The Opelousas courier., 1900-02-17
CUPID
I'm A



Vlasta looked wistfully out of hel
small-paued window, deep-set in the
heavy sod wall, and sighed.
The piles of unwashed dinner dishes
oves which she was at york hardly &C.
counted for that sigh and the view
without was pleasant, rather than
otherwise.
It was a Sunday afternoon in the
late June, hot and unusually still fol-
that windy country, but the rolling
stretches OF prairie grass and the
green fields of young wheat and corr
still held the freshness of early
spring.
But the cIouS mo larger than a
mans hand, lis always present In some
form or other.
One was at that moment rising
laziiy on the western horizon, over
the low, gresn hills, just a faint sum-
me cloud, unseen by the girl, whose
eyes were fixed on q nearer and, to
her. much more attractive object.
This, as is apt to be the case when
maiden7 sigh, was q young man, who,
ON the other side Of q barbed-wire
fence, some little distance away, was
busiiy engaged in washing his buggy,
which was rolled in front of his own
little sod house.
He wal OF middle si7e. dark.haired
and featured, like herself, and clad in
the careless costume Of overalls and
jacket of blue denim, and dingy from
exposure to sun and weather, and tho
battered sombrero OF light felt, which
were usual in his everyday occupation
Of farming.
AS any one familiar with that part
of the country could tell at o glance,
they were young Bohemians, members
Of that great army Of hardy settlers
who have made homes for themselves
In the previously untitled west.
But hearts will be hearts In every
place and Juliet may pine for her
Romeo in ancient castle no more than
In humble sod house, as did this COM
monplacs little heroine, with her plain
but kindly face.
Now, by custom imnemorial Sunday
u the rural holiday everywhere and Il
IL especially 50 among our foreign
born citizens, who on that day sally
forth, clad in their best. ready for
visiting and merry making and seeing
no inebngruity between church and
mass in the morning and a dance in
the afternoon and evening.
30, considering this, it seemed that
the young settler, Albrecht Hollub,
should be on pleasure bent, and the
signs indicated to that 80 he was, or
soon should be. Herein lay the sting
which changed for her the sunshine
OF that glorious June day to gloom.
For Albrecht was going riding" In
his new buggy-going without her.
and, no doubt, with some other girl
when it really was her place ON that
seat beside him.
And had abe not proudly occupied
1t until that unlucky night not yet two
weeks ago, but seeming half a lifetime.
As q girls short lifetime goes?
Such q little shing, too, ON il gener-
ally the case, TO have caused all this
troYe0le. She was not sure how
AlHlechs felt. Perhaps he was glad
to ges rid of her-here two great tears
dropled Into the dishpau at the
thought. Just q dance at q young
friends vedding-it being their cus-
tom for 9 bridal party to go to 9 Justice
or country Judge 70 have the ceremony
performed, and then TO return TO the
brides home for . grand celebration,
which usually lasted all night. Then
2 foolish. quarrel. when Albrecht.
heated mp by sxcitement and beer,
had tpsisted that she danced too often
With the brides slider brother. She
had fafussd 20 listen TO him, Of course,
With the result that be bad walked out
into the darkness and had never seen
her since.
Perhaps she had sought ceyertly,