The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1888-12-01
MONROE. LOUISIANA, SATURDAY. DECEMBER L. 1885, "

clock grew loud a. a gong in the mans
ears, and the wind outside seemed to
sound drearier than usual. He re.
turned to the money problem, kindly,
though.
"But how y goiu' Z raise the
money? l 'aini' got no extra cash
mortgage interest paid we 'afn't got no
hundred dollars to spare, Jane, not by
a jugful.''
"Waal, don't you lay awaks nights
studoin' on where I'in a-goiu' to get
the money! said the old woman, tax
ing delight in mystifying him. She
had him now, and he couldn't escape.
He strove to show his Indifference,
however, by playing tune or two on
the violin.
"Come, Tukey, you better climb the
wooden hiil,' Mrs. Ripley said a half
hour later, to the little chap on the
floor, who was beginning to get drowsy
under the influence of his grandpa's
fiddling. "Pa, you had orta "a put
that string in the clock to.day-on the
'larm side the string is broke,' che
said, upon returning from the boys
bedroom. 81 Orta get up extry early
tomorrow, to get some sewin' done.
Land knows, cam, fix up much, but
they is a iee.ie 7 en- do. want to
look decent
They were alone now, and they both
sat expecten.ty.
"You 'pcar to think, mother, that
Pm agin yer goin'.' .
"Waai, it would kinder seem as il
y hadn't hustled yorself any help
me git off,
He was smarting under the sense of
being wronged. "Waal, I'm jest as
Wiiiin' you should go as am for N.Y.
self; but if 'ain't got no money don't
see how Pm goiu' to send--''
81 don't want ye to send; nobody ast
ye to, Ethan Ripley. 1 guess if had
what i've earnt since we came on to
this farm I'd have enough 10 60 to Jer-
icho with.''
"Yuu've got rs much Ont of it as /
have. You talk about your goin' back.
'Ain't been wantin' to go back N.Y.
self? And 'nin't I KEEP still cause I
see it want no use? guess I've work.
Ell jest as long and as hard as you, am
in storms on mud am heat eff it comes
to that"
The woman was staggered, bat she
wouldn't give up; she must get in one
more thrust.
"Waal if you'd managed as well as
l have, you'd have some money to go
With" And she rose, and went to mix
her bread, and set it "raisin'." He
sat by the fire twansing his fiddle soft
ly. lie was plainly thrown into
gloomy retrospectton, something quite
for him. But his fingers pick
ing out the bars of fami iiiar tune set
him to smiling, and whipping his bow
across the strings, he forgot all about
bis wife's resolutions and his own
Troubles always slid off his
back like "pumpkins off a hay-stack"
anyway.
The OLD man still sat iddling softly
after his wife disappeared In the hot
aud stuify little bedroom off the kitch-
pp. His shaggy head bent lower over
his violin. He heard her shoes drop
one, t,co. Pretty soon she called:
"Cotne, put tip that squeakin' old
fiddle, and go to bed. Seems as Ii you
or'n have sense enough not to set there
'Setpin' everybody in the house awake
"You hush up" he retorted he. "I'lI
CONE when I git ready, not till. I'll
be glad when you're gone"
eyes, warrant Mot.'
With which amiable goodnight they
went off to sleep, or at least she did,
while he lay awake, pondering "where
under the sun she was goin' T. raise
that money
The next day she was up bright and
early, working away on her own af>
fairs, ignoring Ripley totally, the fixed
look of resolution still on her little old
wrinkIed face. She killed hen and
baked it. She fried up q pan OF dough-
nuts, and made cake. She was en-
gagged on the dGughnuts when a neigh
Dor came IN, one Of those women who
take it as a personal aftront when any
Que in the neighbothood does anything
without asking their advice. She was
fat. and could talk a man blind in
three minutes by the watch.
"Whai's this hear, Mis- Ripley 20
"I dun know. I expect you hear
about all they is goin' on in this neigh
burhcnd,'' replied Mrs. Ripley, with
crushing bluntncss, but the gossip did
uUt finch.
"WoiE, Sett Turner told me that her
husband told her that Riply told him
that you was goin' back East on a
visit"
"Waai, what of it?''
"Weli, air yeh?''
sThe Lord wiilin' au' the weather