The Jennings daily record. [volume] (Jennings, La.) 1900-1903, 1902-05-12
An Idyl of
Oyster Point T,

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Whitewash, sunshine, pervasive
smell of crabs, omnipresent oyster
shells-and Mrs. Carruthers. Such is
my impressionistic recollection of Oys-
ter Point. Though there were other
Oyster-Pofnters. Of course. There was,
for instance, Mr.. Sprockett.
Early in my acquaintance with Mrs. |
Carruthers I acquired a Hght-headed |
feeling that Mr.. Sprockett was with me !
one Of the elemental facts OF con- |
sciousness-so casual, SO unexplana-
tory was even her first casual intro
duction Of his name, it so permeated
in the same way our subsequent inter
course. And yet l never really knew
Mr.. Sprockett. though after awhile
accidentally became aware that the
name appertained to a sandy-haired.
middle-aged man Of retiring demeanor
whom I had daily seen passing-the
sort OF man we are always vaguely
surprised to find so far differentiated
as to have name. I am not sure that
ever met him even, for he
was further differentiated, dis
covered, by a nervous horror OF any
situation requiring speech; and I mer-
| cifully assisted his frantic efforts to
| escape me whenever l had occasion to
| call at Mrs. Carruthers in his Off
| hours. What his business was l have
| forgotten, If I ever knew. I somehow
associate oysters with him; but wheth-
er because OF his occupation or Of his
personal peculiarities I cannot under
take with any degree of assurance to
say.
The white paling OF the house in
| which I was for a time soJourning,
continuing, formed the front boundary
OF Mrs. Carruthers' demesne; a similar
paling alone divided the respective
back yards of the two establishments.
A day or two after we moved in we
heard wild and distressful squawkings
from our yard, and upon investigation
found that our chickens were being
fiercely pursued by a turtle-head-ap-
parently as little Inconvenience by
! its bodiless condition as a Raphae
cherub.
What did it want with a chicken p
asked Mrs. Carruthers when shs
called with earnest apologies; for i
was, it appeared, a fugitive remnan
of her dinner She did not know, bu
she seemed much surprised at m!
laughing.
A tall, brawny woman with deel
: ( voice and a faint trace OF dark dow
on her upper lip, she had the small
: light blue eyes of a baby, almost, and
5 as l afterward found, q cheering ire
! sponsibility of manner which l hav
l never seen in any other adult. This
however, was on this particular occa
e sion overloaded by a sincere regre
g and chagrin at the contretemps whic
e all my assurances could not suffice t
e dispel.
O 81 told Mr.. Sprockett," she said. "ths
y you all certainly would think l was
e poor manager-leaving turtIe-heac
E. running around like that and bottle
d ing the neighbors. But just as l W;
II going to bury it my pickle began
" boil over, and when came back 'twi
q gone"
- AS the call was somewhat a form
n one, she wore, l remember, her Sund:
a beSt-a voluminous black silk, a lar
bonnet gorgeous with purple roses, al
lace collar pinned with the gol
J. framed, half-length picture {in hol
n zontal poSition) of some gentlems
Is unknown; unknown, l mean, to M,
N CarrutherS herself.
ID 81 got it mighty cheap at a sale
she told me afterward; thought
ID would look sort O. dressy."
u I had not unnaturally supposed
I'd to be the portrait of Mr.. Carruthe
81 Ito whose decease five years before t
III black silk and purple roses were refe
able-Mrs. Carruthers' natural incli
~ alton being for what she called "chee
ae full colors").
She stared little when l mention
my assumption. Mr.. Carruthers
she said. She meditated awhi
That's so! l could have it put in
Lrt you think ] ought to. ! never thong
ms of it. There was a picture of b
w, 'hout the house somewhere that wor
IS be just the thing-if l could lay
TO hand on it,"
Apparently she found it, for the ne
time / saw the brooch the rather I
10 sympathetic countenance of Mr.. c;
ne ruthers stared from the rim, looki
to for some mysterious reason somewi
tor larger than life and crowned by a
'as and inflexible hat-for the accom-
his dation Of which the picture was p
force curtailed below, so that the CHI
lad wbskers barely escaped.
she 1T does look better, l reckon"
the said, simply; and ! want to do whs
oc- right-as I said to Mr.. Sprockett,
cir lor me! Mr.. Carruthers wouldn't h;
her cared He was mighty PRACTICAL"
From all l ever learned of hir
in should have inferred a certain lack
sly poetry and sentiment in Mr.. Carru
out ers.
lrt- AZ never will get over not having
eld any wedding" she said one day.