The Opelousas courier., 1891-01-03

pushed ON till the early lamp-light seoao
out upon him from the Bartholomew
windows.
Against it Liza Bartholomew, when
she opened the door, stood slimly OUT
lided. And Marcus felt panic-stricken.
II guess | won't come IN" he sa1d.
III wanted to ask your aunt what it was
she told me to get if Ira had the Group
again"
ssIpecac," said Mrs. Bartholomew,
coming to the door with the ponderous
I slowness of an over-stout woman. and
her husband followed. "Has he got il
againa"
mo. Mrs. Paynter's afraid he'll
have it. He's playing out in thu
snow" He would gladly hsve withheld
the fact, had he known how to. Fl,
grew red.
"Can't you make him come inf" Mr.
Bartholomew demanded, ard gave !,
snort and a chuckle with masculiu,
ruthlessncss. ''If you amt the fun
niest!"
"Well, there, Samuel" said his wife,
Marcus's ford face was adame. Liza
was looking at him with a quiverina
smile. MIR. Bartholomew chuckled on.
"Marcus," he said, 'tyou want to git
! married. That's what's the matter, Mar
Gus; that's what you need. Git mar
RED"
Marcus turned down the steps, almost
gasping. Without having once looked
fairly at Liza Bartholomew, he knew
how her slender figure and her serious
and sweetly moulded face had looked; he
knew what dress she had on, and that
she wore a ribbon round her neck, aud
the color of it. His heart thumped with
his shamefaced fright; his lips parted as
as if for air. He found, coming to him
self after a minute or two, that he was
struggling in the wrong direction.
Three weeks later, Marcus, going in
from the barn with a horse collar that
wanted tinkering, saw Liza Bartholomew
coming into the yard through the turbu.
lent snowstorm which was darkening the
upper air and whitening the earth. He
hurried In to meet her. The shawl pinned
under her chin was heavy with fakes,
and she took it off and tapped it over
the door step. Her cheeks were red from
their sharp buffeting.
"Aunt Phoebe sent me up with this
apple sauce she said; "we've been max
ing some. We heard Mrs. Paynter had
gone" She was embarrassed and awk-
ward, but she seemed to have braced her.
self for the undertaking, and stood qui-
city.
stSit down" said Marcus. "Why,
yes; she's been gone two weeks. Hes
sons wife is sick, over to the Ridge, and
he sent for her. She thought she'd come
back, but I got a line from her yesterday,
and she don't know when she can. Take
a chair"
He put one forward. There was some
thing beseeching in his voice aud look,
and she sat down.
She cast a startled glance around her.
The surface of chair rungs and centre
table and mantel-piece were lost in dust
the floor was dirty. All things were
heller. skclter, and there were many
articles foreign to asitting-room-a peck
! basket, some tin dishes, a wooden bowl
of red onions, a hand-saw. A fuchsia
on the window-sill-which wa lined
with apple cores-was dead from want of
water. There was no fire in the room,
and a cold draught came from a wide
open back door; a sizzling sound in the
kitchen was attended by a smell of burn
ing grease, and the air was getting blue.
'tso't things amt very comfortable
here Just now said Marcus. He put
down the horse collar, and sat down with
his hands on his knees.
Seeing all, the girl dropped her eyes
in pretence of seeing nothing.
sI amt making things go very well.
[ don't know nothing how. | hain't
ever done anything bu' work around
horses, and I'm making terrible work
keeping house."
He aimed to speak lightly, and put on
a smile to that end. But it was sickly.
Marcus had a strip of red flannel on his
neck, and his voice was hoarse. He had
7 lost much of his rudy color, and Liza
could see that he was thinner.
"Are you sick2n she said.
"Well ! hain't been very WELL" Mar
| Gus admitted. He held her with a solemn
look. His hitherto abashment was sunk
in his misery. s'I've got a cold. Well,
I don't know-and I don't eat much. ]
don't know nothing about cooking, and
I hain't got anything to taste fit to eat.
I've pretty near give it up, and took to
having what [ can buy ready-crackers
and dried beef and such things. / can
boil potatoes and eggs, and / do. I'm
cooking some ham now"
They were coughing with the smudge
of it, and Marcus went out and set the
pan off. His visitor sat with her eyes on
her lap.
"Ira," Marcus went on, his weak grin
faltering, asdon't stay to home much
now. II ain very comfortable here, and
he don't like it. He sleeps here, and
that's about sill. I don't see him very
much. don't know where he is now.
He don't like what I've had to eat, and
he don't eat here hardly ever. He goes
round among the neighbors, | s'pose; ]
don't know just where. I went over to
the DORIS, and offered to pay for what
he's had there, but they wouldn't take
anything. Has he been to your house
muchan said Marcus.
eyes; some" Liza answered. She
could not meet his eyes, because q food
Of tremulous feeling filled her. If there
was aught that was ludicrous, it did NOT
appeal to her; she was stirred with com.
passion. She felt that she could not