St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-06-13

WH poets and phi
losophers and
AMWNSMa%SN politicians In
| $MM\MxSMMNMMNSSssN in the whole
| NMSyA&MMM MI ~ disco v d
WXMNAMsN world can't tell
wAwMgVNssv~ you. But re-
member-by jingo, remember like i:
was yesterday-how internal handy y
cotton headed, hatchet- -faceted, shirt
tail boy is around a farm.
Little Steve Was Dead.
II takes . whole passle-of one stuff
and another-to make me sorry about
anything. I am SD tremendous glad
and light an trashy in the general sur
roundins of my natural-born self. till
it is mighty hard for me to find any
thing in this green and bloomin old
world to feel sorry for.
But the old lady Watson-which the
Watsons they have been livin down
there in the forks of Long Creek for
| years and years-she come by our
house one day last week and made me
sorry. I was sorry when she come,
end sorry when she went away, and 1
am sorry till yet. doubt mighty Sc
,ious if could tell you what am sorry
about and who am sorry for. But, at
any rates. am sorry.
| ~ pore old broken-hearted, God-for-
saken woman, with her gray head
bowed down in sackcloth and ashes,
has come to mix her tears and share
her sorrers with you." says Misses
Watson when she first driv up to the
HORSEBACK, and hit . rainin. Then me
and mother we went out and told the
old lady to light and come in and take
4 chair and make herself at home till
the shower passed over. And she went
| with us.
"Littlc Steve is gone, Rufus" she
went on to say between her sObs and
tears. Little Steve is dead and gone"
and with that she broke down and
turned loose and cried and cried as il
her heart was split wide open. BY
this time mother she had been hit in
| soft spot, and the tears rolled down
her pretty cheeks as fast and free as
the rain drops from that April shower.
But she braced herself up as best she
could and put her arms around the
trcmblin and troubled old soulEsoft
and tender like and soothin rs she
cculd-and quoted some familions
Scripture and told her it would all
turn out for the best somewheres down
the line. It maybe mought not look
that way at onct, but some Of these
days she. could, see. wherein it was
a:l for the right and all for the best.
Finally at last, in her nervous. jerky
way, the old lady told us abou. the sad
and suddent death of her little Steve,
and the general facts Of which we had
heard before.
So Handy and So Peort.
'Hc was SO handy and SO peart, Rufus
but you all knowed little Steve" says
she, and then it seems like she broke
out in fresh place and would Jest nat
urally weep herself away. ut never
was so late or SO soon, SO hot or SO cold
but what could call on little Steve and
he was right there" she went on.
wringin her hands and rockin to and
fro. He was sich help and comfort
and blessin to his poor old widdered
mother.
my other boy Bob-he is still with
me in the flesh. But even when he was
the right size Bob was never SO peart
and handy and ready and willin as little
Steve. And then as to Dob-he has
now come up to that pint in life where
he aint fitten for nothin much but
to loafer and swell and swash around
durin the day and 60 gallin every
night the good Lord sends. If Bob aint
a man-with q few scatterin whiskers
on his face and woman on his brain, he
is fool enough to feel like one, which
amounts to the same thing with his old
mother.
"But little Steve-he was 10 nimble
and SO quick, SO handy and SO peart,
Rufus. He could stay up later and git
up sooner, and go faster and come
quicker, and turn OF more odds and
jobs in less time than any boy that
ever come to light amongst the Wat
sons. If in his love and wisdom the
good Lord had but only took Bob
could stand it = whole heap better.
But to see little Stevc-my onlyest little
Steve-put in his coffn and toted out
and hauled off and laid away to rest
it was too much for his pore old
widdered mother to bear."
And with that the old lady let loose
onct more, and wept and went on at
such tremendous rate till l thought in
my soul she would faint on the spot
But mother she made q rush for tn.
camphor bottle and her last years
turkey tail fan. and between the two
we brung the old soul to her senses.
'How can forget my little Steve.
and how can ever give him up? He
was 20 handy and 30 peart In summer
heat or winter cold he could git up at
the break of day and split the kindlin
and fetch in the wood and make the
fires and feed the stock. and draw the
water and tote out the slops and drive
up the cows and rope on thecalves and
churn the milk. and sweep the yard
and hoe the garden and tend to the
chickens and rock the cradle and nurse
the baby. reckon NO doubts ouf lit
tie Steve II better OF where he is-be-
yond this vale Of suf1erin and Of sin.
But he Yves the apple Of his pore old
widdered mothers heart and I will
never zee the like Of him NO more. He
was % handy, Rufus-so handy and %
peart."
BY this time that April shower had
passed over. Then presently old Misses
Watson she braced up suficient to say
good-by and driv ON hack home. And
from that sad day till this blessed
hour have been rale sorry about some
thin or other. TO save my life i
eouldnt tell you for certain what I
am sorry about or who I am sorry for.
But am sorry.
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