St. Landry democrat., 1890-10-11
ESTHER BARR.
Continued from last week.)


"Very we'll, Annie. One mornln', as L
was savin', after I had finished my work
and John was off over to the Ridge, went
out into the yard and gathered from the
he'd of fiowers-it was Esther's bed, child
all the posies bloomin' there. Then Went
ont through the path yo1 see, Annie, thaC
leads across the hills, far over to where you
see that old tree and stopped under 1t. A
brook is near by-we'll go there tomorrow,
and the birds sing there all the summer
through. Kneein' down | dug up some of
the earth and planted my posies on that
spot. That was the only grave that Icould
ever give my child, Annie, and it pleased
me most to think of its being there; for,
YOU see, we believed her dead, or worse than
that. Every day went down there and put
fresh flowers in the ground until the bed was
stripped clear of everything. But after the
flowers WAS gone | went there just the
same, Annie, and afternoons IKE TINS
| would set out here and look down at thaU
| old tree and it soothed me wonderfully.
| But as the days went on and the 1all was
| comm on John and me both grew uneasy
| and fearful like, as if something was com
| in, something that was painful. Well,
one night, the last of fall, just before win
IL,
| tober. a fearful rainstorm come down the
| mountains and across the Ridge. 1t was
terrible storm, too, such as we don't often
| see. The wind blew and the lghtnln' was
that blindin' that it made our heads reel.
| The rain come down in sheets and the
| thunder just cracked every minute or SO.
| Then, too, it was night, and that made 1t
seem worse. The rain was splashln' on
this back porch and runnin' off in little
| rivers like, and John said that it was prob
ably the last storm of the season. But l
| didn't know; we'd had just such storms lat
| er In the year, though none So powerful BAD
as this About 8 o'clock, just as John and
me was getting up out OF our chairs by the
FIRE, for it was chilly then, there come
terrible crash of thunder and then guss
of wind that blew our latch door wide open,
and there, standin' in the door on this old
porch, was Esther, drenched to the sk1n'
with a shawl wrapped around her and her
| dress clincin' to her. Her face was as
white as the dead and her greateyes looked
terror blind. John and me stood rooted
bv our chairs, for she had come SO sudden
like and looked so like ghost, but Esther
only held out her arms to US. She spoke
no word only held out her arms, and then
I came to my senses. With cry ran to
her and pulled her out of the storm into
my arms. l held her there, Annie, my
baby girl, so cold, so wet, so sick; held her
until she grew heavy in my arms, then
sat down in this old rockin' chair
that l had rocked her to sleep in
when baby, and rocked her gen
tly, never speakin' a word. John was
on his knees by the chair, watchin' her
with such look on his face | shall never
forget Esther had her arms around my
neck, with her poor little thin, tired face
against my face and her eyes closed. What
did I care for the rain and the storm?
Esther was home again - Esther, our
darIin'. Then thought of her wet clothes,
and we soon had her in bed tucked up and
warm. She wanted to speak, but her pa
only laid his hand on her head and said
soft like, Not now, little girl; your old
daddy knows you're glad to come home
She didn't say nothin' only dear old dad,
but her eyes looked hot and dry, just as
they do when you're goin' to have fever.
But she didn't have fever-better if she
had perhaps but she didn't. We couldn't
bear to leave her that night, but she said
i she wanted us to go to bed, and it seemed
most as if it made her nervous like us
sittin' up so we went to bed. But we didn't
} sleep all night; we heard every breath she
made, every sigh, and seems there was
more sighs than anything else, my poor
little bruised baby. Well, early in the
mornin' went to her and asked her if she
slept any. oh, yes,' she said, but I knew
she hadn't. She was too weak to do a
thing that day, and pa and me just nursed
her and petted her, and never said no word
as If anything was different from what it
used to be. We thought to give her heI
own time. you know. Oh, Annie, every
time when would come IN the room anu
see her sittin' there I wanted to just Cry
OUT my heart seemed burstin' nearly. She
set by the window in her own chair all day
long, lookin' out, but never sayin' much
She watched me with her great eyes sc
wistful like, and then I'd 60 over and kiss
her and speak real cheerful. Shewas such
a-wee little thing, and she was more beau
tiful than ever, thought. But I missed
the laughin' eyes and lips, child, but
thought that would come again in time
But it never did"
Dorothy took up her handkerchief and
pulled it through her hands nervously
while Annie choked down the lump that
would rise in her throat. Dorothy went
on in her sad way:
,, "One night some four weeks after she
come home, after we had gone to our room
? / went to Esther's room to see if she wanted
anything but I stopped as I got to the
door. There in her little white night gowr
Esther knelt by the bed and I heard hel
. say, % God, take me before see the shame
5 in my parents eyesr Then, Annie, I went
right in before she left the bed and kneelin
beside my child put my arm around hel
and prayed to my God, o Father, help III
to take up our child's burden and bear il
i for her sake, for she is tired Then 1 sal
Q beside her bed and she said, Mother
: some day I will tell you, when I can.
= I bent down and smoothed back the
pretty hair and says: Yes, some day
t when you want to. And remember
y little one, your pa and me will love ant
;, honor you above the world. But never
o leave us again, darlin',' and she answered
q. Never, mother, until God calls Tha,
C night John and me had talk What
= told him wrung only moan from his lips
: but not word. Long I talked to him
g child, and often I put my arms around
s him as did our child, and at last he looked
: up and said, Together, Dorthy, us three
Q always Well, the winter went, bu
d Esther failed slowly as the spring come
One day at sundown, the 1st Of MAY
Esther's baby was born. It never see til,
light, poor little thing, but we thanked
God for that. Esther cried little, but W,
4 wouldn't allow that. We buried tine baby
y out in under that tree, and three week
Q after Esther was moved to the door her
. to look out on the little mound T~,
b weeks after that little life had com
u and gone Esther called us to her on
y night and told us her story. I'll tel
it, Annie, as near as she told it as can