St. Landry democrat., 1888-08-25
" PAMELY'S GRIT"
HV Todbeater's Scheme, and How
It Was Thwarted.

The narrow Missouri prairie la,
bathed in summer sunshine, its greer
waves dotted with brilliant flowers. Ii
the surrounding woods, too, the flower.
grew and budded and blossomed in due
season, although no human eye nigh
be gladdened by their beauty. A few
farms interrupted the stretch of UNI
broken sod, their pioneer tabodes near
the wooded bluffs ;skirting one side o.
the plain.
In the doorway of primitive log
cabin young girl stood, with he1
apron filed with wild flowers freshly
gathered She sat down on the rude
step, and began to arrange them with
evident pleasure, if with little reference
to the laws of color.
The monotonous creak of a rocking
chair sounded within the room. 1t sud-
denly ceased, and piping voice called
sharply, "Pamely! O Panae1y"
I'm right hyer, gran daddy! Dye
want meP" responded the girl, dropping
her apronful of flowers on the step, and
turning quickly around.
''Whater yer packing thet thar trash
inter Their house furP" croaked the
weazen-faeed little old man in the cor
ner. They amt no SIGH posies ez we
he'd in Indiany when was a boy"
Il Like 'em, gram daddy. They make
me feel better ter hol' 'em in my
hands,
I'VE mought be dom somethin' fur
yer ole gran daddy, Std O. wastin' yer
time on tibet trash!'' querulously piped
the old man.
What d'ye want, gran daddyP" asked
the girl, running to him, and throwing
her arms around his shrunken shout
ders. fare We gittin' hungry aginP"
Il reckon | mought starve ter death
most any time eff 'twa'n't fur We, Pane
ly. Hy, he never done nothin' fur me.
He brung me well-water yistiddy, when
he knowed he'd orter went ter Their
spring.
..Hy hez ter work hard, ye know,
gran daddy"
A sharp expression came over the
grandfather's face.
whats tibet slick chap from Bluff
City a-doin' roun' hyer all Their time,
Pamelyp"
The young girl grew pink and then
pale under the keen scrutiny of those
aged eyes.
Hes goin' ter buy Duck Hawkins
farm, | allow" she replied, pulling ner-
vously at her apron strings.
What uz he come hyer fur ter buy |
Duck Hawkins farm? We hain't got
Duck Hawkins farm done up in er bum
die anywheres roun' hyer, hev we, Pa
melyP"
20 gran daddy" laughed the girl,
merrily, "yer allus sayin' somethin' tibet
funny!" Then troubled expression
drove the dimples out of her round
cheeks II dunno, raaly; but Hy, he's
a-tallin' about sellin' ourn, too. He
allows 'twould be better ter sell out an
go West. He could git heaps more land
out West.
The old man pounded his knotty
hickory stick on the pine floor furi-
ously.
EFF Hy Todbeater pulls up stakes an
moves agin, I'll make back tracks for
Indiany, thet's what will!' he de-
clared, with vehemence. ID
20 gran'daddy, ther amt nobody
there ter take keer of We! They're all
dead an gone; ye'll heu ter go long er I
Ely an me!'' She stopped and pressed
her red lips against his withered cheek, |
and smoothed his thin, white locks with I
her brown fingers. Then, wiping her
ayes on corner of her gingham apron, t
she stepped briskly around the room, &
oausing one moment to place the flow {
srs In a broken pitcher half full of wa t
,er from the spring.
I'm fifteen to-day" she said softly
q herself, placing the pitcher on the '
pine table. Some vague connection be- j
ween the birthday and the flowers ex- i
sted in her youthful Imagination; why, e
he could not have explained. No cell n
,bration Of any such anniversary had S
'ver been hers. Certainly, hard work f
md premature care had been her lot for s
he past three years. i
Hy Iodbeater at that moment was t,
ioHching around the entrance to the G
sffalace Hotela OF Bluff City, five miles Q
'Fay. i any one had asked him the L