The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1884-06-12
L MARTYR D0LOR0SA.

Aunt Nancy was the wife of Uncle
'Lisha.
1t would be impossible to give a BIZ
ography of Aunt Nancy without inclu-
ding Uncle 'Lisha, or to eliminate her
individuality long enough to serve her
up alone. And | doubt if the dear old
lady would like such marital independ-
ence. Nor do I think she would reeog-
nize any picture of herself that was not
reflection of him. Like the moon she
shone by borrowed light.
Uncle Lisha was living illustration
Of the old adage, 1T is better to be born
lucky than rich" His property was
inherited, and he never did day. s
work in his life. But everybody else in
his family worked, Aunt Nancy, his
wife, more than any of them. Uncle
'Lisha didn't work because he enjoyed
poor health. A partial list of his COM
plants would read about like this.
Fever and ague.
Chronic indigestion.
Paralysis of the heart.
Paralysis of the liver.
Intiammatory rheumatism.
Lameness in the left knee.
Lameness in the right knee.
0ssification of the joints.
Hereditary consumption.
ton the mothers side.)
Hereditary apoplexy.
ION the fathers side.)
These were just few of the Ills
which beset the poor man, and made
him exceedingly careful of himself He
couldn't stoop for fear of apoplectic
symptoms; he was afraid to lift any
thing on account Of his spine; he never
dared hurry, as his heart had o habit
of beating, and in fact nothing agreed
with him except-doing nothing. He
was the very same boy referred to in
the following incident. | am aware il
is credited to the Beecher family. but
they never had monopoly of lazy boys
ifthey did of bright ones. Uncle Lisha':
father, the good doctor, had one time
been away from home q few days
leaving his two boys, Elisha ant
Ezekiel, to do the chores. When b,
returned nothing had been done, ant
the boys we're discovered in hay-mov
reading stories.
ssZeken' thundered the doctor
.'eome here, sir. /"
Leke came and stood shamefacedly
before him.
what have you been doing since
vas awayPn
Nothing, sir
elisha, come here, you, and give 81
account of yourself. Tell the trutl
now. What have you been doing?a
Helping Zeke, sir. y
This faculty was Uncle 'Lisha's stool
In trade, and he steadily improved
and made others believe in it, unit
they really considered it wrong to ex
pect him to do anything. l can Sc
him yet putting on his boots of 3 win
ter's morning. All the cattle had beel
toddered, water drawn and wood car
RED IN. Aunt Nancy had been up hour
getting breakfast and hushing tn
children and telling them not TO max
noise and wake s.poor father VIII
nadn't slept wink all night
6entle SOUL It is possible tina
she believed it. for she was to-
tired herself to lie awake to see. An
When he came down they all waited o.
am and handed him his boots, Will
De fingered patiently in front of the no
aTe Then he would cough feebly, pu
ms hand to his heart, sigh-and warn
.ae inside of one boot. After restin,
rom this exertion he would take astra
I. y each hand and with several attempt
get T on. Then long rest. before
slsnliar process with the other one.
uFink of reviving water was the
hanqed by one child, while anothe
stood BY and looked at him as If ha ha
peea 4 ten-horned wonder. s'Poo
lAEasg ives only afflicted with sprla