The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1894-11-24

in the woods. She stood there in the
sun with her head uncovered long after
they had moved out Of her sight. The
old man and oma went back to the
rear Of the house, and the children final
" resumed their playing. Still she
stood there, locking. The sun continued
his travelling, and finally dropped be-
hind the woods i'll which her husband
had disappeared.
Eyes" size m~ur1nIrcG, that there's
jim Dobson's work. He tolo Oh Eph."
She shook her kead several times,
locked down the -o"l oicc again and
then passcG into tho house. She pre-
pared the scait.v meal without C word.
There YVES z strange silence i'll the
house, as if u corpse were near. The
children were put to bed, and soon the
old man and old woman followed. Then
Mandy pulled her stool over to the open
window and looked out into the night.
She placed her elbows on the sill and
rested her chin in her hands. The moon
came creeping up from behind q distant
hill and shed its soft light over the
farm Still Mandy gaZed cut into the
night. Her face seemed as void Of x
! preston as tho black oaks il the yard.
The cold, hard stare was directed to-
ward the road, and there it rested i'm
movably. The ho.rs passed slowly.
The moon crcpt On and OF until it was
almost directly over the house. The
loud snoring of the old folks, the coca
SIGNAL cough Of ~ Of the children, the
chirp Of e cricket ard tho croak of a
frog were the Only sounds which dis
turbed the almost perfect quiet.
"'Twan't no harm rohow," she said
to herself. ether law amt 10 right
to pat yer in jail fur maxim money Ell
whisky" And the moon travelled on.
He did it, hat thor Dobson." And
again she rclapsed into silence.
Soon she arose and shook herself, as
if to throw off the chill Of the night
air. She lighted the dip Of tallow and
placed it on q chair; then she reached
Up over the door and took a long rifle
down from its resting place on a pair Of
tree forks. She extracted the charge
with q long rod, wiped the CUR clean
! anu 1GtCttSu II. 1AtI SUC p1AISu IL
back Nhcrc she found it, removed her
faded calico dress and went to bed.
Hcr lc-d BREATHING soon told that she
was asleep.
L. the morning she performed her
household duties as if nothing had hap
pened. No word was spoken of Eph,
except hy the Oldest boy, who asked
o-ce when pop nd be back" No ono
answered him. The u came out again
III I'll its f~crceness. The children be-
gan their play and the old people their
talk When all were busy, Mandy took
the old rife down from the rack over
the door. She shouldered the weapon
with the strength and sleight of a strong
man ard started off down the road.
She seemed in ahur-y, for she took long
strides like a man. Her body swayed
in tune TO her step, either from the
weight Of the gun Or habit. She passed
several p2-:cEs Will. the usual saluta-
tion, "Morcin.'' She looked neither
to the left nor to the right. Finally she
reached a lane where the hazel bushes
skirted the road. She walked moro
carefully then. She reeTed into q field
through an opening, but did not seer,
satisfied, for she continued her walking.
She stopped again shortly and looked
through the bushes. In the field, about
20 PAGES distant, was a mar patiently
J hoeing his corn. She poked the rifle
through the bushes just as tho solitary
laborer Strengthened up, took of his ha:
) and wiped the perspiration from hi
fece with his shirt sleeve. She glanced
along the barrel of the gun. There wa
a sharp report, and the nan fell over il
a furrow. The blood flowed from
{ hole in his temple.
f Then Mandy replaced the gun on he,
shoulder. She walked off down the roat
without a word. When she arrived a
her home, she put the rife in its restin;
{ place and went about her duties.
: In the afternoon the rumble of a roa,
wagon was heard below the house. I
came nearer. All went to the door to Sc
who it was. The wagon stopped befor
the house. All knew the driver. 1t wa
Bill Bucker, the constable. AS he climb
I ed over the fence all in the house starte,
out to meet him.
r MANDY, | want yer ter go with m
: fur Their shootin Of Dobson."
( The woman's face was as immovabl
. as it had been when she sat at the win
dow the night before. Eph's father an
! mother and the children looked at he
fixedly.
s "All right, Bill, I'll go with yer,
| and with this she climbed into tn
r wagon.