St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-10-24

work for livin' are askin'."
Hi say. But there is many man
in Aingland that would be glad of tho
hopportunlty to make i'm 'ome like
this. Hi know several good, honest
farmers that could raise money enough
to make the trip, and when / go back |
shall hadvise Fem to come to Hamerica,
and to California"
principally between Mr.. Jobbers and
Mr. Parsons, with an occasional word
from Mrs. Parsons and Erastus.
Ensign made no effort to take part in
it, but devoted his attention strictly to
the business of satisfying his appetite,
unless an occasional glance at the
young ladies may be considered an in
terruption.
Annelsey made several attempts to
enter the conversation, addressing his
remarks principallyin the direction. of
Lucy, who sat opposite to him, but, al
though too sensible to be really bashful
in the presence of strangers, she was
not sufficiently sef-confdent to engage
in lengthy conversation in the pres
ence of so many gentlemen whom she
had never before met, and SO caused
Annelsey to fell in his efforts to be
especially entertaining. But after sup
per was over and the girls had removed
the dishes, and in company with their
mother Joined the gentlemen in the sit
ting-room, they found it much more
easy to talk together.
Mr.. Jobbers had communicated the
fact of his having an interest in the
Hydraulic Mining Company to their
father, who was listening very earnest
ly and attentively to what he was say
ing regarding the size of their claim,
the length of the fume and the power
which they expected to obtain from SO
great fall. This gave the young peo-
pie an opportunity of chatting among
themselves in less formal manner
than they could have, done with their
elders taking part in the conversation.
Annelsey, having just arrived on the
coast, was full of the incidents of the
Journey, which he had made by rail;
and his references thereto naturally
called up, on the part of the others, re-
membranes of their own far more te-
dious journey, and soon they felt quite
at ease in each others company.
Then, too, Annelsey had spent . week
in San Francisco, and hearing that the
girls were but just returned from there,
found fresh food for conversation in the
objects of interest in that city. At first
the custom to which he had been bred
of looking upon workman as an in
ferior had shown itself in his treatment
of Ensign, who was but an employe of
the company in which his father was a
large stockholder, but the perfect
equality with which he was received by
the family of intelligent people beneath
whose roof they were, together with the
fact that Ensign evidently had himself
no thought that he was not socially the
equal of any, soon forced the young
New Yorker to treat him as an equal;
and when the time came for retiring,
the young people, with a single excep-
ton, felt that they had passed a pleas
ant evening.
That one exception was Erastus.
He had noticed that Annelsey APP
peared especially anxious to make an
impression upon Lucy; and, without
stopping to ask himself the reason for
it, was yet conscious that the evening
had been spoiled thereby.
''Good morning, ladies; Hi 'ope see
you well this morning"
It was Mr.. Jobbers who had arisen
and descended to the dining-room on
the morning following the incidents just
related.
"Quite well, thank you," replied Mrs.
Parsons. Il hope you had good
nights rest"
Hi never slept better in my life.
Riding 'orseback hover the ills gives
one happetite for sleep. And Tn
sure no one ever 'ad better hopportu-
mites for enjoying it than your 'ospital-
ity furnished us, y he added, CALAMITY.
Seeing that breakfast was not yet
ready, he passed out onto the porch,
and plucking magnificent rose from
the bush that climbed over and shaded
the whole side Of the house, buried his
nose several times in its perfumed
leaves, and then carelessly throwing it
down as he might have done the rind Of
an orange from which he had sucked
the juice, sauntered slowly off the porch,
and, putting his thumbs IN the arm
holes of his vest, inflated his lungs with
the pure. cool air of the morning
meanwhile looking out across the little
valley with an air of entire satisfaction
with himself and the world.
''Good morning, Mr.. Jobbers," said
Mr.. Parsons, coming around the house
from the rear. ''Takin' in a supply OF
California air, / see. Reckon you don't
have such pure air in London
"'Ope see you well, sir. No, sir,
the hatmosphere in London is 'orridly
peastly at times, but most of us man
age to take a run into the country for a
change and little shooting once or
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