St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1883-11-10
BESSIE AND THE JACK U Ian
TERN.

Bessie's papa and mamma were
spending a year in Europe, and Bessie
was staying with her grandparents in
the country. She had been in the
country every summer of her life, but
never had seen the great bare hills COW
cred with snow, nor walked in the pine
woods on a smooth, icy crust with
snow birds twittering in the lonely still
ness, and the sunbeams creeping in to
glitter on the icicles that hung like
necklaces on the bushes before. She
had never been up before daylight in
the morning to go by the light of q
lantern, which somehow seemed like a
.glimmer from fairyland, to the barn,
with Joe to feed the sleepy cows and
impatient old Dobbin. The light of the
lantern always started the hens off their
perch, and the roosters would begin to
crow with such delight that one would
think all they cared for in the world
was to have it morning. She
never had been tucked away
in a great bung with all the chil
sdren in the ne1ghborhood on q snowy
morning. and carried to school
by Dobbin bells jingling and the boys
shouting all the way. She had never
taken long, delightful rides into the
woods on Joe's ox-sled, nor coastcd
down long, steep hills, nor popped corn
over the Goals in the fireplace, nor
made the kitten play vito the shadows
of the freight, nor had she eaten
roasted apples and hickory and butter
nuts while Abby, the hired girl, told
fairy stories Of an evening. But now
she was enjoying all these delights, and
wondered why people didn't go into the
country to spend the winter instead OF
the summer.
But sometimes there was a little dull
spot in her existence. and that was on
evenings when grandpa read his news
paper and would not be coaXed to look
up from it, and grandma got drowsy
over her knitting, and Abby and Joe,
who were said to be counting, though
Bessie didn't know what that meant,
would go out early to spend the evening
with Abby mother, or sit by the kitch-
en- fire and talk with each other without
paying any attention to her. Abby
wasn't always willing to tell "Cinder-
ella or Jack, the Giant Killer" by
any means. Even the kitten. who was
q fat, funny little thing, would some-
times refuse to play on these evenings,
but would curl herself into little
round ball on the hearth-rug, and
try to go to sleep, and Carlo,
the great Newfoundland dog,
would good-naturedly 60 through
with all his tricks once or twice,
and then subside into meditative
mood, from which it was impossible to
arouse him. Carlo was getting old and
enjoyed meditation more than frolics.
SO all that Bessie could do would be to
sit and wish that it was eight o'clock,
which hour was her bed time.
But IN her aunt's house, which was
only little ways around the corner at
the foot of the hill, things were delight
fully different. There were six children
an the family, and such romps as they
INDUCED in before bedtime! Abby
had taken her there two or three times
ill the evening, and sometimes she went
by herself in the afternoon and stopped
to tea, and either Joe or Abby would
come for her just before the clock struck
eight. But Bessie was never willing to
90 home at that time. She would play
until midnight if she were allowed to
do so, and eight o'clock would always
come in the midst of some charming
game, or just before the end of one OF
Cousin Jennie's prettiest stories, and
she felt like very much abused indi-
vidual when Abby insisted on taking
her home and whisking her off to bed.
One dark, cold night, when the frost
was SO thick on. the WiLdow-pane that
one could hardly get . peep ont-of-
doors, and few fakes of snow were
tiying about in the bitter air, Bessie was
seized with stronger desire than ever
= .a.as..>a 4La o.zon;a,n nth her cousins