St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-12-06

with dismal wailing, but in answer
to her husbands husky Here's Mary
Lizzie, mai" she let her chair drop
forward with thud, and pulling her
apron from her tear-stained face,
she reached her arms toward her
daughter, with moaning:
ooh, Mary Lizzie! Oh, my poor
child! you're undone! You're I'M
done! All your beautiful poultry
writing is gone! Taere's not shred
Of anything left to show for your
wonderful talents! Oh, Mary Lizzie,
how can you ever forgive your
wretched mother!"
''What's happened? don't under
stand" Mary Lizzie gaped stupidity.
"The summerhouse took fire just
after you'd gone this morning." re-
piled the mother gulping down her
sobs with resolute sniffle. "a spark
flew from the heap your pa was burn
ing and landed square on the roof
of the summerhouse, and before your
pa had a chance to turn round the
whole thing was blazing.
''The moment l saw the flames I
knew what had happened,' ina"
continued, Frightening considerably
in the excitement of relating the
episode. Il had pan of hot fat on
the stove, but I stopped for nothing
not even to take the baby-but
just ran for my life to save your
poutry-writing And then who should
I see running for all he was worth
in the same direction but your pa.
Where are you running to, pa" says
I. ITO save Mary Lizzie's poultry
writing says he. And with that I
dashed back to the house to see to
the boiling fat and the baby"
"And when I saw your ma a-run-
ming fit to kill herself here inter-
rupted meek little pa, who was act
ually stammering in his excitement
"says I, Where are you running to,
map To save Mary Lizzie's poultry
writing says she. And with that l
hurried back on all legs to the barn
and the live stock, for knew no NOR
tai power could save that summer
house."
"And that's how all your beautiful
poutry-writing came to get burned
up. Mary Lizzie" added the mother,
beginning to cry again.
81 don't care so much for myself -
the poor woman continued, as she
wiped the tears from her streaming
eyes. "After the hard pull I've had
this summer I don't know as l set
so much stock on your being a
poutry-writer as I did. But it's the
blow to you, Mary Lizzie-to know
that your career as poutry-writer
is blighted forever. For L don't sup
pose YOU could ever write all those
grand things over again, no matter
how hard you tried. And now you've
got to go back to your sweeping,
and cooking, and preserving and
housekeeping, just like any ordinary
girl. That's what's breaking my
heart, Mary Lizzie. And it's all my
fault. l should have saved your
poutry-writing in spite of every
body. Oh, Mary Lizzie! To think
of your own mother being the cause
Of your undoing!"
"The poor child was that stunned"
said Mrs. Walters, when relating the
story later to sympathetic neigh
Dor, "that she couldn't speak, but just
| walked out of the room dazed-ike,
and went to bed. And the next morn
ing there she was up at daylight,
preserving plums and singing about
the place as chirky as though
nothing had happened. I must say
that if my Mary Lizzie did miss being
a poutry-writer, she's a girl of fine
character, and I'm mighty proud OF
| her all the same."-Farm and Home.