St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1885-05-23

years n L amt been able to get yOr
nothin' better'n Calico
81 don't need silk SAYS Annie.
I've got all the dresses l can use now.
Luther looked at her real steady a
minute. Then he says, sorter slow n
quiet, For all that, l mean to get you
one, Annie. Iwant to see how you d
look in it.
mo better'n look now in my blue
delaine,' says Annie.
"'We'n see bout that, says Luther
Il don't care how hard times are.
mean to live till l get you black silk
dress
''She laughed n told him he'd make
a peacock of her if he could; but for all
her brave words knew she was down
right fond Of pretty things. n it really
hurt her to have to wear old, faded
dresses. n bonnets five years behind
the style. But she never said so, n
she'd walk into church Sunday after
Sunday in her old blue delaine n vel
low straw bonnet, lookin' as sweet n
happy as if she'd been dressed like a
queen.
'Well, Luther he never came over
here after that without he had some re-
mark to make bout my black silk. m he
stuck to it that he would give Annie one
like it before he died.
But year after year went by n my
silk was all wore out n I'd got an
other, m still Annie's best dress was q
cheap delaine, N it wasn't often she
could afford to buy even a pair of cot
ton gloves to cover her hands. Things
hadn't gone better with Luther, n they
had other things, to sorrow for than
losing their best horses n cattle n
their crops. They lost their six chill
dren. one after the other. Three of 'em
died in one week of scarlet fever, n the
other was sickly little things n went
of in slow consumption.
''If it hadn't been that she had to
keep Luther up I believe Annie'd have
give way many time; but for his sake
she didn't show one-half she felt. An
she never lost faith in the Lord. She
said His ways seemed hard, but that He
knew what was best for her.
..Well, time went on. n about five
years ago things seemed to take q turn
for the better with Luther. His wheat
crop turned out well, m he sold it to
good profit, n he got his corn off the
bottom lands before the river rose, N
that was a great help to him. He seemed
real cheerful, m told John that he was
just beginnin' to enjoy life, n if things
went well he'd soon have the mortgage
cleared off the farm. The weather set
set in cold n stormy Just after
Thanksgiyin', n one afternoon 1 was
out in the chicken yard shellin' corn to
the hens, m all muffled up to my eyes,
when I heard wagon stop at the gate,
n there was Luther q noddin' n beck
onin' to me. went down to the gate
to speak to him. n before I'd got
there he was tellin' me how he'd sold
Tom Layton a colt he'd been raisin',
n was on his way at last to buy Annie
that silk dress. He asked me bout the
number of yards he ought get n where
he'd best 60 to buy, n said he couldn't
hardly wait to get it now he was ready.
He was goin' to give Annie surprise,
he said; she didn't know what he was
goin' after.
"Well, the tears was in my eyes as I
him drive of, pleased as q
child at the idea of surprisin' Annie.
But l never guessed what the black silk
dress was to cost her, poor soul!
ut began to rain soon after Luther
d gone, n poured down for upward of
four hours. was at the winder when
he went by on his way home, m l no.
ticed he didn't have his overcoat on. n
[ wondered what he'd done with it, for
| was sure he'd had it on when he
stopped at the gate. Annie told me
afterward that he'd taken the coat of
his back n rolled the black silk up in
i to keep it from gettin' wet. Il wasn't
even damp when he unrolled it n
showed it to her, but he was wet to the
skin himself. n a few days later there
vas doctors buggy at the gate. John
le went over to see what was the mat
er. n found Luther walkin' the floor
n groanin' with pain. The cold had
settled in his side n the doctor
couldn't give him no relief. But he
'aid he guessed he'd pull through all
light n there wasn't no need to worry. |
Miss Parsons was maxim the silk
lp. Luther wasn't satisfied till Annie |
lad gone to the village n got some one
% work on it, n she thought best to
lumor him. He wasn't no better when |
he dress came home, n the doctor |
vas still tending him; but no one
lowed he was anyway dangerous. 1t
vas John who brought the dress home
rom Miss Parsons. m he said Luther
vas just too pleased for anything to see
he bundle.
"I'm goin' to have Annie dress night |
lp. in it, he says, m you n Jane
must come over after supper n see
low she looks
well. as heard afterward. John
lad hardly gone when Luther began to
ease Annie to put the dress on. She
wanted to get supper first, but he
wouldn't hear to it.
I've been waitin' nearly twenty
ears to see you in that dress, he says.
n l won't wait even an hour longer
"Well. Annie she made him lie down
for he'd been walkin' the floor
onstant nearly all day-'n' she went
nto her bedroom to put the dress on.
he'd got the skirt on, n was fastenin'
he waist, when she heard queer sound
rom the spare room where Luther was
vim. She stopped minute to listen,
A. then called to him to know If he
,anted anything. There wasn't no
nswer, m she crossed the hall n