The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1898-05-21


woman. I have never ceased to be
sorry for Jacob. who worked seven
long years for Rachel and then had to
take her homely sister, and had to
work seven years more to get the girl
of bis choice. But the sacred historian
says these seven years seemed to him
but few days for the love he had to
her." Was ever love like that? Not
In these days. Men must have been
scarce in that country or Rachel
wouldn't hayc waited that long for
Jacob. Old Laban was sheep raiser,
and reckon his nearest neighbor was
another about. fifty miles away, and
those poor girls never saw a young
man once year. Rachael let jacob
kiss her on sight before she knew his
name or where he came from, and that
historic kiss has come down to us
through all the corridors of time for
1000 years. I remember that way
back in the 40s when was young and
fairly handsome my father sent me on
business to Mississippi and as there
was no railroads l bought horse In
Mobile and rode across the country to
vicksburg. One night found COM
Portable lodgings with big cotton
grower on the Chicasaha river. He had
emigratcd from South Carolina many
years before with his wife and little
children and about 200 negroes. His
name was Calhoun, and he was q
cousin of John G. Calhoun. There he
lived outside of civilization; not
school nor q church within miles Of
him and he kept putting off moving
his family to where there were some.
His oldest daughter, lass OF eigh-
teen, was as shy of me as fawn, but
she brushed her hair and wash
ed her face and changed
her dress and shoes and gazed and lin
gered on the SLY long and sweetly. I
made advances to her that night in the
parlor and pleased her father and
mother and bewildered her, for soon
found out that she was flower born
to blush unseen. When I left the
next morning the old gentleman fol-
lowed me to the gate and begged me
| to come back that way. "Maybe you
and Sally might fix up things to your
notion" said he, '.and you do / can
spare you 200 or 800 acres of the finest
land in Mississippi and as many mig
gers as you want to tend it, " and he
LAUGHED in half serious and half iok,
/ years about that, but never saw Sally
any more. Poor girl, l have often
wondered what became of her. She
was Of good old Carolina stock, but
was smothered in the woods. No
companions, no books or newspapers,
no nothing but niggers and cotton
much like Rachel, reckon, who saw
nothing but sheep and longed for nice
young man. remember two negro boys
held torches for us to eat our supper
by and everything else was of the same
primitive style.
| But what has this little episode Of
mine to do with peafowls and anony-
nous letters? I don't know how my
thoughts driftcd that way, but they
| will drift. To go back to them, I will
say that woman did not write the
letter, for she is too fond of the beau
tiful to want to kill peafowl. And
if the man who wrote it had have
known their ancient, historic renown
he would have taken off his hat to that
beautiful bird and said: "Good morn
ing, sir, hope you are well?"
4 P. S.-Some Georgians in Texas
and Indian Territory have sent me
some mule cared rabbit feet and rab-
bit ears. They write that the feet are
for Colonel Gambler when he is ''hard
run" My daughters are wearing the
ears on their hats and will keep the
feet till later.-BILL ARP, in Atlanta
Constitution.