The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1896-06-20

to the extent of a broken leg and mum.
berless bruises. i had ordered myself
to be taken to the hospital, where all
good bachelors go when they are i'll, but
a cousin of mine, fine fellow, except
that he was married, issued orders 10
the contrary and took me home with
him. There | was fixed up in royal
style, and his wife took charge of me
with such motherly solicitudc that /
ceased to growl about not going to the
hospital.
Within week / began to improve.
and about that time my cousins wife's
sister came to the house on a visit, and,
not having much else to do, she used to
amuse herself with me. / objected at
first, and vowed I'd rout myself out and
t,o 10 the hospital, but those two women
knew they had me where was defense
less, and they only laughed at me when
growled, and fed me on dainties when
| | was taciturn and silent. didn't want
TO eat their truck, but my appetite was
something, and it forced me to over
come any prejudice / might have
| formed.
Later my cousins wife's sister took
to reading to me, and she compelled me
to1isten to her because she did have ex.
cellent taste in the matter of books and
could read exceedingly well. AS to her
voice, it was the sweetest ever heard,
but of course she could have no credit
for that. She was born with it.
Occasionally the members of the co.
terie visited me. but not often, as tie
very presence of women was disagree
able to them. They condoled with me,
however, and together we frowned upon
Providence for thus throwing me into
the hands of the enemy.
As time went by and my cousins
wife's sister continued to read to me |
tenconsciously grew into the habit of
looking at her sitting on the low chair
near me, with her head bending over
the book, and / began to wonder what
she used on her hair to make it so wavy
and glossy, and when she would look 10
occasionally and smile in response to a
laugh or remark of mine at something
she had read would have queer kind
OF feeling, as if were threatened with
some kind of heart trouble.
One day 1 asked the doctor about it
and he actually grinned. 1 say
"grinned," because mean "grinned."
1t wasn't the kindly smile of the physi-
clan to petulant patient, but grin;
and | would have thrown him out of the
window had i been in my usual health
and strength
The first day j walked out on my
crutches my cousins wife's sister ac-
companied me, and l think 1 leaned
more on her than did on the crutch.
/ am sure did, as far as the crutch on
the side next to her was concerned.
During the first two or three weeks
of my Imprisonment 1 had longed for
the time when l could get out once
more and join the coterie; then be- |
gan to think less about it, and now, |
when l was ready to start forth on my
journey once more, free man, somehow |
| felt that Twas losing something.
couldn't quite understand it, and, !
after my lately acquired fashion of re-
lying upon my cousins wife's sister, / |
asked her about it.
Well, il you will believe me, was
never more surprised in my life than 1 |
was at the result of this simple question
on my cousins wife's sister. She
blushed and stammered and said her
sister wanted her right away, and I
just stood still in my amazement. She
had always been such a help to me, and
now, in little matter like this to go all
to pieces, almost made me lose conf
dence in her. Then she looked up at me
and all of sudden felt that old heart
trouble come back and and-and-
hope it is not necessary for me to go
INTO particulars. Suffice it to say that
between my Cousins wife's sister and
myself we managed to have the matter
explained.
But there was the coterie and there
we're those Internal resolutions! What
! fool man can make of himself when
leN is left to his own devices passes
mite comprehensiona and almost crowds
he infinite to the wall I, Thomas Tom
the chief, had basely betrayed
ny trust, and concealment for long was
impossible. But I quickly determined
hat concealment was my only hope,
md with this hope in my bosom 1 at
ended the coterie's banquet in honor
# my restoration to the charmed circle.
What hollow mockery that restora-
ion was!
was there and at the head of the
able, as befitted my relation to the
oterie, but my spirits were elsewhere.
till i put bold face on myself, and APP
lauded to the echo every anti-female !,
eminent that was uttered. Ieyen pro- /,
osed a toast myself to the utter obliter- I,
ton of women. l thought it best to
raw it strong, and did. However, at
inc o'clock pleaded that was not yet
trong enough to join in the late fes-
IvitieS. so / withdrew and shameless ,