St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1901-09-14

1 = y u =
'count!?'
The man made no answer, except
to shake his head sulIenly. Her face
again grew hard.
Il s'pose hits Bess that's at Gro
gans, an is goin' of, !" shesaid, eoldly,
Fan she's done tole ye that she an
me can't live in the same house. Ain
that it, pappy? When she comes
here, Pinto go to- Grogans, or some
where Well, don't be skeered Jes'
whenever she tells re to SEN me off,
= She rose hastily and went
to window; and the man, with an
uneasy glance in her direction, seized
his hat and slipped quietly from the
room.
Half an hour later she was again
standing by the window, her few
household duties completed. The
doors and windows Of the other cab
ms along. the street were already be-
ing filled for the customary evening
gossip and seolding;; and at the shrill
yoicessshe suddenly dropped the sash
and then went and closed the door.
Seating herself upon one Of the
two or three boxes which the room
contained, she tried to fancy that she
was back home, gazing out across
broad valleys and ranges to where the
sun was settingi in indescribable splen-
dor behind some lofty peak. BUTT
was impossible; and soon she was
back by the window, longing for fresh
air, but shrinking from The war Of
words.
Presently she noticed q tall, broad
shouldered figure coming along the
street, stopping now and then as
though tomake inquiries. Amoment
later aclear, imperative rat tat sound
ed through the house, and she went
to the door, wondering who it could
be.
The uncertainty was Of brief dura-
ton, for, as the door swung back, his
IN Neryy, ] am glad to see Je was
mingled with her pleased aOh, Jake,
you here?" Then with a warm flush
on her face, she reentered the room,
and he followed.
There we're no chairs in thereon,
and she motioned him to the largest
of the boxes. Then she came and
placed her hand familiarly upon his
shoulder.
Now, tell me, Jake, she com
manded, whatever brought ye way
off to these parts; an how's all the
folks, an the farmin' an huntin' an
fshin, an the woods an peaks, an
an eVerything?'
But he only possessed himself OF
her hand, laughing.
You uns are in a reg'Iar hornets
nest of place" he declared. Z axed
for ye at one house, an at another
an another, an though nobody
seemed to know ye by name, they all
wanted to talk an say somethin' bout
somebody else Hit was on'y when |
spoke Of ye as bein' tall, fne-lookin'
gal, with squar shoulders, that they
seemed to know. An then wheW!!o
He paused abruptly, and at that mo-
ment a flare through broad crack in
the stove crossed her face. Neryyls
he cried, sharply, springing to his
feet, whats the matter? Ye'ye been
sick, an nan, yes, yeye been cryin Y
No, no, Jake she expostulated,
smiling and flushing under his.
anxious gaze; hit'shi ies the
hard wuk an lonesomeness Of the
place. Ye don't know =
Yes, I do know explosively;
hits that shifty- eyed daddy-no, ]
don't mean that, Merry. Butt heered
hit all comm long. When fo'ks
parned where I was goin' they les'
seemed aehin' to tell me bout the
gal be was to marry, an that she said
you an her couldn' live in the same
house. Why, Neryy, II His face
had grown dark, but now it suddenly
cleared, and he ended with 4 laugh.
: Anyway, hits goin' to hep my
plans"
Your plans?o she asked.
He settled himself comfortably
upon the box and drew her down be-
side him.
sYe member that day we parted
on the mountain?" he said, with a
suppressed eagerness in his voice
which she could not fail to notice.
ssYe want satisfied with our narrer
way O. liyin', an wanted to fit yo'se'f
for somethin' nobler in the big worl'
outside; an'an' ye lowed ye loved
me, but couldn' marry me cause /
want ready to climb up long q ye.
An I'm free to say, Merry, I didn't
feel I could leave the mountains then.