The Opelousas courier., 1889-06-08
LOUIS MIRACLE.
It is One That Might Easily Be
Initiated.

It is One That Might Easily Be
Initiated.
s'He's the most mischievous boy I
ever saw" cried Aunt Euphemia.
sAnd the most troublesome" said
Aunt Marcia.
"And the noisiest," sighed grand
mother.
'.And the mostdestructive." groaned
Lou, clearing away the debris OF the
accident. The handsome majolical
vase which had been her uncle's
Christmas gift lay in fragments upon
the floor, its trailing vines, fragrant
heliotrope and waxen begonias hope
lessly ruined. Lou loved her flowers
extravagantly, putting into their cult
ure all that artistic power which
most girls expend on drawing, paint
ing or embroidery; and the tears filed
her eyes as she gathered up the dis
severed fragments.
81 didn't mean to-" Lynn growled,
trying to insinuate the toe of ms boot
into a thin place in the carpet.
mo, you never mean to-" said Aunt
Euphemia,~ severely, land yet you keep
this house in commotion from morning
till night. suppose you don't mean
to make a hole in that carpet, either,
but I may as well get my darning-
needle and yarn ready. Why can't
you behave like other boys, Lynnp"
What's a fellow going to do, I'd
like to knowp It's don't touch this
and don't meddle with that from
weeks end to weeks end. There's no
place to fish or row; I can't have a gun
for fear I'll hurt some one; there amt
no boys to play with, and I'm just sick
and tired Of books. I'most wish / was
dead!" and a suspicious tremble OF the
voice closed the sentence.
Lou, looking up suddenly, saw the
merry black eyes growing dim and
misty, and relented.
'.But since you're still alive" she
laughed, ''you may as well help clear
away this rubbish. Put these stems in
that pan of sand. I can use them
when they have rooted. After We are
through with this I'll play a game OF
Scroquet with YOU"
1T is too bad" she added to herself,
as Lynn set to work with ardor and
dispatch; s5eousin ought to Gave some
thing to do. Uncle is too bfsy at the
shop to look after him, andpneither OF
our aunties or grandmother have any
patience with children. Unjust set my
wits to work to find something to keep
him busy and she remembered with
keen self-reproach how little she had
done in the long months since Uncle
Fred and Lynn had become members
of the family to make life more toler.
able for either of the sad hearts bur-
dened with sorrow for the loss of wife
and mother.
Five minutes later they were out or
the eroquet ground. The game pro
crossed rapidly, and soon, with skill
full stroke, Lou sent her adversary's bal
spinning away beyond the boundaries
and her own to the stake. Lynn RAJ
after his elusive property, which BIZ
disinterred from a heap of rubbish,
and came back m~uttering Grossly tx
himself, as he brushed the dust from
his clothes: "What a mess of stuff!'
The croquet ground was on the ives
side of the house, which faced tn
north. The corner to the southwes
formed by Sne fences encircling tn,
garden and ,sdiacent field was the re
ceptacle for all the household debris
and was now full to overlooking. A
LOUIS eyes followed the boy in hi
search, a play she had learned q
school returned to her.
turn your back, = she said. author
itatively as her cousin reached he
side. and as he instinctively obeye
she initiated his example.
Now, when I say ready tur
quickly as possible and back to place
and let us see In that brief glanc
which one can see and name the MOI
articles in that heap OF rubbish
Lynn was back in his place in a mi
ment. You Begin he said, breatl
lessly.
"A pile of brush, two barrels,
stump of q tree, a broken kettle =
Lou paused and Lynn screamed wit
delighfn
YOU'RE q bright one.n he cries
Now Just hear me. Al broken pitchet
some poles, peach cans, tomato can
oyster cans, plaster. an old rake, tW
rusty pans. some bricks and stone
boards, an old straw hat