St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-04-11
CHAPTER II.

POSAtO1S HOHucIAtILf COIIcCG# anu uubtf
ing in his efforts to please, All day h
would sit on high stool putting III
type with regular click. His closes
approach to smile was the grim ex
preston that crossed his face when hi
bent himself over the tease" and
coughed with a hollow sound. He kept
a bottle of cod liver oil setting on the
press, and three times day he would
take up the bottle and drink with as
much zest, it appeared to me, as though
he were imbibing choice wine.
He slept in the Office. One night
while we We're sitting by the stove be
looked up suddenly and asked:
'tWhat is your religion9"
Il do not belong to any church,
(which church do you favor?n
| Il favor them all, for they all point
to a place of final rest :"
"And a final hell. said he.
Eyes, the most of them believe in q
hell, though not so strongly, / fancy, as
they did before education became so
| general y
mot SO much as they did," he as
/ sented. t'Many of them do not now
believe that hell is necessary to saliva
ton, but there must be difference in
the treatment of good and bad souls
Suppose man who never harmed any
one should kill himself? Do you think
his soul would find rest?
That is question upon which [
would not like to express an opinion. !"
sit is a question though. he con-
tinued, (which concerns me very much.
My suffering daily increases, but don't
see that | am approaching the grave
with that degree of acceleration which
promises an early relief from pain. [
have often thought that in my case
man would be justifiable in taking his
own life. 1t looks to me as though |
am relentlessly tortured"
! hardly knew what reply to make, |
for felt that the old man had cause to
complain, but after a few moments of
reflection said:
''Wait. No matter how much you
may be racked by pain, wait. You
surely,can not live much Ionger.''
A light of encouragement shone in
his eyes as he said:
"Ah, those are pleasant words
After this / fancied he was not so
restless. He continued to take medi-
cine, to alIay pain rather than to pro-
long life, he said. He wrote several
strangely readable articles for the Cat
Fish. don't know that, with all INV
IN handling manuscripts, /
nave ever seen handwriting SO peculiar
as his. A number of our citizens who j
saw it remarked its dissimilarity to any
chirography they had ever beheld, and
among them the old man was known as
the curious scribe.
One evening, as was about to leave
he Office, he followed me to the door.
Mr.. Buck" said he, II think now that J
ny time is short. !" t
He looked as though he wanted to q
mile, but that his poor old lips had lost :
ne movement necessary to the refiec- !.
ion Of SO pleasing an expression. Q
why do you think SO. Mr. With y
4 dreamed last night that / was g
cad. thought that / lay down in s :,
uiet rest, like a tired man who goes to n
ed y 50 - T
Il don't think that you should sleep C C
ere alone. 4
Yes, he replied. .sThe presence of q
ny one would disturb my meditations. I
have an impression that will die sud Ii
emily. An attendant would do no :
0od, and would rob the first few hours tt
my long-coveted sleep of that deep o. o.
'litude which desire shall surround sa
e.n : >'iA'' tn
AS was walking down the road TO- 70
ard the house where boarded on LONG m
me and short rations, met Sonire tn
uVal. W. ~,
Well, Buck" when / had stopped pl'
ID shaken hands with him, !. how Is f. f.
e curious scribe getting alongp'' ale
almost cheerful in the Thought that ia,
is soon to leave us, Ireplied. s. Isl
!" Strange old man, mighty queer but oil
1on't think that his minds altogether f 9u
t O whack. Him an me agrees mt yo 1S
well here o. late, fur i've miGhtv off
5n made a spiritualist outen him. vi
luther day when he 'peered to be SO dol
ad sot on suicide, said to him. saws h IA,
'Withers, don't do it. If YOU do Tau
urgrade will be low. Live on. even he
Zou DO suffer, an your grade will be an "
The next morning as was going to we
office overlook the Squire near T Nv
place where had met him the day We
ore. "B'leVe I'll go with you, . said f n0s
IAN have few moments chat with STIR
old teller. - 80 in c
There was no lock on the Office door. a Tsi
| lifting the latch we enferad Graof the
n The old mans toIrr H. s0 side
= IT.: - An ? pVuy lay on the bio,
'F. hls neads with the face turned and
rard us. Law ON the iYnnnsincr $780, and
hIood,r a., o,re,T 1o-.t s'ono. go
OiooAy tsi aW4u scene! Tn the rive
ne, near the head, lay a sheet of pa The
covered with the old mans peculiar tee
ting. Almost breathlessly, I read to Il