The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1886-11-12
A LOST OPPORTUNITY.
A Tale of Disappointment from
Queue Tortue."


In an out-of-the-way section of VIVA
is known in Louisiana as the Attakapa
country lies the little prairie of Queue
Tortue, or Turtles Tail Its ;nhabit
ants are the descendants OF the origna
Aoadian settlers, and for over {
century past they have kept almost en-.
tirely to themselves, marrying anc
intermarrying, so that every residen
there is related to every body else il
the prairie. They have a decided
distaste for any thing that tends towarc
progress, and the habits and manners
OF their fathers are followed as pieous
ly as are the instructions of theil
priest. Supplemented, gay and i'm
bued with all the esprit of their French
ancestors, they are probably as con
tented people as can be found OF
either side of the Atlantic. Raising
cattle, tilllng some cotton and loving
their families, they entertain but little
regard for what is transporting in the
great world beyond the boundaries oil
Queue Ortue. Their wants are bu
few, and with enough coffee, tobacco
and corn, they live contentedly to 9
ripe old age. Strong in their affections
family ties are held in reverence, and
a fourth cousin receives as hearty &
welcome at their simple homes as &
brother or near relative. They are,
however, exceedingly shy of strangers,
and it requires long residence in that
locality to secure even the faintest up.
proach of intimacy with them.
Near the center of the prairie, in a
plain cottage of four rooms, the Pom
pom fami y lived in that bucolic sim.
plicity which had given such longevity
to their ancestors, To the observer il
would seem that the same strings O.
red peppers were hanging from the
Eafters that were picked in the fortes
and the same little black cof1ee-poI
was resting beside the hearth out OF
winch their grandsire, Pierre Alcibiade
Ponpon, had taken his morning cup
There could be no question about the
furniture, for all of it, save one modern
bedstead, purchased in later times fol-
the girls, was of SO primitive type it
was even eloquent OF its antiquity. Al
one end of the gallery an antiquateu
hand-loom told where the family nan.
Kin cottonade came from, and a col
lection OF empty surdine boxes under
the house suggested newly &C.
CURED tastes not entirely in Keeping
with the primitive character of the
aforementioned loom. Four yellow.
haired dogs dozed languidly in the
afternoon sunshine on the bare patch
OF earth in front of the domicile, now
and then mastering up sufficient nergy
to go through sort OF banjo-pickino
N,bratory movement with the left hind
leg, as they sought to remove the
predatory flea,
Beyond, the swells of the prairie
went rolling away in the distance like
great pillows of green, with here and
there knots of cattle like bits of sea.
weed ailoat on the surface. Still be.
You'd, sky and grass met where it ap.
peared the world ended. SIX rtinos OF
cypress in some directions told OF me-
andering bayous, and once in while
thin column of smoke indicated the
pos ton OF the nearest houses, some
four or five miles away.
1t was bright October afternoon
and the air was fragrant with the odor
OF the rlpening grasses and flowers OF
the prairie. Great white clouds in
broken outline lay along the horizon
like mountain ranges, the sides OF
winch were riven by gorges and can
yons of shadow. A crew of nomadic
white cranes wore pluming themselves
at iater hole about quarter of a
mile away, while above. seeking the
shelter of the far-off sea marsh, wisps
of blue-winged teal were scudding be,
fore the first north winds of the
autumn. Tied to a china tree near the
Pompon dwelling, with dropping head
and eyes half-closod, stood a small
Creole pony, as uncanny looking
quadruped as a horseman could wei.
imagine, A rough saddle with heav,
wooden StiTups, rawhide bride with
strong curb bit and saddle blanket
made of moss, were the only orna.
ments of the little beast. Diminutive
as was the animal, it was evident from
the length of the stirrup straps that his
rider was quite tall individual
Such surmise would have
been at once corroborated by a glance
into the front room, which served Al
once as Parlor, bed chamber and sit
ting-room. There. on low, straight
backed oak chair of raw hide bottom,
sat young man of about TWENTY-FIVE,
his face hronzed by exposure, and his
long boots despatched with mud.
Sanding in those same boots the wiry
cavalier would have measured some.
thing Ike six feet two inches. His
features showed that he was of Anglo.
Saxon blood. He was known in the
neighborhood as IN sieu Hareese," .
sight variation on his patronymic,
Harris. Some eighteen months before
the afternoon referred to he had pur-
chased tract OF land in the prairie,
and on it had opened stock farm on a
small scale. He was industrious.
genial and frank, so that after period
o probation he was greeted by the resi-
dents tht reabouts with something like
cordiality. His little ranch, as he liked
to call it, was about five miles away
from the Ponpon residence, and on
tbs occasion he had galloped across
til" prairie and ridden directly into
what would have been the front ward
Of that family, had there been any
fences around the place, There was
something in his face that betokened
unusual earnestness, and when he
vaulted out of the saddle and, hat in
band inquired Of the young lady, in q