The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1896-11-21

to travel in a No. 1 light shoe; but she
wore something like a No. 3 COW bids
shoe on Sunday. Her education had
been somewhat neglected, judging FROM
her original methods of grammaticat
expression. But she was a genuine, in.
n%ocent, unpretentious, big. strona
healthy and happy country girl. May
be she has plenty of lovers, for she
ought to have; but there is only one
who is regarded as regular company.
He is a strapping big fellow about q
years old, and as unconventional as the
big bloodhound in the backyard. He
must be six feet four inches tall, and
his shoulders are large and well pro-
portioned. He is well-built from tha
ground up, and they say he is the cham.
pion runner and jumper Of the countys
but he never went with any girl aa
regular company until this season.
Jane Fair is her name, and IT would
be appropriate to call her Fair Jane
InOSo any -y
envious. I never heard HIS maine. aBFaA
they called him "Jim," from which
the inference is drawn that his name
was James. He called on Sunday o
ing, sat in the front yard whiting and
saying nothing, until shortly after ten
o'clock the old man came out and Jim
accompanied him to the barn without
saying aver good morning. Jim helped
hitch up the team, and when they came
back Mrs. Fair got into the wagon on
the front seat beside pap" and Jams
climbed into the back seat beside JIM
and off they went to church. Jim came
back and had dinner with the family.
After dinner Jim and ''pap" sat under
the trees in the backyard and smoked
their pipes and talked about the wealth
err and other topics of interest at
Hepsidam. Mrs. Fair sat beside the
kitchen door knitting, while Jane took
a backless chair and sat near Jim.
The women said but little during the
afternoon. That is the way Jim does
his counting. 1t is generally accepted
that they win soon be married. Jim
is accepted as regular company" the
old man likes him, the old lady has
no objections, Jane sits near him and
keeps quiet, and that settles it. They
don't do counting that way in The
cities.
There are no carpets on the floors OF
Hepsidam. They have plenty of rag
carpets for the whole house, but they
only use them in winter. 1t would be
prodigal and improyident to tramp out
the carpets of Hepsidam in summer
time. They are all lone up with cam
phor and tobacco to keep put the
moths, and they will be laid down some
time in November when the first frcsi
comes. Probably Jim will then be !
part Of the family and assist in lay,
ing the carpets and putting up the
stoves. There is only one stove iunl
: ming in Hepsidam during the summer
! and that is the cooking stoye. They
: built a big fire out in the hack y4rt
for two days and boiled a lot Of asI
I've and fat refuse meat, and made I
! couple of barrels Of soft soap. glhl
|, ashes were in a barrel and were packed
down. Water was poured into tn
: barrel, and when it ran out below int
a big pan, it was strong I've. They dom
waste anything at Hepsidam.
There are snakes about Hepsidam
4 but they are not serpents of the still
!. such as some men see in the elite,
These are big black and r~attlesnakes
: They are not so plentiful as they use
! to be, for snakes are killed whereve
= found. They can't kill hogs, but hog
4 have killed many snakes at Hepsidau
They never come near tn
house, but sometimes ven.nE
: into the barn or barnyard. The
tempt fate in doing %. A cit
chap killed a black snake IL feet Ion
with a shotgun right near the chicke
Il coop at Hepsidam. He will be fonn
i Dragging about It for years smeng hi
4 city friends.
al SMITH d. FRNs
7. A Prudent Youth.
Giles-Does that girl Of yours knn