St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1900-05-19
Eve and the Apple
BY Owen Oliver. y
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I've and an apple overcame an an
cestor of mine. He would not have
wanted the apple, he said, but fol
Eve. That was exactly my case.
Eve lived at No. So and at No. 54
I am not sure where the apple lived
but it was at one of the two. It hung
on a high branch over No. 52'S gar
den, but it fattened on the soil of No
"a, for which I paid rent
1t was Eve, of course, who called
my attention to it. I heard her voice
through the open window. She has
an attractive voice.
'oh. look, mother!" she cried.
There is my apple"
Hush, dear! 1t isn't your apple at
all. It belongs to the people next
door"
He isn't people," objected Eve. /
am bachelor.
sAnyhow, the apple is his"
'Is it2" She tossed her head. She
has a graceful way of tossing her
head. "Then he shan't have it. Mr..
Layton gave it to me every year"
Mr.. Layton was my predecessor. You
know he always lent me his ladder to
get it." I felt inclined to offer my
ladder there. and then, but the time,
like the apple, was not ripe.
As the summer went on the apr te
grew in size and beauty. Eve wate ed
the apple, and l watched Eve. 4he
was so nice to watch that did not
offer her the forbidden fruit. I re-
garded it as a hostage for her regu-
lar appearance.
''Look at its rosy cheeks, mother!"
she used to say, teasingly, "If it gets
much bigger it must drop" She
made motions expressing rapture.
"Eve, dear" her mother protested,
"you know it isn't yours"
1T would be if I had ladder"
Then she would give. merry little
laugh. She has charming, way of
laughing.
The apple still hung on, however,
and grew and grew. In the dusk of
evening Eve tried to reach it with
clothes prop-at least it looked like
Eve. I knew it was clothes prop,
because she let it drop over my wall,
and it smashed three panes of a GU
cunber frame. Next morning she
happened to be in the garden, so I
returned it with grave ceremony.
Tim afraid it broke something"
she apologized.
Not in the least,'' I assured her.
''Ill tell Mary Jane not to stand it
up against your wall again" she prom
ised mendaciously.
After that the apple blushed more
furiously than ever. Tt was so ripe
that it was marvellous how it held on,
heard her say. She was probably
unaware that I had climbed up one
night and secured it with fine wire.
Next she tried knocking tennis balls
at it. Of course, she never went with
in a couple of yards. I picked up nine
balls next morning and restored them
to her.
81 thought they were windfalls
from my apple tree" I said, and she
fed indoors.
hGAANsG AC was 41uS uilIE dG 4uSs
l heard her tell her mother. "Now, I
win have it,
'.No. no, dear! ] forbid you to
touch it. It's no use looking like that,
Eve. / shall be really cross with
you"
When came home that evening the
apple was still there. in all its glory.
but when it grew dusk noticed ma
neuvers with the prop going on once
more. Finally heard cry of tri-
umph. and the rustic of her skirts as |
she ran indoors. Then I went out. |
climbed the tree, gathered about |
a gallon of apples, and sent them in
with q note.
Dear Madam: trust you will ACCEPT I
4 few apples from my tree overhanging
1our garden, as notice that there is only |
one upon your side.
;iring that one. May I enter your garden |
70 gather it Yours very truly.
FRANK NEWTON.
In a few minutes Sarah Ann re-
surned with Mrs. Parker's thanks, ana I
IN assurance that she would be
pleased for me to gather tie apple
whenever liked. So, after putting the