The Opelousas courier., 1899-03-18
THE MAKESHlFT OF JONAS KEMP.
By Annie Hamilton Donnell,

friends and twice thrice that tt
Clarlssa herself, that she had locked
her shop door and gone to the minis
tie with Jonas Kemp. !.
After supper that night Jonas die
his chores and took down his pipe.
Clarissa permitted no smoking in-
doors-pipes were ever worse than a
mess o littering plants. You could
abide the smell of flowers, but tobacco
-faugh! So Jonas had his evening
smoke under the stars, or, rainy
nights, sitting on the saw-horse in
the woodshed. Alwilda had ''liked"
the smell of his pipe. Heaven forgive
the gentle little prevarication!
When Jonas went in again at early
bedtime the heap of pots and bruised
plants vas cleared neatly away, and
Jonas had the rug, we'll shaken, under
his arm. He spread it with precise
painstaking in exactly its place on the
sitting room floor.
Il found it out by the back door,
Clarissy," he said gently.
"Um-m-m," mumblel Clarissa, a lit
tie taken aback. And that was all
that was ever said about the plants.
After that, if Clarissa had not been
occupied continually with keeping the
house ''unlittered" and most spotless-
ly prim, she would have taken notice
that Jonas stayed a good ieal-some-
where-out-of-doors. He spent rare
minutes only in his old place beside
the sitting room window. And pass
there had been any passers-
by-on the grassy cross road that ran
past the old, %unpainted Kemp barn
would have looked curiously at the
big barn windows. There we're two
of them, and both were a-bloom with
red %geraniums and gay with purple
and crimson fuchsias. Rough deal
shelves stretched behind the cob
webbed paues, and every one was
brightly tenanted.
But passers-by were few, and Clarissa
never passed by. Her way, when she
went abroad, was by the wider main
road that ran uphill and down again
to town. Clarissa never went to the
barn. Jonas Kemp and the COWS, the
great barn cat and Dennis were the
only onest that saw the red geraniums
blooming b~ravely in the barn win
lows-unless, who can tell?-unless
saw them.
Another thing Clarissa might have
lotlced was how long the old pipe lay
on the kitchen mantel.
'onas went out to his evening smoke
light after night-without it! If it
lad been his way to say things he
night have said that when ones plants
lave been destroyed ruthlessly one
must replace them somehow even if
me must buy them with the tobacco
ne misses filling the old pipe with.
md that would have explained the
ines Of late that Jonas had driven
lone to the little city down the river
nd come back, past Clarissa's win
low and Clarissa's curious eyes, with
queer, humpy load sin behind"
"Humph! Now I wonder what
onas s got all tucked up in behind"
would muse, cycling suspicious
= the humps. "'Tisn't grain an
isn't critters-live ones anyway. And
g couldn't We got 'em if they were
live, not without my knowing where
he money had gone to-"
But Clarissa had not put her Gu
lous thoughts into questions, and the
of being curious and the knobby,
overed leads Sin behind" Jonas had
one by together. She was very busy
Il the late summer and early fall sew
1g rags for her gay new carpet that
as to transfigure the dull little cor
er parlor where nobody went and
obody wanted to go.
One afternoon, as she sewed, she
card Jonas plodding feet tap slowly
P the walk and jonas heavy breath
eeping time to the taps. What in
md Of goodness was Jonas coming in
lat time O. day for? It was so I'M
snal that Clarissa let the strip of red
nd yellow rags slide out of her lap
nd curl like a brilliant serpent at her
Jonas ''came in" so seldom,
.tely, except to his meals. She hard
saw his unsmiling old face from
.orning to night, for she had formed
he habit of setting his dinner out on
le meal chest in the porch and let
ng him eat it alone. Her own dinner
could "pick up" on the run, and
saved such a pile of litter and mess
lat way. -,
Jonas plodded in. He looked bent
I'd feeble.
"You aren't sick, are you, Jonas?" Z
[arissa asked a little anxiously. :
"Oh, no-no, I guess I amt sick, :
I guess not" answered :
mas, duly. He crossed to the .
antel and took down his pipe and {
CIV the dust from it. A little CLINT .
eagerness crept into his eyes-it l
so much like shaking hands with q
old friend again. E
Where are you going to? l
"Jest for a little smoke, Clarissy- l
st for a little smoke" I
Gland of goodness--at two O'Clock in e
9 afternoon! Jonas Kemp, you aren't Q
sing your faculties, I hopel" 8
peered up at the old clock b
him and then at the afternoon
n riding across the heavens. He T
'ked dazed. The pipe slipped b
rough his fingers unnoticed and lay s
two pieces on the bare floor. g
II guess 1 got mixed up, Clarissy; a
hought twas after SUPPER" he ex- s
ained with an apologize attempt at 2
81 guess I'll go out and s
it q spell. till It's" E