St. Landry democrat., 1886-11-06

the door. and it come undone right of. y
"Well, am dam bfoundedr elac.
ulated the spinster. ..l'd have swore
before justice that locked an bolted
that door the last thing!'
''Guess you was sleepy said Lecty,
interrupting herself with Il fresh howl.
as her eyes began TO smart once more,
the temporary GOODNESS of the water
ceasing.
Miss Beulah labored with the pool
child till day-dawn, bathing her face
with hot water. with cold water. skim
milk, and warm whey. and finally ven
turing out in the gray of dawn to pick
cool planIA;n leaves and bind them on
her eyes, after which-and heavy dose
of paregoric-the sufferer at last
fell asleep, and Miss Beulah. half
ashamed of her exploit. did not awaken
her till noon. But it was week or
more before Lecty's eyes recovered
their natural hue: and old Israel Ven
ner, who did Miss Beulah's heavy
chores" and carried off her frugal 'bts
and leavin's' for his pig, shook his
lean sides over the wocful story Lecty
poured into his ears at the shed-door.
remarking. as he picked up his pail
and limpcd away:
Nigh about snuhcd We out, didn't
she, Lecty? He! he! her, overheard
by Miss Beulah, who was not soothed
thereby.
No more such experiments, however
came into her head. 1t is true she had
used up all the snuff, and stained her
bedroom focI, SO both prudence and
purse forbade the repetition. She re-
membered now that burglars were al
ways said to be startled from their OBJ
Ject by any loud noise, so she arranged
above the door that led from the old
back stairway into the loft an old pow
der-horn that came from the same re-
ceptaclc of antiques where she found
the snuff, and filling it with large shot
managed to close it with a plug of
wood tied firmly to a string, the other
end of which, ted in loop, was to be
hitched to nail on the corner of the
door, and a milk-pan set on the floor
was to receive the shot, which, when
the plug was pulled out by the doors
opening. would fall with great noise
into the receptacle.
Miss Beulah had faculty. enough
that mysterious gift of thorough-going
lankee-to arrange this trap in an eff
Gent and sure manner; it worked to .
charm, and delighted Lecty, to whom it
was experimetally demonstrated. So
the two.retired to their several beds in
peace, each understanding that the first
who rose should always slip the loop off
from the nail before opening the door,
which was left purposely unbolted. and
had been guiltless of a latch many
years.
Now Miss Beulah had an enormous
cat, brindled and shining, which she
loved as lonely women do love any pet
they possess; and Peter duly tyrannized
over the old lady, generally insisting on
a place by her feet at night, but some
times equally bent on sleeping out of
doors. or again capriciously styling in at
The door where she always called him
before she went to bed. slipping past
ler in the dark, and hiding under the
warm stove all night in comfortable
'lumber, while she Iamented his expos
Ire to rain or frost. Miss Beulah's noisy
rap was not sprung for long time. A |
week of peace quite restored her cour-
lge and Lecty's cheerfulness, when one
lark and rainy night about two o'clock
hey were aroused by a sharp. ear
piercing rattle. Lecty crouched deeper
Inder the bed-clothes, paralyzed with
ear, but Miss Beulah jumped up at
nee and stood on the cold floor, her
eart beating like steam-engine and
Ter breath frightened with terror-the
urglar had come!
She stood quite still, trembling bu,
lert, hoping to hear his retreating foot
teps down the stair and out of the
louse, but there was not sound; the
light was silent as death, not Sleep
az bird stirred in its nest, the light,
oft rain falling Silly, had hushed all
hings. Screening scratched on the
oor. Miss Beulah gasped; then long
nd angry NEW, repeated over and
yer, relieved her SO suddenly that she
aspcd again. Peter, tired of the soil
ary kitchen, had come up stairs, pushed
is weight against the door, released
nc plug, ratified the shot down, and
'Scared at the sounds himself had made"
vas begging to he let in. For once
1iss Buelah was angry with her pet,
nd picking him up bodily, took him
Ito Lecty's room and dropped him
own to the wood-shed roof in the rain'
tut this ended the shot-trap defense.
One day Miss Beulah received a call
ON Mary Jane Beers.
Give had enough of perventin'
gainst burglars!" sighed Miss Beulah.
Don't We recall what It said in our old
,ader, The coward dies a thousand
eaths?' Well, It's So I've ben through
ith several burglars, an I've got done
18th 'em; Pm a-goin' back down stairs
, nut my trust in Providence an LET