St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-01-17
THE LANDLORDS VISIT.

a lOW-DackeQ CHAIR,
Sat nid-nid -noddng;
While over the road
Came Farmer McCrOdS
plid-plid-ploddtng.
It was cold and showing, and the wind was
blowing
While the f;trIner was fretting and his counte-
nance getting
Each moment more angry, forbidding and
sour.
&c She pays no rent, although have sent
TO her time and again for the money;
And now we shall see what she IL say TO me,
Forthe thing has long ceased to be funny.
Thus he 1nuttered aloud, while the snow like
Envecped lis burly old figure completely;
And twas dark, but not late, when he entered
Of the tenant he was going to astonish SO
neatly.
Disdaining to knock, he CROPPED for the lock-,
And had already planted one foot on the sill,
when, just by a chance, he happened to glance
Through the window, and his heart for
moment stood still.
He saw a woman nodding in low-fashioned
chair;
Her face was sad and wrinkled, while s1lyered
was her hair
A large and wellthumbed Bible on her lap
Ard a cat was softly purring in a sympathetic
A scanty Pile of fagots, in the fireplace burn
Lit up the room at intervals, and cast mellow
glow
Ger the kindly aged face, ike the nlmDuS we
are told
Which used to hover round the foreheads OF
the martyred saints of old
And the landlord drew up closer, that ne InlghI
the better look
on the plainly lettered pages of the unfamiliar
~ Book
= And the verse he dwelt the longest on, then
read it through again,
Was: "Blessed are the merciful, for mercy
they'll obtain.
Now why he forebore to push open the door
The farmer could offer no clear explana-
Yet in spite of the storm, his heart had grown
AS he stood gazing in with strange fasci-
nation
Then after awhile queer sort of smile
Lit up his brown face now and then;
And when, at the last, he turned round and
out into INTO the snow-coyered highway again
The smile was there STILL and continued
He found himself facing the small village
Though business was dull, the room was
quite full
Were DER,
And all Iazily sat round the stove for chat
AAAA
But they rose in alright, and their faces
grew white
his commands.
Just fetch me a sack, or a bag, and mind
It's the largest and strongest that you car
find.
Now put in some 'taters-a peck will do;
"A package of -four, and some turnlps 100
Al piece of pork, wrapped good and strong
A nice smoked ham don't be so longD
Now throw in a couple of pounds OF tea
No, l won't be stingy, make it three.
Say,you over there, just stop your staring
d Do You think I'm a lunatic out for an all
some pepper and salt, and sugar, too;
DO Iwant EN- mixedy I'd like to mi;
Some crackers and cheese. dried peaohe
An reckon as how you hev got 'bou
Just gimme a lfft-there, that is all right;
Charge EN- to me; and noW-good-night!
So back DER the road he went with his load
Tossed. like a ship in storm, to and fro;
But the heart Of the farmer was very niue
And that makes great deal of difrerenc,
you know.
He peered through the window, and sa'
That good Widow Clare still slept in he
Unconscious is5cii of what was transpiring ths
night.
Heneyerquite knew iusthow he got throug
That low narrow door with the load on h
Nor how own he was able to reach the small tab
And noiselessly lay down the burdensoH
sack;
But in less than a minute, every single thin
was spread out before him in temptir
The turnips kept still, as they seldom, wiz,
And not even potato rolled OIL and ava
The old cat looked wise, and pulled up twi'
her size,
But seeing no harm to her mistress w
meant,
she resumed her deep thinking, and her grt
eyes we're blinking,
When OF last from the room tnestrSige Vislu
went.
And now, once again, he pressed close TO 7
And end endeayored to picture the widow
While III It = Wasn't the snow, as you and
That ti he brushed once or twice from
eyes.
Then Farmer MeCrode
Went back Ger the road
Al plid-plid-plodding;
While still in her chair
Sat old Widow Clare
A mountaineering.
Dc WIT Clinton Locacood w ot1fFstte1't o's't
OLD TIME CHEER.
The Mammoth Fire-Places Of q
New England Ancestors.