St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1896-01-04

lit 1t, and then we saW-land sakes,
child, how seairt you look; don't get so
near the fire, honey, you'll be all ablaze,
Where was I? Oh, we saw the stone,
just as Johnnie said, real gravestone
=of white marble, and on it the name
'Melindy Barbour, with the date Sept.
S, l8-,' below it. But the rest we
couldn't make out. Hes going to let
her live three months, may Heaven for
give him. says old Mis- johnson.
rneanin' different from what she said,
The next day went TO Melindy and
told her the whole truth. And would
you believe it, she said she thought
Mis- johnson and I had no business
prying about other peoples affairs 2
II he had bought me thousand grave
stones I'd have him just the same, says
she. So they were married the next
day In the meeting house, but Melindy
was white as ghost, and she atrem-
b1ed so she could hardly walk. They
went right away ON the cars, and we
threw some old shoes after 'em, but all
the wishin' of Joy was make believe,
and I never saw bride with such a
white, set face, never looking at her.
husband nor yet at us.
They was away nearly three months;
then they came back to the old house.
But folks said they wasn't happy, that
she was as cold as stone, and he was
always at his books and old insects.
One day got q letter askln' me to come
and see her. She was lyin' down on a
lounge when I got there, white and so
thin, with big eyes with a sorry hungry
look in 'em. But she had on a smart
gown, and was as pretty as pictslr.
AS soon as we'd shaken hands and I'd
taken off my bonnet and mantilla, she
says: DO you know what day to-mor-
row is2' Then I thought itup. and said
it was the 9Th of September. The day
am to die,' she says in a soft, quiet
way. Then up and asked her II Nor
timer had been ill-treatin' her. but she
put up her finger, and said: Not a
word to my husband; he doesn't know
I know It, Then she said heWas aH-
full good to her, but she couldn't get
that gravestone out Of her head day or
night. All at. once Ii came to me how
matters was; she'd been too proud to
give him up, besides her likin' him, too;
and she'd been too proud to tell him
about it; and SO betwixt the two the
poor child was almost beat out. She
asked Ii would go out to the courthouse
with her to see the stone. She wanted
to see it and was afraid to go alone.
1Then queer thing happened. Nor
timer had come into the next room
while she'd been talkin', and heard
every word. / never saw anybody
so stirred up as he YVES when he came
| In. Is that tombstone what has stood
between usp he said, and went ON to
explain that he had ordered It for his
mother. He was such a bad writer that
the stone-cutter mistook the name NAL
viny for Melindy. and after the stone
was half done twas found out, and they
made him pay, for II. So, as II was his,
they brought it to him, and not knew
| in what TO do with 1t, he'd just set Ii up
In the courthouse and forgot all about
il. MeIindy, she began to cry, and then
they fell to huggin' and kissin' each
other, as If they hadn't met for
years. tried to put in q word to
cam EN-, but they saw me without see
ing me, and heard me without hearing
me, so / put on my bonnet an rnantilla
| and came away and LETT 'enl.
After that? Dear me, they was the
happiest couple you ever saw. They
| used the gravestone for front door
step, wrong side up, and It was real
pretty Melindy was dretfuI proud OF
him, and believed every word he wrote
about them bugs and beetles, just as his
mother did. which only goes 10 show
chat the old sayins Is true. that love Is
blind. Boston Black Cat.