The Opelousas courier., 1899-12-30

tired OF showing little Alec the pictur,
: in the album Of Aunty Morse, who's,
son had become a millionaire in New
: York, or Of talking of her cousin, .whe
vas a senator at Ottawa, and her sis
ter-in-law's brother, who had beer
appointed acknowledgements Of
province once, but who had died in.
. adyertently before he was sworn in.
Little Alec looked upon these distinc.
lions, and he saw that they were
good. He saw that the men who got
respect and consideration when they
came to his fathers house were not
farmers like lis father, but the doctor
in the black coat, who ordered some
body to hold his horses and asked ap-
prehensively if the dog bit, or the
minister. who kept the men after a
hearty dinner from the hay, while he
was praying, and a thunder cloud was
gathering overhead. It was for men
like these that the silver and the best
table napkins were brought out, and
the household routine. set aside as a
thing OF small consequence. The boy
began to be ashamed of an occupation
that compelled a man to wear rough
clothes and carry rough hands, and
the town made him shy and i'll at
ease.
Mrs. McPherson's remedy for the
disadvantage under which her son had
been born was education. She told him
what it could do. Education could
make him a gentleman, give him
money and clothes, and respect and
power, and put his heel on the neck
of men who otherwise, would have
their heel on his neck. So it came
about that by the time Alec was "a
and his father laid safely to rest
under the sod, the boy had taken his
bachelors degree at college, spent q
year abroad and was plunging into
the study Of Blackstone and the civil
code.
1t was on an evening in early spring
that he came home. There was still
frost in the air, and night was coming
on windy with . moon that was no
more than q tilted horn wracked with
clouds and Insignificant beside the
lights beginning to come. ont in the
houses. After 10 miles in a stage over
this bare country, sole passenger, hud-
died into a corner, with q rug wrapped
round his knees and his hands thrust
deep into his overcoat pockets, the
gnsh Of yellow light from his own
door was the welcomest OF sights.
The ~low-ceiled room, the familiar en-
cravings on the walls, his mothers
lined face under the gray hair, we're
furniture of his earliest r~ecollections.
Mother, he said, my health is
broken down. II I don't get help J.
somewhere I'm useless for life" !.
He told his story. his nervousness, !
his sleeplessness, oil the long months /,
he had spent trying to work and doing !
nothing. Ever since that hot day ]
summer when I was overcome by !
the heat, I've mover beer the same
since. When I went back Id lectures !
he went on, 81 couldn't work. There /
9 doctor I knew, . young fellow. q
He thought he could fix me up. Bro 3
nide, morphis. chloral-I tried them 4
al Then I went to q specialist. aud (
told me everything. It was !
shock to the brain; T was 1 victim Of 4
1eurasthenia. Mother, I may live 10 /
An old man. but I'll never be good s
or anything, 30 far Is head work ii J
'o~ncerned, again. ]
Mrs. McPherson stood up indig- 4
AAlecl With your constitn- I
ion! a little thing like that can't q
'reak you down. Your father was q !,
trong man, and I'm snre there's never n
cen much sickness on my side Of the Il
Yes, z he said. sthat was s
that the doctor Baid. He said ii vas Il
. my favor that I came Of country &
eople and hadn't inherited the
ysteria and debilitated nerves that Il
re the common curse. He said, >,
lnther, that coming back to- the farm s
my only hope He sat silent. q
18th his clenched hand holding his Il
then looking ronnd him, 81 81
'as in 9 hospital for 4 while, Z he said. q
Thank Hod, I'm homel dr1axg
One day in the middle Of the fore
oon Alec anne downstairs with the 4
nnsua1 feeling that lie was 4 slug. 4,
ard. The sun was strong, and Just s
Rtside thedoor 4 turkey cock dis q
hded himself In its warmth; TIE bees N.
Re busy in the flowers, The men hs
hayings He fook his hat and i,
ent out, walking past the barns ana d
ong e lane where beside him lay s
eld ct potatoes. their regularly -
laced clnmps Of gsesn radiating like z,
= SPORES q = wheel from whatever 81