St. Landry democrat., 1892-10-29

absent and dreamy, as she sat at her net
ting, giving me skein after skein to I'M
tangle, only to mesh them again. My
grandmother was strangely out of sorts
my governess did not please her; my mu-
sic master elected no interest, in fact, she
was fan to put the little man out of the
house altogether, and even my voice was
harsh in my grandmother's ears.
Perhaps she was thinking of her distant
son, perhaps of my beautiful Aunt Wash
ington, perhaps of the little baby she had
not even SEEN Howbcit, my grandmother
was sufficiently out of humor to catechise
| me on geography, and finding me wofully
unresponsive she boxed my ears and sent
me from the room.
Now, the sting of modification was
heavier than the weight of my grand
mothers hand, and gulping a something
that held the nervous semblance of a
piece of crusty corn bread in the throat,
wandered tearfully among the elms. |
would do something. Child as | was, |
felt that l was occupying the position OF
an interloper, and such a position was
unbearable. had my own place to fill,
and could not take Aunt Washington's
no matter how much my grandmother
wished it. Under her cold exterior |
knew that she was grieving, that she
never would be happy again in the alb
sence of her child, though she might die
in her pride without word.
Beyond the arching elms, at sight of
me, my fathers horse, a blooded animal,
whinnied from his tether, eager to be
gone. I patted his sensitive flank that
quivered beneath my touch. He was
saddled and bridled, and yet my father
had not come. Suddenly great thought
trembled at my heart and leaped into my
pulses. The house of my cousin Dorcas
was only six miles away. | knew every
inch of the road, every brake, every
plum thicket. I would heal the family
breach; | would yield my false position;
1 would 90 and fetch Aunt Washington.
No one was about. Quick as thought,
though steathily, | climbed into the sad
die, prepared for once to do my masters
credit; and rode slowly through the
heart of the town, lest | should attract
undue attention. Though people turned
once and again to look at my bare head
and streaming hair, for had forgotten
my bonnet, | was not molested.
All alone, without even Jeoffry to fol-
low-after nearly year of curbing, such
bliss, such freedom! At the edge of the
wood l gave into a brisk canter, to
which the spirited Nero was not averse.
How it would have worried Jeotfry to
keep abreast of that upon his ambling
cob! Such delicious air, such delicious
freedom, with my long curls whipping
my back like SO many loosened Bride
reins.
Almost in my enjoyment I had for
gotten my mission, when right in the
middle of the road, only few PAGES
ahead, a barrel legged urchin threw up his
hat | screamed, but too late, for once
again the dark thing whirled, and, with
a vicious yell, the little rascal disap-
pearcd Nero reared suddenly upon his
launches, then, wheeling like a thing
possessed, took back through the tan
glcd wood. Too frightened to think,
dropped the rein and tlattened myself
against his neck, holding with all my
childish strength to the risingand falling
name. On, on, through the brake and
tangle, scraping me almost from my seat,
the frightened animal sped; on, on-now
back to the edge of the town. With
closed eyes | heard the shouts of the
men, the scream of the women to ''save
the little child.' | thought of my
father, my grandmother, Aunt Washing
ton, the little baby | had never known.
All now would 60 on without me; they
would never know how l tried to make
them all happy. They would never
know that it was not childish prank
and l would have died, in vain, in
vain.