The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1902-11-08

brow, or had his bovine countenance
grown long and serious and less like
the moon, or had he removed that
smile but once from off his face, l
am sure l could have forgiven him for
existing. But no, he grew only more
cheerful under misfortune.
ins',lted him. He looked 1T ne Ii
slow and smiling surprise.
Il fight you? Why?" he asked slow
ly. And then he laughed. You are
SO funny! Ho! no! You'll be the
death of me! He! he! he! Oh. Ho.
10. ho."
What would you? 1t was past en-.
durance. BY the blood of Judas, how
| hated him. Then there was that
name-Claverhousc! What name!
Wasn't it absurd? Clavcrhouse.
Merciful heaven, why Chyerhouse?
Again and again l asked myself that
question. l should not have minded
Smith, or Brown, or Jones-but Cla-
verhouse! | leave it to you. Repeat
it to yourself-Claverholse. Just
listen to the ridiculous sound of it
Should a man live with such a name?
l ask you. No. you say. And
mo" said l.
But bethought ne Of his mortgage.
What of his crops and barn destroyed,
| knew he would be unable TO meet it.
So | got shrcWd. close-mouthed,
tight-fstcd money-lenGer to get the
mortgage transferred to lin. l did
not appear, but through tlis agent
forced the foreclosure. anl but few
days (no more. believe ms than the
law allOwedD were given Jdhn Claver-
house to remove his goods and chat
tells from the premises. Then stroll
ed down to see how he TOOK it, for he
had lived there upward of twenty
years. But he met me with his saucer
eyes twinkling. ard the light glowing
and spreading in his face til it was as
a full-risen moon.
''Ha. ha! ba." he laughed. "The
funniest tyke that.youngstsr of mine!
Did you ever hear the like? Let me
tell you. He was down pla-ing by the
edge of the river when piece Of the
bank cavcd in and splashd him. %
papa!' he cried; "a great big puddle
tiewed up and hit me-"
He stopped and waited for me to
join him in his internal gle.
81 cont see any laugh in it," l said,
shortly, and l know my lace went
sour.
He regarded me with w,ndermcnt,
and then cane the irritating light.
glowing and spreading, as | have de-
scribed it, till his face shonc soft and
the laugh-"Ha. ha. That's fun
You don't see it, eh? He! he!
Flo! no! ho. He doesn't see it! "
look here. You know, puddle
But l turned on my heel and
him. That was the last. l Cd
stand it no longer The thing nd
end right there. l thought, curse h
The earth should be quit OF him.
as went over the hill, could h
his monstrous laugh revcrbera
against the sky.
Now, pride myself en- doing thi
neatly, and when l resolved to
John Clayerhouse l had it in mind
do so in such q fashion that sho
not look back upon it and
ashamed. hate bunsling, and b
brutality. To me there is sometE
repugnant in merely striking r
with ones naked fist-faugh! il
sickening. So, to shoot, or stab,
club John Claverhouse 20 that nam
did net appeal to me. Andsn~.
was impelled to do 1t neatly and
tistically. but also in such mani
that not the slightest possible s
picion could be directed against me
To this end bent my intdlect, al
after week Of profound aad sire
Gus incubation, / hatched tie schel
Then l set to work. l bought wal
spaniel bitch, five months Oh, and
voted my whole attention toher ira
iEg. Had any one spied lpon
they would have remarked that
training consisted entirely of
l taught the d
which l called "Bcilona," to fcI
sticks threw into the wate, and
only to fetch, but to fetch at,nce wit
out mouthing or playing With them.
The point was that she We to stop
fer nothing, but to deliverthe stick
in all haste. made a practe of run
ming away and leaving her tchase me
with the stick in her mout till she
caught me. She was q brigt animal,
and took to the game with sch eager
ness that l was soon co1tat.
After that, at the first caaal oppor-
tunity. l presented Bellon; to John
l knew wit l was
about, for,I was aware of ltle weak
ness of his, and of a little rvate and
civic SHINING of which he ws regular
y and invetcratcly guilty.
No." he said, when l placl the end
If the rope to which she ws tied in
his hand. mo, you don't nean it."
AID his mouth opened wild and he
,rinned all over his damnaie moon
ace. p
II Kind Of thought, som rihow. you
lidn't like me-" he explained Wasn't