St. Landry democrat., 1886-11-06

thereat expressed herself poignantly on
the backs of Miss Beulah's hands. But
the smart had to be endured; it was not
50 bad as the fact tina: she surely de-
tected one of Lecty's red eyes peeping
through knot-hole, watching the pro-
ceeding; but she hoped to battle her by
rolling the flannel package in her
apron and ripping out the contents in
her own room.
Still, they were to hide again,
and after the Rev. Mr.. Jones had gone.
those precious morsels of metal were
bestowed for the night in her left boot,
lying carelessly on its side, hoping that
sleep would fetch counsel as to their
future place of deposit
But hardly was she asleep at last,
after some Waketul hours, than a terri
bic hubbub in the yard aroused her;
hens squawking and tiuttering. the
| downfall Of something in their shed
the loud, sh1ieking crow of her BIG
Brahma rooster, woke her to fearful
consciousness that a burglar was after
| her spoons, for she was too sleepy to
remember that they were no longer
under the hen.
She jumped from her bed to the res
cue. instinctively pulled on her boots,
ana every raging corn on her left foot
was mercllessly thrust against the
spoon edges so hard that unconsciouslv
she yelled more sharply than the old
rooster, and Lecty, reused by the tumult,
came screaming in, leaving all the doors
open behind her, for Miss Beulah
had forgotten to turn the key leading
no hon nh I
window, being wide open, strong and
suttocatlng odor streamed in after her,
that betrayed and named the burglar!
Land sakes, Miss Beuly. be they
Gomez Where be they Oh dear! oh
dear.''
''Shet up!'' calculated the old lady,
who sat On the bed-edge, clasping her
foot in both hands, every nerve CULVER
ing with pain.
What be you tumblin' round here
for this tire O night. Lecty Perkins,"
My sakes! l heered sech yellin' in
the coop-shed, and sech a scream this
way, and known you KEEP suthin' I'M
der the old hen, ! thought O. burglars
to once, and-oh! oh my" for here she
stumbled over the boot, kicked it half
across the floor, and the six precious
spoons hoped and bounded on its trail
with all the alacrity to be expected of |
'.solid silver
You 60 street to bedr' roared Miss
Beulah. ''If you hain't got wits enough |
left to tell po!ecat from burglar,
you'd better be sent to a 'sylum
dl-rect!' Conscience smote her little |
as she reyiled the girl for doing just
what she had done herself. but Miss
Beulah felt 1t needful to set an example
to Lecty, who stole back to her room
ana shut the window, unwilling to be
scolded and suffoca.ed both.
Morning revealed sad havoc in the
shed: eggs broken; one '.settcr" dead.
with fright or asphyxia; the clutch of
half-hatched eggs all turned out, living
about cold and hopeless; and a general,
pervasive atmosphere about all things
that did not SAVIOR of 1.-The actions of the
just, " which high poetic authority as
set the most spiteful trap she could bor-
row right against the shed-door, and
fumigated the premises severely, but
her hens had outlived their usefulness,
at least for some time to come, and her
only consolation was the philosophic
"Well. I'm thankful 'twasn'
a burglar!"
She disposed of her spoons that day
n the recesses of an old shoe-case nailed
up in the closet, under her dresses, and
having hunted out in the garrett a tin
can of yellow snuff that had belonged !,
% her father, and satisfied herself by
actual experiment that it was still pun
cent and potent, she set it on the stand
0y her bed, resolved to discharge its
iery contents full into the face of the
irst burglar who should stand bv her
bedside and demand the spoons But !
wo and three and four nights went by /
With no such visitation; she was getting s
yonted to her room, and began to sleep 1
,nce more, when in the dead watch {
md middle Of Saturday night she
woke to see tall figure at the foot of {
Ter bed like the vision of grisly William
1t far Margaret's. I
Miss Beulah's wits were also about !
Ter; promptly she seized the can of snuff, t
he cover of which was always loosened
he last thing, to provide for such an Y
and threw the whole pound l
# singing, penetrating powder right a
nto the face and eyes of-Lecty! j
A yell that might have reused the 4
own had Dorest people lived in gun |
hot of each other, rung through the
,hamber. Miss Beulah sprung to her
eet, lit her lamp, and discovering that
he screaming, frantic creature was
'nly her weakly handmaiden, began to !.
eel acute remorse: but, practical as ;,
yer, she flew to the wash-bowl, and !
lragging the blinded Lecty with her, :,
'oured the pitcher full of water over ',
Ter upturned face and very nearly :