St. Landry democrat., 1884-04-12

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eldest, who was addicted to uncomfort-
ably vivid dreams.
Wy tant we put ard trabs in her
bed AMI dwown her wifi u wope!n lisped
Aggie. our Borgia of six.
. Better shave that head of hers!'
advised Jim, who really gave brilliant
promise of being a first-cIass villain
only he died, poor little lad. before he
had time to work out his vocation.
And to shave our Cousin lilly we de-
cided.
We were very jubilant at the tea-table
that night-so jubilant that ma moaned
at us through her bedroom door. and
papa and Cousin Till frowned at us
down from their end of the table-and
when at last she had retired early bv
reason of mas headache, and papa had
catechlsed us from ''Who made you?''
s'What became OF Cain?" we, too, filed
up the crooked old stairway to the
rooms allotted to our sway.
We had cast John for the barber in
our thrilling version of the Grape of the
Lock, " but being overwhelmed with
conscience at the trying moment, Jim
assumed the part at the usual five min
utes' notice and doubtless would have
performed his role with perfect salts
faction but for tableau not down in
the bill.
The harvest moon was shining like
calcium as we crept stealthily on our
bare tip-toes to the door of my Cousin
Iill's chamber. There she Law fast
asleep. like the princess in the fairy
tale, and there were we face to face to
face with-John was the first to. spy it |
"a fluffy coil of reddish gold sprawled !
out on the dresser!
When we carried Captain Dan the |
scandalous news think he had wild
notion to box us for our pains He
laughed, too laughed till the fishing
was spoiled, and made us promise
never to raise our hands again to harm
a hair of her head. Then papa, being
IN proper mood, we lured him behind |
the granary door and conGded in him
as well-a confidence that led to the
horrible discovery that Cousin Till and
our Captain Dan had been something
more than friends.
Wasn't she to blame?'' asked John,
who had heard of such goings ON as
counting involves, and liked to air his
knowledge.
. Well, yes, honey, l think there no
doubt about that; but young people
don't need to talk of such things, SO run
and forget it. =
Not talk, indeed! We talked of moth
ing else; and if Captain Dan s0anted
Cousin Till, we made up our minds he
was going to have her, false Uop-knot,
big farm, and sulks, too, in the bar
gain!
How we argued, how we planned,
and how at last we made up our minds
what to do and how to go about it!
Our plot began with message.
Would Captain Dan meet papa that
evening at sunset by the bend? OF
course ne would, ard for the rest of that
lay we confined our energies to stealing
we could lay our hands on in
he way of ropes and brides and :
trings. That evening when the sun
ay in golden splendor on the water,
Ind the sWamp-frogs were piping their
lislnal refrain, Cousin Till strayed off :
0 the beach, as usual, with cloud of
White wool over her bronze locks and ;
|. blue-and-gold "Burns'' in her hand.
We took q notion to stray that way :
ourselves, only we made no such Sc
uctive picture with Billy's bride be- :,
ween us, and the great thong of tink- 1 !,
ing sleigh bells dragging along in the :,
and. We found our chance when she =
topped to pick upsa pinkish pebble, !,
nd before she could say Jack Robin =
on, old Billy's bride was lassooing her 4 4
oft white throat, and John was strap y
ing her arms to her sides with the y
ring of noisy bells 7 think she CON :;
dered it fun Of a rough sort at first, =
nd humored our frolic so far as to let "
5 shove her along to the Bend. She T 1T
ven laughed out gayly at Dixie's fierce =
forts in the Way5o of clutchings and "
ggie's vicious outings from behind. =
But when she saw Captain Dan wait
lg impatientiy before us, and when he OF
wv her. and US and when John P'
anded over the bride with the unnec- W
;sary assertion that .sthere she was, u
Id no mistake" and when they both ST
1shed up like honey and she
ing her pretty head while he I'M n
ound her from the musty ropes and De
i'll she did not move, and when at last 10
9 left them there with the sun flooding Al a
EN- both with its dying + ing, how IT,
we scampered down the
ach to the chorus of M
corn-stalk fiddle and shoe-string bow, VI
you catch pretty girl don't you LET her 60" Al
A simple story; yes, so simple that nc
cept for Captain Dan himself never IN
ould have remembered. For one wa
ing it happened 50 long ago. never
allied how long, until I met him face 70
face, and the poor dear did not know TIT
- us
So gray, so sorroWfully old--should SUI
nan look like that at forty? to