St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1892-06-04

acnes ana postponed the lesson
Feverish with joy and anxiety, sat a
the coffee table and waited for him t.
come past. NY pockets were stuffed
with dainties of all sorts, and near MT
lay the switch which hoped to-day t.
use in right earnest.
There he came sauntering along! HI
blinked his eyes significantly at mt
while he called out his customary
"Good-morning to you;' and as soon as
could absent myself without remark rar
hastily after him.
"What have you with your" was the
first question.
Two gingerbread cakes, two bread
and butter sandwiches and sausage, q sar,
dine roll and piece of strawberrytart,"
answered, showing him my possessions
lie Immediately began to eat, while
proudly, with Unsurpassed joy, drove
the geese before u.s. From the firwood
whose further half was not wholly
familiar to me, we passed to unknown
regions. Stunted underground rose on
either side, forming a struggling hedge,
till suddenly the wide stretching, endless
heath lay before me.
All, how beautiful it was! AS far as
the eye could reach, sea of grass and
brilliant flowers. and dotted over with
wave-like rows of molehils. The hot q r
wavered. 1t seemed to dance over the
breezy heath. Summer bees made music,
and the golden sun rode high in the deep
blue heaven.
At the woods edge was q swamp with
a little pool in which a yellow-gray thick
water glimmered. Flocks of ducks swan
there; round about it the edges we're so
moist that great water bubbles oozed up
between the grasses, and thousands of
prints of the feet of the geese were to be
seen, 50 that the whole ground was pat
| termed over like carpet. Here was the
drove's paradise. Here we halted, and
while the geese padded contentedly in
the pool we raced about upon the heath,
chasing butterflies and plucking blue
berries.
Then we played at man and wife.
elise, the tamest goose, was our child.
We had nearly kissed and knocked the
poor animal out of life when it struggled
away from our hands after frantic eff
forts. Whereon prepared my husbands
meal. l united my white pinafore, laid
it upon the grass for tabIecloth and
placed on it the remains of the dainties.
He sat himself gravely down before
them; out Of sheer joy at playing at
house | watched him as he disposed of
one sweet after another.
The hours passed as in dream. High
or orb $ho
burnt straight down upon us. A buzzng
sound began in my head, a dull feeling
of exhaustion crept over me and | be-
came aware of considerable hunger: but
alas, my husband had already eaten
everything up. My throat was dry, my
lips were fevered. In order to cool them
| plucked the moist grasses and pressed
them against my mouth. Suddenly the
sounds of bells hoated to us over the
wood from the far distance. knew well |
what it signified. 1t was the midday
signal which called me to dinner. And |
when | should be found to be missing
0, dear, what would become of me-
l threw myself on the grass and began
to sob bitterly, while my companion, with
the hope of comforting me, stroked my
face and neck with his rough hand. Sud
denly sprang up and raced to the woods
as though dashed by the Furies. For
nearly two hours | wandered, weeping,
through the thicket; then heard voice
calling my name, and two minutes later
| ay IN my brothers arms.
The next morning my poor friend ap-
peared as my instigator and accomplice
n irrl,f ,,ih &c orJ &c b,o |
manor. 1t seemed to him quite natural
that he should be made the scapegoat; he
made not the slightest attempt to excul'
pate himself from the whole blame of the
and took the punishment which
my brother applied with great stoicism.
Then he rubbed his smarting back against
the post of the yeranda, and sped away
out of sight, while | lay sobbing on the
ground.
From that day | loved him. | invented
/ thousand tricks and means in order to
meet him secretly. stole like a magpie
30 that he could enjoy the fruits of my
hieying. nearly stihed him with the
excess of my tenderness, with which |
sought to make amends for those terrible
strokes Of the riding whip.
He let my love flow over him quietly,
ind requitedit with pathetic devotion and
! sound appetite.
A year later fate separated us.
My poor mother, who had long been all
ng, was pronounced consumptive, and
rdered South by the doctors. She con-
ided the property entirely to my brother,
nd travelled to the Riviera accompanied
y me.