St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1893-01-14
oPELoUsAs, LA, SATURDAY. JANUARY Il. 1898 "

ter1aI, SAID ne. '.Bear We this IN nlIna
that, though gentle lorn, ye have had &
country rearing Dinnae shame us
Dayie; dinnae shame us! In yon great
muckle house, with all these domestics
upper and under, show yourself as nice
as circumspeet, as quick at the concep
ton, and as slow of speech as any. As
for the laird-remembe he's the laird
| say no more: honor to whom honor.
It's pleasure to obey a laird, or should
be, to the young"
"Well, sir, said l, sit may be, and
I'll promise you I'll try to make it So"
"Why, very well said," replied Mr..
Campbell heartily. ''And now to come
to the material or Ito make a quibble)
to the immaterial. have here little
packet which contains four things. y
He tugged it as he spoke, and with
some difficulty, from the skirt pocket of
his coat. "Of these four things, the
first is your legal due-the little pickle
money for your fathers books and plen-
ishing, which have bought {as | have
explained from the first) in the design
of reselling at a profit to the incoming
dominic. The other three are gifties
that Mrs. Campbell and myself would
be blithe of your acceptance. The first,
which is round, will likely please ye best
at the first off go; but, oh, Davie, lad
die! it's but drop of water in the sea;
it'll help you but a step, and vanish like
the morning. The second, which is fiat
and square and written upon, will stand
by you through life, like a good staff
for the road and good pillow to your
head in sickness. And as for the last,
which is cubical, that'll see you, it's my
prayerful wish, into a better land"
With that he got upon his feet, took
off his hat, and prayed little while
aloud, and in affecting terms, for
young man setting out into the world;
then suddenly took me in his arms and
embraced me very hard; then held me
at arms length, looking at me with his
face all working with sorrow, and then
whipped about, and crying goodby to
me set off backward by the way that he
had come at sort of a jogging run. 1t
might have been laughable to another;
but l was in no mind to laugh. ]
watched him as long as he was in sight,
and he never stopped hurrying, nor once
looked back. Then it came in upon my
mind that this was all his sorrow at my
departure, and my conscience smote me
hard and fast, because l, for my part,
was overjoyed to get away out of that |
quiet countryside, and go to a great, /
busy house. among rich and respected
gentlefolk of my own name and blood.
''Davie, Davie, thought, 'ewas ever
seen such black ingratitude? Can you
forget old favors and old friends at the
mere whistle of name? Fly, fy; think
shame!"
And sat down on the bowlder the I
good man had just left and opened the
parcel to see the nature of my gifts.
That which he had called cubical had
never had much doubt of. Sure enough.
it was little Bible, to carry in a plaid
neuk. That which he had called round
found to be a shilling piece, and the
third, which was to help me SO wonder
sully both in health and sickness all the
lays of MI life, was little piece of
coarse, yellow paper, written upon thus
n red ink:
ITO Make Lily of the Valley Water
fake the flowers of lily of the valley and
listill them in sack, and drink spoon
sul or two as there is occasion 1t re-
stores speech to those that have the
lumb palsy. 1t is good against the
5out; it comforts the heart and strength
ms the memory, and the flowers, put
nto a Glasse, close stopt and set into ane
ill Of ants for month, then take it
,ut, and you will find a liquor which
zones from the flowers, which keep in
vial. 1t is good, i'll or well, and
whether man Or woman"
And then in the minister's own hand
vas added:
Likewise for sprains rub it in, and
or the cholic great speoneful in the
lour."
To be sure, | laughed over this; but it
vas rather tremulous laughter, and
vas glad to get my bundle on my staff's
nd and set out over the ford and up the
ill upon the farther side, till, just as
anne on the green drove road running
vide through the heather, took my last
ook of Kirk Essendean, the trees about
ne manse, and the big rowans in TIE
,irkyard where my father and my
mother lay.