The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1895-06-08
LUCK OF THE ATKINSES.
BY MARGARET II. YEATEs.

Nobody ever was poorer than the At
kinses, or, in common parlance, any
more "shifless." The family consisted
of the old man, Bill by name, half
blind, decrepit creature, who yet pos
sessed share of quaint humor; his
wife, Lou-i-sy, lazy, ragged old
woman. who had grown fat on nothing
and who managed to keep her snuff
box full even when the coffee-pot was
empty, and five or six lank, sallow
boys and girls in various stages of age
and dirtiness. They occupied small
log house on the outskirts of town in
the mountains of Arkansas, and their
dwelling was remarkable only for its
simplicity. 1t consisted of a single
room which the entire family occupied
without regard to age or sex; the fire.
place furnished at once heat, light and
the means of cooking their scanty
food. Three wretched beds, broken
chair or two, box which served
as table, q frying-pan, spider
: and coffee pot, with few broken dish
es, composed the entire wealth of the
Atkins family, for their house was the
property of a well-to-do citizen who
let them live there for very pity. 1t
was quite prosperous. this inland Ar
kansas town, though fifty rough and
rocky miles from the nearest railroad;
1t was considered by the country folk
around dashing, stylish place. The
ladies there never went barefooted,
even in the hottest weather, and sun
bonnets were long since out of date.
The men, too, wore store clothes, and
some of them wore their coats 70 meet
ing during the summer; but this inno-
walton was by no means popular. It
was gossipy little community, as an
isolated place must be, and its church
and political factions managed to keep
things from stagnating. But the whole
town was united upon one thing-in
heartily condemning the Atkinses.
Even the Methodists and the Campbell
ties agreed on that, and they did not
often agree upon anything, for the
Complexities had affirmed that they
could sing louder and faster than the
Methodists, and the boast had caused
considerable Ill feeling.
The town had to support the Atkins
es, so surely it had the right to disap-
prove of them, but the disapproval was
rather out of proportion to the aid they
furnished, and. had the position been
reversed, the Atkinses would have had
more to eat. One lady in the town had
declared that she would never help
them Atkinses" again. She related to
circle OF sympathizing friends that she
had offered Mis- Atkins two bits a
week an all she could eat If she
would do her washing and cooking, but
the offer had been refused. Mrs. At
kins said she had to stay at home and |
take care OF her man." as he was |
mighty nigh blind" and the old man
had loosely remarked that he '.lowed |
Lou-i-sy'd been dom nothin' SO long
shed hate to quit"
Mr.. johnson was proprietor of the
onlv grocery store in the town. He
had come from New England years be-
fore. and had opened this store when
lemons and oranges were practically
unknown and white sugar well-niph
as hard to obtain. BY dint of keeping
these and similar luxuries and selling
them at astonishingly high rates, and
by introducing into the western market
many high-priced novelties, such as
sardines, canned fruits, oatmeal, ABCl
crackers, and other articles calculated
to please the eye and palate of the
village customer, he had managed to
amass quite tidy little sum. On this
gentleman the burden of contributing
to the support of the Atkinses fell
with especial severity. Not that he
gave more than anyone else-quite the
contrary-but that his well-known
stinginess made him feel 1t more. tits
doubtful II he would have given any
thing at all, but from his desire to
stand well in the eyes of the commune
ty, and especially of the gentleman on
whose land the Atkinses lived. He
was the rich man of the town, and his
inhuence and Importance were wonder
full in small way. Is
one evening group of men had
gatnered In Mr. Johnson's store, as
was the custom, solemnly gossipinr I
about the events of the day. The pro- .
prietor stood behind the counter keen
ing an anxious eye on his boxes of |
crackers and fruit that stood invitinplv s
open. He was slender man, slightly
stopped, with his face and upper lin
shaven and an iron-gray beard adorn- s
nR his chin. He had small ewes and | Z
! bland smile that was intended to be
7ery pleasing. It was hard to keep
he smile this evening, though, for 1
ank mountaineer was making fearful i
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