St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1892-08-06

|
some of the bills must be settled at once
his account was overdrawn at the store
1t made him shudder to think of it. TIL
cabin of the ferryboat was sitting. /
spite of the lowering clouds and piercing
wind, he made his way out on the for
ward deck, and as he saw the blacl
waves of the East River surging agains
the Shiny sides of the boat, he was strong
ly tempted to do away with all furthe
trouble for party called Pillikin.
| While the temptation assailed him, tn
chains ratified, and newsboys' cries wer
heard on the Brooklyn side, the boa
bumped against the dock, the crowt
pushed him along, and he found himsel
plodding his homeward way. He couldn'
bear the depressing influence of the horse
cars, so he trudged along On foot, fierce
March slect beginning to beat upon tn,
| only high hat he owned in the world l
was utterly impossible to buy another
but Pillikin didn't care. He probably
wouldn't need high hat in the menia
employment he would be compelled tc
accept when he was kicked out of Hard
scrabble & Co.. s, and had lost the trade
of Brown of Nevada When he at last
reached home his fingers We're so numl
with cold he could hardly get the key il
the door, but this didn't matter in tho
least. Several young and energetic
parties ran to let him in; his plump
pretty little wife took his coat and kissed
him; his still plumper and prettier sister
ln-laW took his hat and cane and kissed
him; half dozen rosy children put up
their mouths to be kissed. The dining
room was warm and coy; there were his
chair and slippers waiting him by the
open fire; an inviting meal was wasting
its unctuous odors in the halls below.
my love-" said his wife, chow late
you are!n
my dear said his wifes sister, eve
were so afraid you'd gone off with some
of those horrid customers. You know
you expected Brown of Nevada---"
'Jo, dear, Jo-my husband, my love,
my darling-what is the matter2
Poor 10 Pillikin had sunk into a chair.
put his head upon table and burst into
tears
1t was weak and unmanlv, perhaps;
but he had eaten nothing since breakfast,
had been badgered and worried. and on
his feet all day; the March wind had
pierced to the marrow of his bones. To
find all this love and cheer and comfort
awaiting him, to remember how he had
perlled them all in his talk with Hard
scrabble, how he had been tempted to
drown them all in his cowardicc while
upon the fcrryboat, and, above all, for
his sweet slster-in-law to pelt him with
the crushing name of Brown of Nevada.
the author of all his misery-it was too
much for poor 10 Pillikin. He wept, not
as woman whose tears console and com
fort as they flow, but as strong man
weeps when the first keenness is added
to the agony of despair.
Pretty Mrs Pillikin got down on her
knees, and wept on his shoulder, her
sister cried upon his other shoulder, and
all the little Pillikins set up howl, none
OF them knowing in the least what
they were crying about save poor 10,
whose tears ceased to flow when he found |
how contagious they were.
In the midst of all this uproar a man
mounted the stoop and rang the bell;
out 1t was Bridget's day out, and in al.
his noisy distress none of the Pil;kins
heard the bell. Pillikin had in his
CITATION left the door ajar, and nobody
lad thought to shut it. SO the stranger
walked into the little reception room.
loplng that he would soon have an op-
,ortunlty of making himself known.
When all this sobbing fell upon his ear, he
vas annoyed and shocked, and scarcely
new what to do. Throug Oh crcvice in
he door that separated the reception
rom the dining room, he saw 10 Pillikin
tting by the table, his head bowed
pom his hands, one pretty young woman
rcssed IN some soft, warm. gray material
)bblng on one of his shoulders. and a
I'LL younger and prettier woman dressed
black sobblng on the other shoulder,
ld around the room, all about the floor ;
1d the chairs, were innumerablc chill ;
rem, all bowling at the top of their lungs. {
llllkin hastily dried his tears and com t
osed his features, and began to soothc /
s family He took one of the pretty
omen on one knee, the other on the T
her, and gave zach of his ten fingers to 7
e young brood, hushing and coaxing
en- into calm. q
''There, there said 10, "don't cry f
y more. I'm heartless brute to have
orrled you so. But couldn't help it. O
eel better now; but | was never so Y
mpletely broken up in my life. | a
mt mind telling you that I have done V
very imprmcnt thing 1t has weighed a
e mountain of lead upon my heart S,
q conscience; but l feel more courae O
us now that | know you love me we'll u
ough to share the burden. But I al
ght to have kept my temper. A man c,
ght to think of his family when his
uatlon is at stake, and it was enough a,
make Hardscrabble lose whatever de- II
ICY he ever had to see Brown of II
vada go into Scrimmage & Co.'S" b.
5oth the women started and turned re
oh, Suew faltered the wife to her SC
Brown of Nevada?n bf
oh, Kate" gasped the young widow q
the wife-''into Scrimmage & Co. 'sr' sn
Brown of Nevada!'' they repeated to- /
her, shaking their heads mournfullv. Ike
Yes, Brown of Ncvadaw repeated 10, sa
) shaking his head mournfully, but lir
ing consoled, in spite Of himself, with
famlly's appreciation of the disaster ar,
had befallen him. ''This was the IN
p that overlooked the bitterness of dr.
cup: Brown has always been nv wa
card. 1t was pleasure to sell to do
Wn. Most of these men would skin tie
"a for its hide. But there is nothing tn,
n about Brown" 70,
There's something very mean in his Oct
e to Scrimmage's, said Mrs. Pillikin. wa
| call it a very dishonorable action" dir
the widow. m
No." said Pillikin, "not dishonorable, ant
fly; but | must say, if he wasn't all,
fled with me, he might have bought the