St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-07-17
AFAMILY MYSTERY.
What My Grandmothers Black
Stone Jar Contained.

She was my mothers mother, and the
only grandmother my brothers and SIS
tiers and ! had ever had. Fathers
mother died long before any of us were
born. We were very glad to have
Grandmother Ryse come and live with
MS. Her husband had died in dis
tant State. and mother had gone at
once to bring grandmother to our
house. | remember with what eager
ness we children made ready to meet
mother and grandmother on their re-
turn.
We lived in the country. and father
had said that all of us might 60 to town
with him, as it was in the fall of the
year, and there was not much to do at
home. There were six of US. beside
father. to climb into the biea farm
wagon. and ride five miles to the
railroad station. We saw mother come
out Of the car first. and behind her was
little old lady, dressed in black. In
herarms she carried black stone jar.
Its mouth was covered with a clean
white cloth, tied down smooth and
tight with many rounds of cord.
''What can she have in that jar?'
asked my brother JEFF of me, before
grandmother had reached us. with her
qnaint How de dol" and her kiss on
each of our mouths.
1T cam be mince-meat. said JEFF.
with half-hopefuf look. for JEFF was
Unfortunately fond of mince-pies. and
mother had often said:
Wait until grandma comes to see
us. and she'll make you some mince-
pies that are mince-pies" But no
mince-pies ever came out of that jar
Grandmother had insisted on its be-
ing put on the seat beside her, and she
kept her eyes on it all the way home.
May be it's full of money said
sister Katie: and for long time after
that we children were all very respect
FIJI to the jar. under the impression
that Katie's surmise had been correct.
Grandmother had the lar carried I'D
to her room and put on a high shelf in
her closet. We heard mother say once
that grandmother was verv poor. and
that damaged Katie's theory of the jar
being filled with money. We asked
mother one day if she knew what was
in the mysterious jar.
%, not much of anything" she said.
with great indifference. 1T is an old
family relic and / suppose grandma
wants TO keep it. remember seeing
it when | was little girl" But this
answer did not satisfy six curious bows
and girls
Grandmother Ryse lived at our house
two years, and then went to stay a wear
with my aurS in Colorado and the Jar
went with her. packed carefully in the
center of her feather tick, for Grand
mother RYse had a horror of ..new-
tangled things in the way of hair and |
spring mattresses. and would sleep on
feathers only. When she came home |
from Colorado, we children all assem-
bfed to meet her at the station, and we
saw that jar coming out of the car door
almost before we saw grandma herself. |
Them keerless Murray BOYS forgot |
to pack it in with my feathe-bed,n She /
Gid; .and had no idee or leaving a
good jar like that, SO / jest brung it
along in the car with me-
JEFF whispered to me. and said he
would as soon travel with young pig
as with Il jar like that. But we would
al have been glad to see our jolly old
grandmother, even though she travelled
with whole pottery. The MURRAY
boys, who had forgotten to pack grand
mothers jar. were our cousins. and
few weeks later one of them wrote this
to me:
What do you suppose grandmother keeps
70 that old black iarf Brother Sam and
sried 70 nnd out, but We couldn't. ] on know
md she is so particular about her things.
sam tried TO climb UP to high shelf to peep
S ,n1o me lar once and fell down and nearly
what's in the jar, you let us know. !,
- wrote that We would, but despaired
Of ever getting peep into the jar, for
mother had long ago forbidden us to
20 into grandma room, unless she in
Eited us there. Once when she had !,
jailed us all in, to show us some old
pictures of grandfather, and had given ,
IS all sweet ailise and cardamon seeds,
asked, in my most insinuating tone:-
.Grandmother. what is in that fun !,
~ old black jar up THEREOF :
My brothers and sisters all pricked
1p their ears, but grandmother simply .
gave merry little laugh. and said: {
Snaps and snails. !;
And little dogs tails.
Grandmother was fond of travelling,
md the next spring she went to New !
Jersey to spend six months with a son 8
Who lived there. And that jar went
nth her. 1t came home with her IN i
he fall and was restored to its place or Z
he closet shelf in her room The mex. v
March grandmother went up to MIN q
rosetta to spend the summer with her {
daughter.
ssYou boys pack that jar carefully
low,' she said, as she came. slowly q
own stairs with the clumsy thing Id 4