St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1892-12-03
Hamilton Pilkl5y Fairfax:
AGED ONE DAY
BY JOHN j. A'BECKET.

At the simmering close of an Angus
afternoon two young gentlemen nigh
have been seen climbing out of a dog car
drawn up in front of whitewashed Negro
shanty, on the ragged edge of Maryland
wood-very tidy young fellows, of thu
class whose chief claim upon the graft
tude of the race lies in their lending {
holiday aspect to worn out world. They
were we'll groomed, acceptably featured
and suggested a pleasant consciousness Of
their own worth.
The misty Blue Ridge Mountains were
casting long shadows, quite in the manner
of Virgilian eclog, athwart the luxuri
ance of the Frederick Valley, while the
broad cornfelds had lapsed from riotous
gold into russell lassitude, now that the
potent alchemlst of the sky had majestic.
ally retired behind the line of undulatine
hills. The grass, too, had intensified into
bluer green, which the walls, fences and
outhouses diversified with the effective
white of wash, severely economical, but
| of decided artistic value.
"Tom," said the younger of the two
men, as he busted himself in fastening the
horse to the tumble-dow fence skirting
kitchen garden, ''you potter around in
the graveyard there while | 90 in and see
Aunt Sarah won't be but minute
and you know you hate the smell of ba-
con in a Negroes quarters. There are
some very nice people buried there" he
added, encouragingly.
"Ail right" said Barnard, and, turn
ing, he strolled leisrrely toward the
cemetery which lay just this side of the
| church, unkempt and neglected. The
| little church was attended once month
from Frederick. The small, whitewashed
box, thin blue smoke floating INDECENT
" from its brick chimney, and its wood
en- porch smothered with Virginia
creepers, was the abode where Aunt
Sarah ate, breathed and slept, with in
ternittent attention to her brood, and
busting ministrations to the priest on his
monthly visits.
She stood in the doorway of her castle
now, her head swathed in faded ban
dana, her arms akimbo. Her white
teeth flashed warm welcome on Paul
Theron as he picked his way toward the
door,
Lord a-massy, eff dat amt you, Mis'r
Theron" she cried, with a colored wo-
mans emotionless vivaeity. II jes done
thought you'd gone back to New York
it's 50 long sence l seen you
She fiirted her checked apron across
the bottom of wooden chair, and made
him sit down for q moment in the kitch-
en-. The smell of the bacon was there,
with its warm grip on the nostrils; but
Theron did not mind it. 1t only gave
him an appetite.
He found out from Aunt Sarah that
Father Heber would come to the chapel
the following Sunday. His sister had
asked him to see when the priest would
be there, as it would spare her trip to
Frederick if she could speak to him when
he came to the mission.
Theron could not get away without
partaking of the Negress's hospitality to
the extent of glass of milk, which she
brought, cool and creamy, from the
dairy, where the water crosses grew so
thickly around the spring. He pro-
nounced it delicious as he dried his lips
with a silk handkerchief. Then he shook
hands with Aunt Sarah, pinched the
black cheek of pickaninny who was
dragging at her skirts, and went toward
the cemetery where he saw Bar
nard standing up to his knees in the long
grass.
Barnard looked up at his approach,
broad smile parting his lips.
"PaIl, just see what | have discov-
ered," he said, as Thereon tore his way
gingerly through the vines and blackberry
bushes. He pointed to o small, conical
shaft of marble, stained yellow-white by
the weather, and half yard high.
There was something amusing in the
dignifed stand it seemed to take among
the impressive tombs whose brick walls
thick slabs. Some of them
had sunk into the earth on one side, and |
he letters cut into the marble were SO
blackened with lichens as to be almost |
INTERCHANGEABLE.
"Snades IF Gulliver" said Theron, as |
he caught sight of the perky shaft.
'Who is the dead giant?'
''Read!" exclaimed Barnard, with his
hands thrust into his pockets. "The in
scription gives his whole history"
Theron got down on one knee, brushed
aside the slender grasses, which rose to
the full height of the monument, and cast
q delicate tracery Of shadow over the
name: