St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1901-07-20
AFTER THE STORM.
sY ELIZABETH LEMoNr brown.

Elizabeth Anna is my wife. We
have lived peaceably together for IL
years with the exception of--but
there, / must not tell that jst yet.
She says that I could not write story
and I know that to be painfully true.
However, I think / usually succeedin
making myself understood and Ihope
to do SO in relating the facts / have IN
mind.
Elizabeth Anna is not very strong,
physically strong, I mean; she is very
strong mentally and is far my superior
in that respect, but | make up for it
physically, for | have to toll daily with
my muscles. / am a blacksmith. /
have always made a good living, at
least / thought so until lately. / own
my shop and all the necessary appli-
ances for my work, and we live in a
six-roomed cottage near by, which has
been paid for in the past two years.
AS we have only two children, a boy
and a girl, I thought we were not
crowded in our cosy little house. /
tell you all this, sothat youmay better
understand the situation.
One day about eight months ago
Elizabeth Anna saw an advertisement
sn one Of our periodicals. 1t was one
of her fads to read theadVertisements
and answer a great many Of them.
That advertisement is responsible for
al that has happened in our house
ever since.
See this, John, she said tome Id
the evening, handing me the paper.
I read it and said: s'Well?'
II am going to Try for one Of those
prizes. / feel sure / can write a story.
I have always wanted to bethe author
Of something published in a maga-
zine and here is my chance to try
said Elizabeth, enthusiastically.
Go ahead, saidI. 1Td be glad for
you to win the $500. ] should like to
enlarge the shop and hire some more
men, and thf money would help me
wonderfully"
"0h, but, John, I want the money
myself"
And yon wouldn't divide with
mew said !, teasingly, picking up the
paper TO read.
Wen, / might give You some Of
it, but there's lot Of things | want
that that money would buy.
/ knew then for the first time that I
was not doing as well, financially, as
Elizabeth Anna wished.
When my wife sets herhead, it gen
orally stays set. Hstaid set this time
For four months her time, her atten-
tion, her talents, everything was bent
in the direction of the coveted prixe.
She wrote that night to the publish
ers who had advertised for short
stories, offering various amounts as
prizes to the persons sending IN the
best. / laughed Ito myself, for Eliza
beth Anna does not like to be laughed
at) when she handed me the letter
next morning to mail.
Now, Elizabeth Anna never had
written story, to my knowledge. She
has a good common school education,
having graduated at our village high
school three years before our mar
riage. Tobe sure, she belongs to lit
erary club, Of which she has been
president once Or twice; but essays
written for village literary clubs and
stories written fer the criticising eyes
of the public are two separate and dis
tinct things. Why she should sud-
denly feel the iuttering of literary
wings / cannot understand.
The nightafter Elizabeth Annars-
eeiyed her circular ] awakened some
where about midnight, and found her
sitting by the fire, big atlas on her
lap and writing away in large blank
book, her feet IN the wash bowl and .
bandage on her head.
Why, my dear, are you siek@ e said
I; springing out Of bed 50 suddenly
that I knocked over large rocking
chair, frightened Elizabeth Anna SO
much that she tipped the bowl over,
spillng the water on the carpet and
rug.
John Eddington Marshall, why do
you frighten me so? You have made
me ruin the carpet, and, besides, I
had such splendid idea, and now it's