St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1884-10-18

We came to Boston, me and Stephen,
and thought might hear suthin from
fether, but not word. Then | wrote
to mother, [ wrote her number of
times, but didn't have no answer, wrote
agin-and l got an answer and [ saw
the marks of tears ON it. SEE mother:
I'm dreadful sorry and I've cried over
it lot, but it don't do your fether no
good and | guess you'd better not write.
Eff You are ever in trouble, you can git
word to me somehow and | will do as
much by you" But there, I've not
been in any trouble, and you say and
others say that mothers well. We
know some things about one another,
but though l have two children, [ don't
know as he or she knows their full
names. Mother knows their names in
part and how old they be and what they
do; COS we manage to git messages to
one another, but we've written nothin'
for years. There, sez she, what do
You think of fether like that?' "
Matilda slowly shook her head and
declared that there were "queer doin's
in this world" AS there was nothing
further to be known the spouse Of Elias
Perkins suddenly and promptly de-
clared she must be 'a-going as it might
rain every moment She left the
house and went down the road, her
head dropping as if under the weight Of
a State secret. She did not let it droop
very long after meeting, one day her
bosom friend, Julia Billings, who lived
on the Back Road.
In the meantime, Uncle lothian car
ried out his intention to enter upon the
summer boarding business. He painted
his house white. and a newly painted
white house and a red settee on the
piazza that prefaced it were always a
sign of disposition to know more init
mately any summer tourists. The sign
Of the red settee, Uncle lothian
promptly put cut. Then he adver-
tised. enthusiastically, of course. In
stead of some mysterious bucolic sigma
ture like "Rose Glen or Sylvan Lodge,
Post Office so-and-so," ne attached his
own name in good square English,
GOTHAM Needs" However, all the
lines thrown out by this skillful angler
did not bring any fish, or in another
word, boarders, to that little piazza
with its red settee. Day after day, the
Valley Stage ratified along the road
but did not stop for month after the
painting of the house. One day though
it did stop, and ''Miss Primrose"
stepped out. So she announced her
name, and if she didn't step like n
fairy and look like a fairy! Uncle
lothian saw this at glance, and so did
his wife. and SO did Rev. James Strong
field, who allowed himself to take a
peep between the stats of the closed
blinds of his room. How can describe
her?-the eyes that had somehow
caught the blue tint of an ocean ripple
in which the sun has dropped to a gol
den flash, the fair complexion, too, that
which had coaxed from lily the secret
of its purity, and the-well, let Rev,
James Stronghold tell what he thought.
Minister though he was, he stole enough
glances through his human eyes at this
summer boarder to be able to paint her
portrait.
ave all do like Miss Primrose so,
said Uncle Jotham's wife to the post
mistress. s'She's real nice. Uncle
lothian is just taken up with her.
She seems just like one of US.
"What does the minister say?''
81 never heard him say anything agin
her,"
What? Is that all you can say, kind
hearted Iandlady? Didn't you and Aunt
Nabby, after a morning hour chat be-
tween the minister and the summer
boarder, find him in his room pretend
ing to examine a sermon ON ''Neb-
uchadnezzar" to be read before min
isterial association, but there to be read,
let up hope, right side up? Rev. James
Stronghold was quiet man, not moved
by any impulsive moods, and somehow
this bunch of Yivacity charmed him be-
cause the opposite of James Stronghold.
And she-did she lean restfully against
his strong, self-collected nature? Miss
Primrose did not say. She acted toward
him as toward everybody else, kindly,
and with her bird-like voice helped him
in his services. With her acts went a
spirit of Cancellation and the temple of
modesty. She assisted in the choir so
discreetly that she did not offend the
.'head voice on the air, = Miranda Watt,
spinster, who, with her most persuasive
notes, had stormed the pulpit from her
red-curtained intrenchments in the
choir, but without success.
To himself, Uncle lothian made con-
fession one day: THAT gal from the
city has jest got the upper hand of me.
She makes me think"
He did not finish his thought. There
had been aroused in his heart a want
that he had been trying to starye TO
death for years, the old longing for his
own, the flesh and blood SO identified
with his very being.
Uncle lothian was taken sick one
day. The haying season had been very