St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1892-02-20
A WHITE ONE.

The air was thick with steam and i'm
pregnated with the smell of soap, and
the temperature was by no means low,
more especially as the sun was stream
ing in through the uncurtained windows.
But the laundry girls were used to these
inconvenience and thought nothing of
them. They chartered continuously over
their work, not because they were happy
or because they had anything particular
to say, but because they had no concep-
ton Of the dignity of silence. The con-
versation was, perhaps, not of the most
edifying description, and the language
employed was forcible, garnished by
slang, and not free from superhuous ex-
pletives, for these girls were not of the
highest type. There was curious taw-
driness or rather gaudiness about their,
for the most part, ragged dresses; they
had big, heavy fringes, which the steam
had taken out Of curl, so that in nearly
every instance they struggled into the
bold eyes beneath them; their faces, too,
were in striking contrast to their hands
in the matter Of cleanliness, for it was
not compulsory to put them in the water
in order to earn livelihood; but they
were better in this respect than they
would be nearer the end of the week, for
to-day was only Tuesday.
The only exception to the universal
untidiness was manifested in the person
Of one whom the girls called Liza (the i
being pronounced as if it was the diph-
thong ai). This Liza, the preliminary
sc" OF whose name was invariably
dropped by her acquaintainces, was a
hunchback, and her face, though it pos
sessed the merit Of cleanliness, was al
most repulsively ugly. The complexion
was sallow, the mouth badly shaped, the
eyebrows obtrusively dark and heavy;
very sad were the eyes beneath them,
had there been any one to note their
wistful look, but Liza did not encourage
scrutiny, and, indeed the brown eyes
were not remarkable in themselves, and
were moreover half hidden by the droop-
ing lids, from which she glanced in a
sideways, half-sinister manner. Liza
was not very popular among her compan-
ions, partly because she chose to be ex-
elusive, and partly because she could ON
occasions say unpleasantly sharp things.
But there was one person whom she
loved, and that was Miss Calender
By and by the ringing of a bell Gre
ated diversion among the workers.
Almost simultaneously eight pairs of
red, soapy arms were drawn out Of the
wash-tubs, eight pairs of red, crinkled
hands were wiped on some portion of
convenient apparel, and eight pairs of
ill-shod feet tramped into an adjoining
room.
AT table in this room stood young
lady, very sweet in appearance and pref
tily dressed. She nodded in friendly
way to the girls, and shook hands with
each one as they passed. She had their
interest at heart, and made it her duty to
come two or three times week and pro-
vide them with dinner. This dinner con
sisted usually, as on this occasion, of q
plate of soup and a large slice of pud.
ding, for which they paid penny; sec
ond helping of either could be had for a
farthing, SO the payment was merely
nominal; but the girls were exempt from
the feeling that they were the recipients
Of charity.
The coppers were "dabbed'' down on
the table in little pile, and Miss Callen-
der ladled out the soup, which was quickly
and noisily consumed. The young lady
watched the other women, smiling. Per
fectly dainty herself, theirroughness did
not seem to repel her.
"Girls," she said presently, in her
quiet, clear voice, II am going to give a
party in the Mission Hall. viii you
Gomez"
There was chorus of delighted assent,
accompanied by general Gathering of
spoons on the almost empty plates.
"Lor, Miss; what sort of q party
might it be, now?"
"Oh, friendly said Miss Calender.
'Music, and plenty to eat, and-you
may bring your sweethearts.
This caused prolonged giggling.
"Might we bring more than one?" in
quired Polly BIaines, who enjoyed the
distinction of being the prettiest of the
girls.
Miss Calender shook her head disap-
provingly.
"You oughtn't to have more than one,'
she Sald, smiling.
ooh! as for that, Miss, | don't want
any, Pm sure; but there, the more you
| draws off, the more they comes on
That's how it is with men, and that's why
them as don't want 'em, always has the
most admirers
And Polly, conscious Of a fascinating
retrousse nose and dimpled chin, tossed
her head in the air.
Whereupon all the girls, not TO be out
done, and by no means retcent on the
subject of their love affairs, fell to talk
ing about them, finding the topic emil
nently congenial, and treating it in a
manner which displayed no more vulgar
ity OF heart than is concealed by certain
ladies. Miss Calender rather encour-
aged than checked them; she liked them
to be perfectly natural before her, and
was glad of anything which gave her an
insight into their lives and characters.
Two there were who kept silence; one
little newly married woman, to whom
| love was too sacred for common speech;
and Liza.
The pudding she had begun to attack
| seemed to stick in 'Lizas throat, and she
had great difficulty in gulping it down,
for the other hunger Of which she was
often conscious, the hunger Of the heart,
now so asserted itself as to make her OBJ
! livious of bodily needs. Something there
was, too, of bitterness in her mind as she
listened to the talk of these others. Per-
haps Polly's words did more to cause it
than anything else: "Them as don't
want 'em always has the most admirers. )"
Looking up, she suddenly met the eyes
of this girl. To her morbid imagination
they expressed pity, perhaps scorn. She
crimsoned.
There was momentary lull, SO that
they all heard her when she said in Pc