St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-10-13

Nioh ulu Sit DICK, found that MAJ
dy had been gone away nigh on to for
months. She went off to Ioway wi
some white folks, who wanted her fe
nuss, and OATS de las I ebber heere
OF my ole oman till to-day. use roam
: ed round heap sence den, but hair
nebber come across Mandy, nor fou,
anybody dat knowed whar she was. A,
to t'lnk dat Use foun' her after all des
g years-hit jes' seems too good to b
true!'
"lt seems that she has found vou
Uncle Ike" / said, ''for there is moth
ing about the letter to tell where i
came from. So, you see, you dom
know where she is living, after ALL"
Uncle Ike's countenance fell.
us dat sop he exclaimed in a ton,
of keen disappointment. "But hit dom
matter long as she's comm, he added
his face Frightening again.
"Of course not" said, quickly, see
ing that he was eager to be gone. %
shall run down to the cabin tomorrow
and help you fix up things
Tank you, Miss Lucy. You nebbel
1ors!ts ole Ike, an when Mandy comes
you'll find her a mighty good hand te
help about de house. Der amt any
ting under de sun dat oman can't dol!
and with a chuckle of delight, Uncle
Ike went off down the lane.
That night, when told Brother Rob-
ert about the letter, and Uncle lkes
plan for having every thing in order
before Mandys arrival, he agreed to
JON me in helping to fix up the little
cabin.
Il hope Mandy will prove a good
cook" he said, "for | am tired of see
Ing you in the kitchen so much, and
you really need some one to help you. -
Early the next morning | heard
somebody singing, and looking out of
my bedroom window, / saw Uncle Ike,
gong in and out of the little cabin.
bringing out glass and putty to mend
the broken window, yet pa,lsing a mo-
meat to take a look at the little square
fioWeT-bed he had made in the corner
OF the fence, or to trim a branch of the
maple tree that shaded the house, al
ways humming a song as he worked,
with an occasional furtive look down
the lane, as if he half expected to see
Mandy coming. At noon | heard the
twang of his banjo, as he rested for a
little while in the doorway. In the
evening he came snuff1ing to the kitchen
door, and asked to see me.
Miss Lucy, would We min givin' me
few hollyhock seeds, an some OBJ dat
larkspur an sweet mint in de gyarden?
L nebber had no idee OBJ maxim flower
bed till now, but know Mandy II want
a little gyarden OBJ her own to work in
when she haint got nothin' else to do. -
Take any thing you want, Uncle
Ike, and make your garden as pretty as
you can," said. II shall give you a
curtain for your window, and if you care |
to use it you may have the little stove
in the wood-shed. Don't stop to thank
me" | added, smiling at the quaint
courtesy he gave me, ''but plant your
flowers at once, for who knows but that
Mandy may come to-day
For week afterward Uncle Ike's face
beamed with happiness and hope. And
as ! had no particular need of him Just
then, allowed him to spend the greater
part of his time down at the cabin,
where he busted himself making things
nice and comfortable against Mandy's
arrival. Every day, when the train
stopped at the station a half-mile away,
ne would mount his old gray mule and
tide down the road to meet his cole
oman, who he was 'ssartin" would
come on that very train; and if he
always came back crestfallen and dis
appointed, it would be only to brighten
Up again the next day. And so for
many weeks he worked on, always pa
lent and accomplishing, and seldom
a doubt as to Mandy's final
oming. But l knew that he was be-
inning to lose hope, and when l found
Inn doing something that he confessed !
have just remembered, / was sure he ]
vas only working to drive away his
loomy thoughts.
The summer came, and with the
yarm, sweet days Uncle Ike grew s
Moody and restless, and 1 noticed that t
e no longer sang at his work. Only
t night would he take his banjo, and, l
itting in the cabin door, play softly e
ne quaint melodies that were his only
place in his loneliness. Sometimes n
ebert and | would find him sitting UNI 7
er the maple-tree, his banjo by his Il
de, his face buried in his hands, while L
e rocked himself from side to side as t
in bodily pain. And every day I s.
'ok the soiled yellow envelope and g
udied the blurred post-mark, hoping L
be able to read 1T, SO | could find q
,me means of communicating with r.
andy, but always without success. II
One evening in June, Robert and r.
alked down to the cabin just as the o
Don began to shed soft, silvery light b'
,er the quiet valley. Uncle Ike had C
implanted of feeling sick, and as he &C
ID not been up to the house to finish 10
s daily chores, we were little I'M al
sy about him. We found him lean Gil
G idly over the little gate, looking th
raight before him, and on his black pc
&c q tear glittered in the moonlight. WI
IS weary attitude and the sight Of Tn
at tear, gave me a feeling of in vo
scrlbable sadness. / had never be- er
e seen one of his race weep, except la'
frantic hoWlings and lamentations ne
Vt form part of their religious wor- en-