Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1903-02-25

her StuU.
at the window, cooling off and, as they
said, talking things over" Jane now
opened up the subject she had had 81
long at heart
"Pears, Andy, like Mr.. Blossy's tot
good to be doing niggah's work all tn.
time. OF course with FrenchmaI
things is different, but seems like if b,
can teach Janey he might teach 9th
crs."
1T pears like it would be more fit
ting" said Andy, Selling the idea.
ITS called smart thing to know
French. There's Babe Tucker"
GLOSSY must know all about it," re-
sponded Andy again.
Eyes; heard Judge Caldwell say
years ago that heewas educated"
TITS bad time now, Jane"
II know that, Andy, but we must
just try and get him started. The wars
over, and people got to educate their
children quick IL they're going to at
ALL"
French is eXtry."
'Well, Blossy's right here, and q
heap of houses beside ourn would We
burnt down if he hadn't been. 1t won't
cost much. He'll be better off anyhow
than working all the time like mig
gah. You talk to your brother Ben,
Andy. He'll like to have his girls as
smart as Janey," concluded the self
sacrificing Jane, with sigh.
Ten years from that night Judge
Caldwell was saying to n guest, law
Strathboro can show more people, old
and young, accomplished in the French
tongue, sir, than any town-a larger
proportion, sir, so accomplished-than
any town in the state. There are nu.
merous children in Strathboro that
talk French with each other together
at their play, sir, sometimes. In fact
there is a little niggah here about the
house somewhere now that heard say
ing You, Liza, where's that picka
ninny of yours?" The judge interrupt
ed himself to call a servant passing thu
door.
"She done sleep, jedge."
"Very well; never mind"
"Well, sir, l must let you hear thai
little darby talk French in the morn
ing. 1t sounds comic; it does indeed
She picked 1t up from my grandchil
dren. Strathboro always had literary
taste. This county has produced {
large proportion of the great men OF
middle Tennessee, Mr.. Hunter-a larg,
/ npnnnptinp fnly fln Ia =,
together, strand, owing to the cir
cumstances l have related to you, /,
rivalry in the French language and lit
erature sprang up among our people
ladies and children, that is, chiefy-til
now, sir, almost as many of them hav,
read 'Corinne,' sir, Nine. de Stael'.
masterpiece, as are familiar with til,
'Beulah' or st Elmo of our own Mis-
| Evans"
The Judge spoke truly. 1t had come
about that learning French was the
game the town most affected, and Bios
sier was, of course, the teacher
The tone about him had not greatly
changed. A familiarity with French
had not much decreased Strathboro's
sense of the anomalous in the exist
ence of Frenchman, but the face OF
life had greatly altered to Blossier
Stimulated by the gentle proddings OF
Jane McGrath he had studied to fiji
himself for his new calling, and it had
come about that he had developed a
little genuine simple interest in exer
cising his few wits, and, bless him. was
enjoying the sweets of the intellectual
life.
Moreover, though the tone of the
| town about him had not much altered
Its tone to him was necessarily in the
new circumstances more friendly and
considerate, and that deeply touched
and pleased the little man.
He still lived by himself, but now ii
was in THE office" in Mrs. Pembroke's
yard, and so he was within the pale of
civilization and could be looked after
If he fell sick. Jane had not rested till
that possibility was provided for. But
fate Is apt to pass over the possibilities
scrupulously provided for Blossier had
never spent day in bed since he re-
covered from his burns when one au-
tumn the dear Jane herself sickened
aud died and was laid away in that
shadow village always growing, grow
Ing silently and ominously, by Strath.
boro's side.
Poor Andy McGrath was indeed left,
as Ant 'Cindy said, like the half Of a
pair Of scissors. Yes; that was 1t. He
was now something absurdly useless,
unnaturally unfit for existence, some
thing to provoke the mirth of Olym-
pus.
How strange thing, still strange in
Its awful familiarity, that creature
SO inoffensive, living in dumb, helpless
good faith the life thrust on him, could
seem SO played uponl