The Opelousas courier., 1894-03-24
Studies in Poverty.
Buttles, d. d. ana @\erAt

vn!e the true lnWardness Of every oil,
1esiuent IS as we'll known as the post
once n the liberty-pole so, if at tn
age OF forty, Amasa Laws was spoke,
oI descrlptively behind his back as "ol,
1azy Laws" 1T was not for nothing
mnen 1 first came to Griggsville, nine
teen years ago, the family lived at tn,
had once been the Of Mrs
Laws father. 1t was plain that tn
whole place had seen better DAYS. Tn,
paint had scaled from the pillars Of tn,
front yeranda till they looked as i
afflicted with what is called "a break
ing out" The cutters were dropping
from the roof. More than one shuttle
lay upon the ground. The front gatf
was gone. The front yard was q vii,
deTness OF lilac-sprOuts, roses. and wax.
balls, while the garden was given owe,
TO plgweed, poke, burdock and mullen
INF barn was l%op-sided, and what had
one } been a summer-house embowered
IN honeysuckles lay amid the tulip beds
d hopeless ruin. When the weather
permitted, Mr.. Laws sat upon the side
steps smoking a long clay pipe. When
IL was cold, l always found him behind
the Kitchen stove-with his pipe. He
did what he called "tinkerin'n in a
uesui1ory sort OF way, mended clocks
and watches, cleaned gummy sewing
machines, and was an adept at finding
water by means of a Witch-haZel wand,
He also was expert at catching cells. and
had spells in spring of gardening, when
ne planted a few potatoes, which he
lett to tight for existence with the
weeds. He frequently explained to me
mat he was born without any consti-
tutlon, and to hard fortune. He said
he had a heart difficulty, which kept
him from dom" what he'd like to have
done. "Id ought to "a been q traveller
like hayward Taylor" he would sigh,
but lightnin' spikes! | never had no
chance. My stepfather put nae to learn
In tn millwright's trade, but l hadn't
no taste for it. | tried carpenterin' a
spell, but you hain't no idee what a
ptic'lar trade that is, or how it wears
on the longs. l did some %tailorin' after
that. Worked for old Peter Tubbs
but he'd a way of THROWN the press
board and goose at his 'printices, and
in a grocery when l married Mis- Laws.
1t was her father KEEP it., an he
wouldn't sell liquor. There want no
money them days in a grocery without
wet goods. Leastways, when Mr.. Poets
was took off suddin, an things fell on
me, | found out SO. The business kin
der u out, an Father Poets ID gone
an lef' his money all to his son in Cali
forny. OF course, with d grocery an
this place on my hands, | couldn' do
nothin' without money. | never liked
this location here he would gaze
speculatively about him, as if the rot
ting clapboards were no concern of
his" but Father Poets never liked me,
an he tied up things so'st it's all in Mis-
Laws's hands, an she won't sell. If I'd
Slender, Mrs. Laws probably |
had no heart difficulty" She washed
five days in the week to feed and, in u
way, clOthe her five children, and in
time washed herself into the possession
of a sewing machine, with which the
oldest daughter speedily began to earn
The second girl, Susan,
was an expert knitter, and could do ali
sorts of odd jobs, as coloring the sugar
dogs, cats, and hearts adjoining the
confectioner's window Christmas week,
and dressing dolls. The twins, Jimmy
and Tommy, sold fish and berries in
summer, and shoveled paths in winter,
and life went on in II precautions fashion
for the family, till one winter Emma
Jane and Susan died Of pneumonia,
brought on, it was discovered, by lack
Of wOOlens and too much snow drifting
the neighbors came to the
rescue, and in spring a subscription
raised with which a stout gray
horse, a red wagon, and n supply of
cheap tin, glassware, paper and but
ions were bought and presented to Mr..
Mr.. Geer, the owner of the pa
per mill, agreed to take all the rags he
could collect, and, spite of himself,
Mr.. Laws, vas forced into a career of
usefulness. Once launched upon
it, the life suited him, and he spoke Of
AS a travelling merchant"
But, from occult causes, from being a
smart, alert beast, the gray grew to be
The slowest, most meditative horse in
The county and if there is money to be
made ia collecting rags, Mr.. Laws was
not the mar to get it. Years at last
put an end to the horse, and the cart
Mrs. Laws, and her Jimmy died-af-
aictions, Mr.. Laws avelred, which were
0f 4 piece with his luck. Tommy, no
doubt from too much shoveIing and too
title good food in his youth, has a
and Amanda, ,the youngest,
ia crippled with %rhaumatism but the
Two have their mothers spirit, and they
have put the old house in some repair
and abolished the riotiDg weeds. The
very sleek and plump, is in his
did place either on the side steps or be-
hind the kitchen stove by the sunny
in an easy chair, but he "tjnk-
ers no more. Tommy is in the print
ing-ofice, aud, having plenty Of papers
to read, the old fellow has grown dis
p%utations, and talks more about his bad
luck than ever. 4 don't s'puse CON-
and trusts effect your business
he said the Iasi time | called
upon him. "Umma! Tie poo, man is
KEEP down jus,like he's ailus beef KEEP
down. Some folks has il chance, and
some hast. Yon can't git,round that,
and if religion makes ye patient you're
ucky. My heart difficulty! Thank We,
I'm comfortable-that is. as can be- ex-
l have bad spells. Had one
Yesterday Mazda, she said it wassthe
oiled cabbage, but [ tell her she makes
90 much Of the stumick." He pulled
bis weedy whiskers and pulled ut
lis pipe a moment in silence, then
broke out With much energy: preach
u must be terrible easy business once
you're educated up to it. But | s'pose
{ I'd undertaken it something would
happened. 'Tain't noways likely I'd
been moored up in still water like
rou've been all these years, with Moth
n to do but preach Sundays an draw
'our salary. The Lawses. as fur back
Is / know bout 'em, never had no con-
nur luck"
The Boston Tew-Boat Company, of
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