The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-09-29
be srasped the pail between his knees

the animal attempted ner ulVertlnf
maneuver, but, finding that she coult
not successfully perform it without haz
arding her own neck, she quietly sub
mitted. Joel, who had witnessed Thu
laughable encounter, was supremely
pleased, and went away chuckline
about the boys uncommon "sand.
This latter word in it's slangv express
iveness exactly suited this big success
full Westerner. 1t seemed little less
than an epitome of his life, and wa:
often. sounded from his tongue witt
sinewy zest. Absalom also grew in
favor with the crickety house-maio
Ether. What with his physical and
mental spryness, his laconic speech
and willingness of spirit, his odd in.
trigues and sly dislike of Mrs. Whitney,
he quite overlook her heart. Many
were the games of checkers they
played in the kitchen, and many
were the whispered duets of indigna-
ton they held touching Mrs. Whitneys
unchristian treatment of little John
Earling. This was an unfailing foun.
tain of affinity at which they drank,
looking into each Others eyes from
either brink of the question, though, in
point of fact, it was some time Gre
Absalom was aware that the crickety
Miss Popp returned his admiring gaze,
owing to the abnormal indirectness OF
her line of vision. But Absalom soon
learned in spite of any lack of beauty
in these guiding stars, that about the
crooked orbs of little Miss Popp his
own eccentric sphere of life began to
revolve with sweet and soothing
motion. She was, indeed, of much
value to him; teaching him diligently
and studying diligently herself when
occasion presented, in order that she
might keep well abreast of this keen
witted country boy. Again and yet
again their heads were laid together
over some troublesome problem,
usually with the result of Alb
SALON. seeing its bottom first. As
time progressed, however, and Absalom
heightened in person and began phys
ically to look down upon little Miss
Popp, she began to blush and shrink
from their old familiar contact. This
grieved and puzzled Absalom un-
speakably, and for many days he went
about knocking his shins against famil-
lar objects, and once he was noticed
by Miss Popp to have fallen in his per-
picking reverie over a wheel barrow
with his head under the fence. In this
undignitied attitude he remained some
moments with his legs whipping the
air, and when Miss Ether ran out and
extricated him by pulling vigorously
upon his feet, he only stared at her rue
fully and quavered: 80 Popp! Popp!
how could your and went away into
the barn. That scrupulously-kept pre-
cinct too. in this grievous time of his,
witnessed many evidences of his per-
plexity and distress. Not a few times
he caught himself currying the horses
against the natural lay of the hair,
them look fuzzy and ILL.,
groomed, and twice while passing from
one side of horse to the other by the
tunnel route as be designated it, he
stopped absent-mindedly under the
horse and proceeded to think, was
stepped upon and rudely awakened
from his reverie. How long this per-
plexity would have continued, and to
what degree his reputation for sagacity
and cleverness would have suffered,
had not events changed the conditions,
is conjectural. At any rate, Miss
PopP, sitting in the kitchen one even
ing after day of unusual coyness, was
suddenly startled by hearing a voice
lamenting and calling her name as if
from the bowels of the earth, and
'pringing up, with her: visual peculiar
Ity very marked, she ran out and cast
ing her eyes about in terror found that
the voice proceeded from the cistern.
Leaning into the opening to that cim-
merriam cavern she could hear AbsaIom
laundering in its collected rain. Evil
IDENTIFY he was treading water, or the
fluid was of depth that precluded any
other employment than splitting it out,
tor he alternated each word with
spurt of water. 90 Absalom! Alb
SALON.! is that you?" cried Miss Popp,
her hands.
"Yes-spurt-its me.spurt-O-spurt l.
'purt love squirt you so-spurt-get a.
spurt- clothes squirt line-spurt -Popp-
and-spurt-let it-spurt down spurt-q-
'purt-q-quickn' said Absalom.
Very quickly, indeed. did little Miss
Popp spring into the Kitchen and pro-
cure the clothes-line; winding it about
Ter waist, she dropped one end into
he cistern, and sitting down fiat upon
he ground braced her feet against the
he cistern curb. With might and main
The held on while Absalom clambered
Up the rope. Very besozzled and
'ozey his shoulders and head emerged
rom the opening, and bearing himself
lpon his hands with his legs dangling
n the cistern, he paused and looking
ugubriously at Miss Popp upon the
round, he quavered: 20 Popp! Popp!
low could you2" And Miss Popp,
With melting twitter, caught him
y the head and kissed him.
Whether or not Absalom fell
nto the cistern while in one of
hese troubled frances of thought,
II flung himself headlong into the gi-
,antic jug out of sheer dispair of ever
Miss Popp's attitude, will
,lways remain a mystery. But that
he days went forward very smoothly
'etwcen them thereafter is definitely
ccorded, and also that after this climax
# his troubles Absalom always called
he object of his devotion Poppy"
citing the syllables slip from his tongue
With lingering honey-like drip that
vas very soothing to that girlish person.
Also about this period he found his
leld OF action very materially enlarged
Joel Whitney charming him with