The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1891-01-03

goat cOuiu say any tnlng.
"rm right here, good people, and I'll
go away when I get ready, and not be-
fore, and if that don't suit you help
yourselves IL you cam"
Five minutes passed, and at the end
of that time, the goat, probably decid-
ing that no further attacks were going
to be made on him, le!surely walked
away in the direction of Parker's. only
stopping once to make stand" when
Mr.. Ramsey showed some evidence of
pursuit
THAT old varmint has got to die, {"
said Mr.. Ramsey, as they resumed their
places at the table. Hes nuisance,
and If Parker don't kill him l will. l
don't see what he wants of him anyway.
It's all nonsense about keeping a goat
around to keep diseases away from the
stock"
Anyway" said Mrs. Ramsey, Park
err had as we'll have diseases among his
stock as for me to have every thing eat
up and broke up by that goat"
There are people who have an idea
that goat on the farm protects the
OthSA ctOCh lIOuu QloCdoCS, Uub WHY bnCy
should have such an idea, and in what
they think the goats preventative vir-
tues lie, am at loss to understand.
But there are people who are firm in
that idea, and Barker was one OF them.
The Ramsey family consisted of Mr..
and Mrs. Ramsey and Lou. Ramsey,
their twelve-year-old daughter. They
liuoA Cd int n
the Parker homestead, and the two
houses were less than quarter of a
mile apart.
However much Mr.. Ramsey was re-
solved on exterminating Parker's goat,
he had to smother his desire for the
time being, for he and Mrs. Ramsey
had arranged to drive over to the store
that day with load Of apples and some
butter and eggs, and as the distance was
quite long they were compelled to start
early.
So, when breakfast was over and the
feeding" done, Mr.. Ramsey brought
out the old mules and hitched them to
the already loaded wagon, and as soon
as Mrs. Ramsey got her marketing to-
gcther she took her place up in the seat
by her husbands side, and they were
ready to go.
'Now, LOU" Mrs. Ramsey called back
as. they drove of, ''be careful about
things, and don't you leave the house
to-day, and remember about that money
in the drawer"
Lou promised to remember, and, after
vuo IN NJ f6o ~ s~kk
the hill, she returned to the house
and for an hour or so was quite con-
tented and happy in looking at the
pictures in an old book which Mrs.
Ramsey brought out on special occasions,
and which was rare treat to Lou, who
had but little to do with books or pict-
ures. But the most fascinating occupa-
ton becomes irksome after time, and
so at last Lou tired of the picture book
and feeling lonely began to look visit
fully out across the big bluegrass past
ure toward the woods where the chill
dren went every day to gather hickory
nuts
''Oh, DEAR" she sighed, II just know
all the boys and girls of the neighbor-
hood are down there gathering nuts,
and why can't 1 go? It's just horrid to
have to stay cooped up here in the
house all day.
Pretty soon there was wild burst of
laughter and a hurrah, from seemingly
dozen throats down in the woods, and
Lou exclaimed:
There, knew they were all out
Oh, how would love to gor'
Still she remembered her mothers
words, though, and stood debating the
question of duty and inclination for
some time, but another burst Of laugh
ter from the woods quite decided her,
and snatching her bonnet she pulled
the door shut after her and went flying
off over the grass to the woods.
She ran along quite close to the
hedge, but so eager was she to reach
her playmates and join in the sport of
hunting nuts, that she did not hear a
slight cracking of the dry brush. nor
did she see dark head that was thrust
a little way above the hedge, gazing
after her with sinister looks.
'I'll not stay long," she thought, as
she sped on, '.and no harm will come of |
1t, Pm sure"
But once in the woods, and with such
lively companions, Lou forgot every
thing, and time flew by so rapidly that |
the first thing she knew it was growing |
late and the sun had sunk far down the |
Western sky. With start she cried:
'Oh, my! how the day has gone. 1 |
must run home at once, or pa and ma
will get back and find me away, and |
then I'll get licking. didn't mean |
10 stay but a minute when / came"
Lou was somewhat relieved when she
approached the house, to find that her
parents had not yet returned, and after
I'll, she thought, no harm was done by
her day in the woods, and it was much
more pleasant than staying at home,
'ven il she had disregarded her mothers
commands.
But when she entered the house her
spirits fell and shc stood aghast The
[raWerS were all takeu from, thu hrro.,, |