The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1888-03-24
THE FERRY WOMAN

Onthe banks of river far out in the
woods there stood little hut made OF
logs aud rough boards. 1t was queer
little hut of two rooms that seemed 10
have been built far apart, but had come
together aud married each other. Each
room had curious mud chimney built
outside and looking as if it might have
been mud tower thrown up in the
night by some gigantic crayfish also
each had door and window opening
with a wooden shutter that swung out
side on hinges made .of old bits OF
leather, and when the shutter wsuld be
closed, which was seldom, it was fas-
tened by means of rough wooden
button that turned on screw. The
way these two rooms had been brought
together was by means of plank
porch. end between the two roofs the
red and yellow poles Of young pine
trees had been laid evenly and neatly
thatched over with crisp dead pine
needles. When the wind blew or the
pigeons walked over this thatched roof,
the needles knit busily one against the
other, giving out sharp little cracking
noises that were comfortable 10 listen
to. A few chickens picked about the
porch or cackied down into the straw
under an old shed ~ a corner OF the lot,
aud an old yellow cow grazed out on
the bare yellow hills. The hut and
garden were inclosed by rail fence
and in the garden, under some plum
trees, few cabbages and beets anc
, onions we're growing.
The garden was pretty to look at
and made one think, as neat vegeta
BILE garden always does make one think
of a comfortable country home, ana
mid day dinner of pink boiled bacon
golden corn bread, and by way of rells'
d a platefu! of silvery white onions, Ten
der and crisp and with such gay gree
tops.
All about were the forests with tn
wind forever moaning in the tree tops
the frogs forever croaking in the dan
hollows, the jay birds forever tap, taE
ping on tho rot,ed trunks OF old dea
trees, Not another sign OF human Ill
= was visible, the little hut'had no riva
j, in this grand and lonesome domain.
' An ugly, oily river, deep, dark an
still. flowed through the WOODS nes
the hut. It's waters were bitter an
black. stained with steepings OF mi
lions of fallen rotted trees. Nothin
was ever seen floating on this river-r
~ dead leaves, nor logs of wood, nor ca
csss of any drowned animal, and 1t w
: said that such things would not no
but were always sucked down into Il
ouicksands. Anyhow, be that as
may. the name Of the river W
uWolf," and sometimes in the mgr
when a storm came up and the wat
moiied by with a howliDg cry. the !
tle toWhended children in the nut
the bank would tuck their heads doV
ny under the pink and white log 'cao
iouilt and cry out 10 each other WI
at little shivering thrills in their sh'
treble voices that now the wolf
- coming after them for sure.
A road came out of the pine ior
and ran down through the SHIN
white sand TO the brink OF the riV
The sand was so white hereabout u
the children used 10 call 1t the Wo
faucs. Bu, faugs are cruel, and so
was not true, for the sand was soit
lie in, and pleasant TO play I'D, ano
build grand castles in, and TO dig
80 wells in, and above all, graves Tor
20 little birds that died of old age out
the forest. The road began again
the ether side the river ana, iit
aTS. lonesome traveller who might perf
=: he waylaid and murdered when ~
>hk' came on, plunged off directly in'
dismal swamp where the trees Y
hung With moss and where the all
A. Tor holes were or 10 feet deep.
10 cross this river there was a ie
and the woman who lived with
g little children i'm The cabin on the
1'1' was the ferry woman. The ferry
only a huge fiat-bottomed raft, q
of pine trees and planks, large en'