St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-10-30

things, they couldn't play "Grandmam.
Hold your hat, Eddie" called out
pretty little Mary Bell, as bright idea
struck her. Eddie did so, taking his
| place in the line with his hat held be-
| fore him, like an aims basin, and the
game proceeded merrily.
Suddenly Eddie disappeared. Was ii
because the humiliating sense of being
the only boy had grown upon him be-
yond endurance? Oh, no. The fact OF
his being the only boy had, this time.
led to far more prosaic result. This
| is how it was. Mrs. Bell, in providing
for her young guests, had either forgot
ten. or else did not know, that a small
boy had an appetite voracious as that OF
big ostrich. Therefore, the refresh
ments provided for Eddie were far from
sufficient. He had simply run home
from the party to get ''piece.''
He not only got piece. but he had
no more sense than to carry it back to
the party with him. A few minutes
after his sudden disappearance, dozen
girls were edited, in double sense, to
behold Eddie himself march through the
gate of the Bell domain, bearing aloft an
enormous slice Of bread, cut from an
old-fashioned box-loaf, both the bread
and Eddie's face being literally smeared
with molasses He bore it aloft because
it required both hands to hold it in a po-
sition convenient to his capacious
mouth.
And such a chorus of shrieks of mer
rim inh h0
you'll break your toes!' cried one.
"Piggy-wiggy." screamed another.
Dropping his piece, with muttered
exclamation of rage, Eddie hit the near
est girl, who happened to be his sister
Lucy, and shook the next, who hap
pened to be his sister Jenny, and then
made one bound for the gate and tore
home. Thus the party marked an epoch
in his life, leaving its impress for years.
For, as he tore home with his eyes half
blinded by tears of anger and mortitica-
ton. he resolved that, henceforth, he
would be master of these girls, and
show himself their superior And he
faithfully kept his resolution, as we shall
see.
From that day forward, he became to
his sisters, to use slang phrase, "a
holy terror" All cringed in his pres
ence, and to them his will was law.
When they were small, they BACKED his
boots, and unquestionably -obeyed his
every behest; when they were larger,
they asked his permission regarding the
books which they might read, or the
company that they might keep.
Time passed. Edward had graduated
from the village academy, as Lucy had
done the term before him, as Jenny
would do the term after him. Then it
was decreed that he should study medi-
cine. So, his mamma and sisters reso-
lutely packed his trunk for HIM, and he
went away to the city, soon finding
himself in the fourth story of big
boarding house, with three other stu
dents. For the first time in his life he !
could actually live with real boys-or,
perhaps, these boys would have pre-
ferred being styled young men.
Two of the three other boys were
quite ordinary-that is, not very hand
some, not very ugly, not very bright,
not very dull. Walter Jones and Will
Lewis represented the average boy,
from a respectable family in good cir
the boy whom YOU see
every day and never think of remark
ng. But Percy Roy-oh, he was a |
character! So childlike, SO simple
minded, SO stupidity good natured that
one could scarcely forbear asking, not
What possessed him to undertake the
study OF medicine?" but ssHow did he
EVER have wit enough to learn his alpha
oet?" Percy was tall and ungainly,
With a pink baby-face, and mop of
white hair, which alone would have
endered him conspicuous among the
rio with brown locks.
Upon the fourth floor of this big
clearinghouse were two small rooms
md one large one. The two small
ooms were occupied by Walter and
Will respectively, while the two beds in
he large room were taken by Edward
nd Percy; the large room with its cen
er-table and lounges being also used as
common study by the four. They
ould thus have The whole floor to them
elves, undisturbed by any body.
Edward specially found that not only
yas he boy with boys, but also, that
e was boy above boys. Not one of
ne other three could compete with him
/ intellect and strength of character.
nd, in recognized sovereignty, he for
time was happy. But he soon realized
lat recognized sovereignty, excellent
5 it was, was still unworthy to be COM
ared with actual sovereignty, to which
e had long been accustomed. If his
sters were not boys, he could at least
rider them to black his boots; but, al
lough his present companions
ere boys. and insensibly bowed
, his authority, he could not very I
ell command them to wait upon