The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1894-12-22
JACOB AND ME-"

Me was Rupert, and lC YVES early
in the summer that'ko begged to have
his haircut.
'tIt's so hot and tickly and tangly
and .boversome, and I'm old enough to
lock like q boy lie said, which was
true. His mother put her arms around
him-they were sitting in the bigwick-
er chair by the parlor window-and
held him as if she would never let him
go.
II want my baby as he is, " she said,
which was also true. There was. little
silence.
1t was Il low, little ROOM, fill Of
quiet and half darkness. There were
chosen pictures, just enough pretty and
more or less worn rugs and cushions
and q bowl of garden roses OF allow
table. The child leaned his head against
his mothers shoulder, the despised hair
a bright tangle against her dark gown
and gazed adoringly into her face, but
she was looking out of the window
across the meadow, where the black
trees and the slender spire of st. Mi
,chael and All Angels were clearly de-
fined against the cool twilight sky.
There was a churchyard around st. Mi
chael's, but it was in the shadow. Tho
twilight .deepened. A cowbell tinkled
in the distance, and a young man and
two girls with pretty shirt waists and
tennis: racquets went chattering laugh
ingly by.
'That's the boy that plays the organ
at st. Michael's," said Rupert. Il go
in sometimes to hear him do it. He
likes it. When he isn't playing, he is
talking:to those three nice girls intthe
little house down the road. They each
have ascrapbook, and the little boy has
s%crapbook, and they put everything in
He stopped suddenly, his gaze fol-
lowed his mothers across the meadow,
and he slipped II soft arm around her
neck. while she took possession of the
little brown hand and kissed it gently.
Am old woman came slowly down the
road-.an odd woman, with straight,
white hair, blue calico gown and red
She was driving a flock Of clamoring
ducks and geese, and Rupert's interest
vas at once awakened.
buy me one, mamma, one of the
big white ones. 1t would be such good
company, and IN never say another
word about the hair" It was an odd
fancy and ,odder bargain, but it ended
in Mrs. Cardell's most promising gan
der, very much surprised and named
Jacob, being shut up i'll Mrs. Wares
chicken house for the night.
He did prove "gcodcompany." With
a string around his leg for safety, he
followed Rupert hither and yon. To-
gether they planted o garden and dug
it up from time to time to see how it
grew" together they hunted for frogs
in the meadow. and togetherthey waded
in the brock below the hill; together
they sat On the steps when it was time
for mamma to come home, holding
a long and rather one sided converse
ton.
In September a plan began to grow
in Rupert's little head, and he told ia.
cob all about it.
Mamma had begun to teach in town
now and was away all day. Julia, the
maid. could be very good when she
chose. but the day Rupert came tum-
bling into the kitchen, his feet very
muddy, dragging after him poor bewil-
dered Jacob by the length of his string,
trying to explain all in a moment, she
said:
"Did l ever see the like of such 4
bothersome child, and the pesky beast"
and picked them up unceremonious-
ly by the left wing and the right arm
and put them down on the doorstep.
Rupert cried a little, and Jacob went
to sleep OF n leg, and presently Julia
%repented, spread a nice slice of graham
bread with apple and presented it
as a peace offering. explaining that she
had just scrubbed the kitchen and was
ill tempered into the bargain ''along of
reasons you can't comprehend. And
tell me about the plan, darlin."
Rupert shifted, ate some of the bread
and fed the rest to Jacob, talking all the
time.
Mammals birthday and st. Michael
and All Angels day come just the same
next Saturday-and papa used to
buy a goose and apple sauce and a cake
with candies. Twenty-eight it was last
year. This year makes 80, and the big
MUNICH bowl full Of Miobaelmas daisies