nice talk
/ for Tommy was q very sociable boy.
He looked at the man very intently
for minute, and then lie said, with
solemn look in his blue eyes: Have
you been naughty?
The queer look came into the mans
face again, and he said: "What makes
you think SOP
- Cause once was naughty and my
/ mamma shut me up all alone in the
/ nursery, and l didn't have q nice door
like this. hada big, hard door. and |
couldn't see out at all, and I didn t
like it. Haze you been naughty-say?"
g Well,'' said the man, Eyes; I'm
afraid / have. =
Won't you be good, if they'll let you
out?n And Tommy looked very seri-
Gus.
The man looked at Tommy. He
looked at him so hard that Tommy
could only stare back at him, wonder
ing what made him so, and then the
man said slowly: II don't know"
.sOh, yes, you'll be good. Now, sag
you'll be good, an then you'll mean to
be good, an you can come out said
Tommy, and he shook his head SO that
/ the yellow curls on either side waved to
and fro. The man didn't answer, and
Tommy went on. s.Now, you see,
when my mamma shut me up / was an
aWful bad boy, cause bit Ellen one
day cause she wouldn't bring up and
put on my shoes, an my mamma she
sat down by the door, an she said if I'd
say really was going to be good |
would be good, an so J. said really
was, an she opened the door an came
out, an I'm a real good boy now. Now,
| you say you'll be good really, an then
I'll 90 tell my mamma, an she'll open
the door,
Just then man came up, and, open
ing tiny little door in the gate, hand
ed the man a plate with something on
| it.
The man took it and put it ON the
/ floor. ssHave somep" he said.
sNo, thank you,n said Tommy, look
ing scornfully at the plate. ..That
doesn't look good like what we have.
Don't you have chicken We're going
to have chicken to-day. I saw ''em
when came out.
..No; they don't have chicken here, y
said the man, and he pushed away the
plate with his foot, as if he didn't like
| the look of it,
.sWell, now, you're going to be good,
aren't you?" and Tommy put on his
most coaxing and winning air.
The man sat very still, and then he
suddenly put his hand through the bars:
s.Yes," he said, II guess am going to
be good. Shake hands on it. =
Tommy jumped up in such a hurry
that he spilled all the dandelions, and
put his little hand in the mans big one,
and put up his lips for a kiss, and when
/ the man had kissed him Tommy said:
aNow I'll 60 and tell my mamma, an
she'll let YOU out. - Then he picked up
his pail and shovel, and said: Il guess
/ don't want those flowers. There's
| lots out in our yard and then he
/ stood still minute looking at the man,
who was looking straight at him. Pres
entity Tommy opened his eyes and
mouth wide: ..Why!' he said, ..you
amt going to cry-you're too big.
Mamma says I'm too big to cry
s.No," said the man; ST m not going
to cry And yet Tommy was sure
/ that big tears were in his eyes. The
/ man put out his hand: t'Shake hands, !"
he said, sand come again some day.
"Why, yes!'' said Tommy; g but
they'll let you out now cause you're
goin' to be good. I'll tell 'em. Good
bye. I'll come back right off. - And
SO he went away to the big gate, pass
ing the room where the man had been
asleep. But he was sitting up then.
. Good-morning, said Tommy, stop
ping 4 minute The man lifted sui
len, cross face, and said, in a very cross
voice: ..Get out with your and Tom