St. Landry democrat., 1884-07-19

welcome to 1t, was the cordla re-
Spouse.
'.Are you the cookP'' she continued,
her face dimpling into smiles as she
scanned the handsome face and we'll
knit figure.
eyes, to my sorrow, I am for the
present. May | call on you for some
kindly hints when in aparticular diem
myF" glancing suggestively at her we'll
Toured hands.
Certainly, as often as you like. /
have served full apprenticeship. J.
'Nellie, the potatoes are burning,
called her mother from the inner room.
Whereupon the young man hastily
departed, promising an early return OF
the saucepan.
..No ladies with them'' said Nellie at
the breakfast-table; chow dreary that
must be-.
.'They have been on tour in the
mountains" said Harry, .'but it did not
seem to benefit Mr.. Castleman."
"Castlemanr' exclaimed Nellie, IN
panied surprise, "is that the nameg
Eyes. But what's the matter, Nell?
You look as if you had seen ghost.
stWhere are they from?"
.Illinois, 1 believe. The old gentle
man says he owns property in our
county,
"T6e very same" thought Nellie.
with pang. 'Just before papa died
he told me that Castleman was the
name of the man who obtained our
home on a security debt. And this is
the man. Dear, dear old home" she
thought, sit breaks my heart to remem-
Der. your comforts and sweet associa-
tons, and to think that mamma, in her
ilI-health, is banished from you."
''Perhaps I may ask your daughter
again for the saucepan, madam" said
Frank Castleman, when he returned
that useful article. ''By a strange coin
cidence the only tin store in the village
was burned last night. Our man will
be here in few days with supplies,
however, and then we will trouble you
no longer"
'sMamma," said Nellie on his de-
parture, II feel sure that saucepan is
theirs. 1t seems dreadful to think OF,
for we need it so badly"
an buy you one, sig, with the very
first money / can earn"
ooh, dear, how miserable it is to be
poor!" sighed Nellie. 81 think I'll just
keep it, for mamma must have her por-
ridge, and they can buy dozen if they
wish. -
But the result of the matter was that
after dinner she attired herself in a
brown cashmere dress, whose color well
suited eyes of hazel and golden hair,
and started with the saucepan to their
neighbours tent.
The doors were tied back, and seated
within on camp chair, she saw a
feeble old man.
''Come in,' he called, in sharp
voice, as she hesitated at the door.
''Help yourself to a chair. child.
am in no fix to play the gallant, as you
can see. y
Il trust you find that Colorado air is
beneficial to you, sir" Nellie ventured
to remark, after being seated.
'tNct o bit of it, he answered, testi-
". s'Those pesky mountains came
near being the death of me. The a1ti-
tude was too great. =
at seems so pleasant here that we
hope our invalid mother will grow
strong rapidly"
Pleasant enough, if camping out
wasn't the prescribed thing, but this do
ing without home-comforts for the sake
of health seems rather inconsistent to
me-
'.We have quite comfortable camp
ing outfit" said Nellie, with modest
pride. sour list includes coffee-sack-
ing carpet, a folding rocking-chair, q
looking glass
Sand saucepan he interrupted,
grimly.
mo, SIR she answered, earnestly,
''the saucepan is not ours. We found
it in the Garden of tie Gods, short
time before we reached here, and !
brought it over thinking it might be the
one you lost"
'.Humph!" after brief examination,
sit is the very same. | know it by this
cross mark. / suppose I ought to be
greatly obliged for its return, for one
doesn't often get back what is lost on
the highway"
"We would like to have you call to
see us, : said Nellie, rising; II believe
we are your nearest neighbors. .
''Didn' suppose Id have any neigh
bors,h he answered. with evident irri-
tation; twas told there would be no one
near.
with a stiff ''Good afternoon!'' Mel
lie made her exit.
'Disagreeable old man!'' she said, on
reaching home ''He did not thank me
at all, mamma, and implied that he re-
GREETED having neighbors when I asked
him to CALI. =
He must be great sufferer to be SO
il-natured,n commented her mother.
Mother, I'll take you on a iaunt
through the Ute Pass to-day said six.
teen-year-old Harry, a few days later.
9 for as I've found a job at last, the
horse and will have to leave Won soon.