St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1896-01-11
sarey had the hoopin' cough dreadful

Cough''-and, Nv course, there warn't
no Whoopin' Cough to see, bein' as how
the w hadn't come yet!
Oncet when Hiram wanted to dreen
the home pasture, he went to the CYCLIC
peedy to find out about it, but all he
diskivered wuz: t'Drain-See Tile"
This wuz in 1859, and the cyclopeedy
had only got down to G.
The cow wuz sick with lung fever
one spell, and Leander laid her dyin'
to that cussid cyclopeedy, cause when
he went to readin' bout cows it told
him to "See Zoology"
But what's the use Nv harrowin' up
ones fee1in's talkin' md thinkin' about
these things? Leander got so after
awhile that the cyclopeedy didn't wor-
ry him at all; he grew to look ct it ez
one Nv the crosses that human critters
has to bear without complainin'
through this vale nv tears. The only
thing that bothered him wuz the fear
that mebbe he wouldn't live to see the
last volume-to tell the truth, this
kind NV got to be his hobby, and I've
heern him talk bout it many time
settin' round the stove at the tavern
nd squirtin' tobacco juice at the saw
dust box. His wife, Hattie, passed
away with the yaller janders the win
ter w came, and all that seemed to rec
oncile Leander to suryivin' her wuz
the prospect Nv seem the last volyume#
! Nv that cyelopeedy. Lemuel Higgins,
the book agent, had gone to his ever
lastin' punishment; but his son, Hiram,
had succeeded to his fathers business
nd continued to visit the folks his old
man had roped in. By this time Le-
ander's children had growed up; all on
'em wuz marr'd and there wuz numeris
grandchildren to amuse the OF gen.
t1eman. But Leander wuzn't to be
satisfied with the common things NV
airth; he didn't seem to take no pleas
ure in his grandchildren like most men
do; his mind wuz alters sot on some
thin else-for hours md hours, yes,
all day long, he'd set out on the front
stoop lookin' wistfuHy up the road for
that book agent to come along with
cyclopeedy. He didn't want to die till
he'd got all the cyclopeedies his con-
tract called for; he wanted to have
everything Strengthened out before he
passed away.
When-oh, how well recollect it,
When Y come along he wuz SO overcome
that he fell over in fit nv paralysis, md
the old gentleman never got over it.
For the next three years he dropped md
pined, and seemed like he couldn't hold
out much longer. Finally he had to
take to his bed-he was SO old md feeble
but he made 'em move the bed up
against the winder SO he could watch
for that last volyume of the cyclopeedy.
The end come one balmy day in the
spring Nv '87. His life wuz a. ebbin'
powerful fast; the minister wuz there,
md me. nd Dock Wilson, md Jedge
Baker, md most Nv the family. LoVin'
hands smoothed the wrinlded forehead
nd breshed back the long, scant, white
hair, but the eyes of the dyin' man wuz
sot upon that piece Nv road down which
the cyclopeedy man allus come.
All to oncet a bright md joyful look
come into them eyes, nd OF LeandeT
riz up in bed nd sez: "It's comet"
"What is it, father?" asked his
daughter sarey, sobbin' like.
Hush" sez the minister, solemnly;
che sees the shinin' gates Nv the Moo
Jerusalum.'
"No, no." cried the aged man; tsit is
the cyclopeedy-th letter Z-it's COM
IMP
And, sure enough, the door opened,
and in walked Higgins. He tottered
rather than walked, f'r he had growed
old nd feeble in his wicked perfession.
Here's the Zcyclopeedy, Mr.. Hobart, =
says Higgins.
Leander clutched it; he hugged it to
his pantin' bosom; then stealin' one
pale hand under the piller he drew out
faded bank note md gave it to Hig-
gins.
81 thank thee for this boom" sez Le-
ander, rol1in' his eyes up devoutly;
then he gave a deepsigh.
Hold on" cried Higgins, excitedly,
you've made mistake-it isn't the
last
Dut lSdluSI uIuu ASdIA Ii1ii
soul had fed from it's mortal tenement
md he'd scared rejoicin' to realms nv
everlastin' bliss.
s'He is no more" see Dock Wilson,
methaporically.
ssThen who are his heirs ?'' asked that
mean critter Higgins.
eve be- sez the family.
'.Do you conformity and severely ac-
knowledge and assume the obligation
of deceased to me?" he asked 'em.
''What obligation?" asked Peasley
Hobart, stern like.
Deceased died OWN me FIR CYCLIC
pedy!" seq Higgins.
"That's a Hel" sez Peasley. "We all
seen him pay you for the z!"
: "But there's another one to come"
sez Higgins.
"Another?'' they all asked.
"Yes, the index!" sez he.
So there wuz, and I'll be eternally
burned if he amt a'suin' the estate in
the probate court now f'r the price nv
It'll Louis Republic.
How Air Can Be Weighed.
The weight of air has often been test