The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-09-22
the two children toddied forward WITH

glad cries to meet him. Soon they
were riding into the house one ttpon
each of the big mans arms, and Id
was Laughing, and calling them his
little team, his span of spankers,'
and other more or less hilarious ex-
pressions of his bluff good nature. For
the grain of Joel Whitney's nature,
though q trifle coarse perhaps, ran
mostly IN one direction. He loved
smooth roads, good horses and good
humor. He loved his wife, too, and with
much the same large nnimpassioned
humor as the others. But underneath
the smooth surface Of his life there ran
soft acquisitive under-toW; that With
apparent ease drew. back from all his
operations with a goodly profit. leav-
ing here and there richer bar than
follows on the gold deposit in the
stream of common lives. Yet he
was not perhaps small-hearted
save in the way of bust
ness; there he was quite memorable.
Starting when lad with nothing be-
yond his stout arms and clear head. he
had mounted up by firm gradations to
place of not Indifferent moment IN
the regidh Whefe lie lived. He had
risen by close attention to his projects,
tightening cord here and tightening
cord there, though mostly with SEEM
ing fairness, until now at the age of
thirty-two he was a person of some
means. of large prospects, and of fair
repute. He seldom went to church,
and cared but little for literature be-.
You'd the county paper. He was not
incorporate, and frowned on all un-
chastity, though now and then he
thought glass of beer refreshing:
Business and its Practical at.
t t;denas. % WIZ afh' P 5Is d. d.
thing Itself concerned her not so
much. The position which it's success
full carriage brought, however, was a
different thing This she assiduously
worked for all that it contained. If
not first in spiritual things. she at least
moved well Id front with those who
said wherewith and how the church
should be clothed and bonneted. Her
pastor, measured by her estimate, was
fashioned only a little lower than the
angels. His plain and amiable wife,
| however, was a factor in the spiritual
government which she quietly ignored.
Socially too, Us excinplitied III benev-
client "bees" and fairs, though some
what oyershadowed and chilled by
times, was largely aided and aug
mented by her leadership and never
failing flow Of gossip. To parties she
went with relish and avidity, and
parties she made, but deprecated that
necessity. Joel liked nothing that was
solemn, nor yet any thing smacking
over much of fashion; and when they
were seated at dinner that day he said
rather abruptly: 1.-The boys were
around this morning, Mary, and l give
'em my consent to open the new mill
with a ball Tonight Suppose you will
join the giddy reels"
mo, sir she said; with a little
backward jerk of the head; II don't go
| to such places. Who ais going9"
He laughed in Ills coffee-cup as he
drank; ''Oh, the lower stratum sup
pose, Pm going to be there!''
He laughed again. appearance is
big thing; it's even some peoples re-
ligion. Well, s'pose it's good as far
as it goes. The thing is going to be in
oar mill, you know, and it wouldn't do
to. let it go without a touch of cream.
Several of us good ,ngodly are going
to grace the unhallowed revel. Fill up
me cup me lovely Ether!'' He finished
with = laughing mock-eloquent -FOUR
ish,
Mrs. Whitney looked down at hel
plate, and q young girl Of perhaps
fourteen summers entered from the
kitchen. She had a smile on her face;
some freckles, n mischievdus turn-up
nose, and bright cross-eyes. She took
the cup handed over his shoulder, and
when she returned with the steaming
beverage he made flourish with his
hand and said: miss Popp, Miss
Ether Popp, eldest daughter Of Julius
Popp, attorney at law. lot l, addition
number2, Openstone, Illinois, allow me
to invite you to the hop, Miss Popp, at
the new mill tonight. "
The girl burst into smoker and
went into the kitchen, and Mrs. Whit
ney looked sour. That evening after
supper Joel lit his cigar and started
down to the store, but the ball evil
IDENTIFY coming into his mind at the
gate, he turned and said to Mrs. Whit.
ney on the porch: eff you can spare
the girl, better let her 60 down to the
mill awhile. I'll go round that way
when / close up and bring her home.''
Mrs Whitney asserting he proceeded
down the street. After a time she
called the girl and told her if her work
were finished she might make herself
ready and go to the party at the mill,
returning with Mr.. Whitney. After
the girl had gone, looking quite pretty
in her ribbons, she put the children to
bed and came out and sat upon the
porch. Presently the moon came up,
flooding the warm world with mellow
radiance; the big new mill down by
the river glowed with lights, and the
faint music of violins, mixed with the
fainter sound of the shutting feet,
came up to the woman on the porch.
Then some couples boating On the
pond began to sing, their voices
sounding very pretty with the dis
lance, and Mrs. Whitney listening
half consciously suddenly became
aware that some barefooted object was
coming near her on the porch. ''Gra-
clous! what is itP" she burst out,
springing up and dropping some pieces
of work from her lap upon the floor.
BY this time the object was we'll into
the 1i0ht It WAS about fonrtnon ,-aars