The Opelousas courier., 1889-04-06

III was juSU LuG 1l1IoN W11Cu AC1p was
needed on the farm, s'the very worst
kind" The apple crop was large and
Farmer SymRs had a big orchard, and
it required a great deal of time an
labor to pick the fruit carefully frofs
the trees and, after sorting it, to LOAD
it up and haul it to market, ten miles
away.
"Drat them hired han's!" the old
farmer snapped put as he pounded a
nail into the box he was making.
They're wus'n gar broth. When a
Teller dom need 'em they're monty anx-
iOus to git a job, but when they air
needed not a dinged one of 'em kin a
TELLER git. I'll hev ter go now an hunt
a han sum'ers, fer them apples has
got ter be gethered right off Oh Their
frosthH git 'em, ~sertain."
AS the farmer ceased talking he
drove the last nail in the box, and for
a moment sat still, with his eye fixed
on the head of the nail. How long he
might have remained thus absorbed in
thought, no n can tell, had he not
been aroused by a small voice, saying:
t'G'evenin'.n
The old farmer sprang up Is IL he
had been shot, looked wildly around
him on every side, but could see no
one.
"Humph, reckon / hain't been err
dureamin'," he unused. THAT shorely
WIS somebody as spoke"
Then he glanced around again, but
seeing no n he rubbed his eyes and
concluded that he hadn't heard any
voice after all. He stopped aud picked
up his hammer and nails and was
turning away when a hearty laugh ar
rested his attention and looking close
ly in the direction from which it came
he saw a pair of bright eyes glistening
through a crooked rail fence. For a
little while the farmer gazed at the
eyes and the small porefon of the face
that was visible through the narrow
crack and then he said:
What dyer mean a slippin' up on
or Teller that ere wayP" 49,
4 never slipped up on nobody" the
small voice replied, and ut the same
time the owner of the eees began to
climb up or top of the fence, where he
soon perched himself in a comfortable
position. The old farmer eyed the APP
partition in silent wonder and what he
saw was a lad of perhaps fourteen
years, tall, thin-faced, long-limbed,
and dressed in q pair of cotton pants
at least six inches too short at the bot
tom and equally as much too long at
the top, an old wool hat run up to
peak in the crown and tapped down
in the brim. The farmer eyed him all
i've and then broke out into a laugh,
saying.
'tWel, yer a nice pickle, by gum.
LA. ha, ha!n and he held his sides and
stamped his feet. The boy looked on
while a broad grim crept over his dirty
features. making his mouth resemble
u crack in a black log.
Say, whar dyer come TRUMP" the
farmer demanded when he got over
laughing.
"Frum over thar the boy said.
jerking his head<Sack in the direction
indicated.
"Frum ther cityP''
Yep
Run erway, hey?''
mo. ! hain't erway; ! walked
erway.,
Folks live in Their cityPp
"Hain't got none
No father, nor mother, nor nothin'Pn
"Noap.n
FRIENDS live thar, them"
whats thenpn
why, people whut keers for YOU"
s.Hain't got none o. them. nuther.
Hain't nobody keered for me since I
been left alone, and hev he'd ter look
out for myself. My names Joe.''
The farmer was silent d moment,
and then, looking up, be said:
You're a quare sort O. chap, IN I
dunno what TO make outten you.
What yer doina out herePn
q got tired o. Their city, an I felt es
II eaike to be out in ther country
Rwhalas Town gets mighty tiresome
te 9 feller when he stays Their all the
time. So Z jist jirxed up an skun out,
au here ! am Say. it's hard work
Mstlkin' all day, All it makes 4 BODY
tired an hungry