The Louisiana populist. [volume] (Natchitoches, Natchitoches Parish, La.) 1894-1898, 1895-02-08
The Land OF the Mocling Bird
And he Magnolia.

y" ufOcn1ng Dlru Epitg kiiieO
by TIE farmers 10y from the VII
aimed sling OF a catapuis % mako
up the a!nner stew. while beneath
the magnolia in front of his snces-
trial home, now in the last stages
of decay, can be seen the bent form
of a man dressed in blanket coat,
jeans pants, and fifty cent wool
hat shading the brow of once
proud southern planter from the
land of the Mocking bird and the
Magnolia. Bent down not from
age but from trouble, caused by
low prices, usurious interest and
taxation, driven to desperation in a
few days he becomes d suicide.
Around the remains of that once
wealthy planter stands Borrowing
widow and three daughters to take
a last look at the only hope they
had for livelihood, in the land Of
the hooking bird and the magnolia.
AT the front gate of that once
grand old ancestral home stands
an old wagon with two old horses
attached to bear the remains of
that southern planter to his last
resting place by the marble and
granite monuments of his ances-
tors with nothing to mark that
place but the land of tie hooking
bird and the magnolia.
After few days tho widow holds
a consultation with her daughters
as they are now sorely in need of
legal advice and taking up paper
calls out the list of claw firms and
feeling that she woald l,e unable
to employ the larger ones comes to
this one, Mr.. Smith, Attorney At
Law, as soon as she reads it out
alond one of the girls exclaimed,
Oh, mamma / know him, he's so
nice know be will atsend to it for
us.
In a day or two can be seen in q
dingy little Office a seedy look
ing individual setting near a desk
on which is lying a magistrates
guide and revised civil code as
from appearances his largest prac-
tice has been in the Justices court.
In his hand be Is helding a letter
asking hin to call as soon as he has
time (having lots of that to spsre)
he rises and in q hurried man.
ner goes in search of convey
ance and in @ few minutes leaves
town on 8 fifteen dollar pony in
great haste
In the next issue of the weekly
paper can be found an application
by the widow for the appointment
OF administrative, the succession
drags along perhaps eighteen
months and then advertised under
head of succession sale, the ances-
trail home of that once wealthy
planter, in the land of the mocking
bird and magnolia.
Nothing more is thought of the
matter until some day in passing
by that plantation and some one
asked, who owns the place now,
Mr.. DeSmith an attor-
ney in town.
DeSmith's Office in town now is
thoroughly reAtted, full set of La.
Annual Reports, fine furniture and
everything complete, on entering
you can see him reclining in an
easy chair smoking ten cent CT
gar, he is not alone, the firm has
changed. The others seeing how
fast DeSmith was rising apply and
are taken into the firm and it now
reads, DeSmith, Jones, Caldwell
& Thomas.
DeSmith's next move Is to organ
ize publishing company, known
as the DeSmith publishing Co. to
edit weekly paper known as the
Farmers Friend, in the land of the
hooking bird and the magnolia.
At the next session of the police
i,1rxy tho Eurr,orc Ersaud Ia QUO I'd