St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-10-03
The Bread Upon
the Waters ~ X
BY HENRY NORcOTT.
Copyright. 1893. By Daily Story Pub. Co.,

IT DON'T seem to be any use, Polly
said the man, bitterly. Every
time think am getting started some
cpnfounded hard luck strikes me ani
slip back more than have gained"
Come, come, don't be goose" re-
piled the young woman, cheerily. "It'i
along road that has no turn"
Mine certainly has plenty of turns.
retorted the man, land they are prin.
Gpaliy backwards. Oh. i know I'm 9
brute to bring my i'll fortune and com.
paintings to you, but that's just the
POINT. It's you that is the carolina
point Of the whole scheme. Here we
IRE growing old and no nearer posi-
Hlity Of marriage than we were five
years ago. It's not fair to you. and moi
satisfactory to me-"
The woman laughed musical, girl
lsh laugh. 'One would think we were
. pair of decrepit patriarchs plodding
painfully to the grave" she said. Nov
let's see, you are 30 and have attained
the shocking maturity of 26."
Y Yes, know" he replied. 'The hey
day Of youth is passing and others are
building homes and gathering families
about the hearthstone. And we-well,
am laundering along, peeking into
guns didn't know were loaded, and
el1ing out q miserable existence back Of
an accursed desk, while you are keeping
your own soul and body together (be-
cause Of my incompetence by teaching
school. It's burning injustice, and
ought to release you from your en-
gagement, and you ought to welcome
the release and find some man who has
ability or luck enough, or both, to take
care Of you. AS a matter of fact, you
ought to have married Stewart Wenam,
and I ought to have gotten out OF the
way and let you. Look at him now,
with his millions!"
flush, Oliver, you are unfair to both
of us. am sure we are very happy,
and have been in our love for each 9TH
er. Have faith, dear; everything will
come out all right.
The face of the man softened and he
put his arms caressingly about her. He
was fine looking fellow; tall and
slender. His hair was soft and wavy;
his brow broad and his face fine as a
woman's, but not lacking manliness and
strength. The mouth was sensitive, the
nose delicate and the eyes dreamy. He
was cf the kind the world walks on
and likes. The wrinkles Of care were
beginning to creep about his eyes, and a
touch Of gray into his hair.
The woman looked rather the strong
er character of the two. In her brown
eyes lurked limitless possibilities both
of merriment and Of gravity. About
her mouth were suggestions Of great
tenderness and unusual firmness.
"H's just because you do not make
money and Stewart does, that love you
and could not love him." she said, smil-
ing into his eyes. DO you know, dear,
when first made a choice between you?
It was away back when we all went
camping at Iona Lake"
why, we were only children" he in
terrupted; II was not over 10. Why, If
you knew the years of worry you could
have saved me, you would have let me
know then"
But think of the fun would have
missed" she replied, saucily. do you
remember the queer little old man who
used to hang around the dock at the vii
lage and growl at everybody"
The man laughed heartily. "Indeed
do He's the chap helped find and fix
his glasses, and then he froze to me until
1 thought I never could shake him"
Eyes, that was the very episode that
gave me an insight into your goodness.
Oliver" said the girl, gravely. You
he dropped his glasses and
was Just STOPPING his rheumatic legs to
pick them up when Stewart and some
other boys walked past him. Stewart
krinned, and gave the glasses kick and
they few out in the sand. The old man
was nearly blind and nearly helpless. He
uwore frightfully at Stewart and the
boys, and that ticklcd them nearly to
death, and they paused to jeer at his inn
potent cropping for the lost eyes-and no
swearing like pirate all the time. 1t
NAB lU11uy " sec lA0 SluAV0AuC A06O.
Then Stewart began to negotiate to find
The glasses for him for q dollar, then
half. or quarter. Then you came
along, gave Stewart good-natured
found the glasses for the old
man. He seized them, found that they
were broken, and then rallied at you. You
took them and fixed them, he growing
It you every minute. When you went
IN he called you back. asked you your
name and where you lived. and re-
marked that you probably would be
hanged some day"
The man laughed at the recollection Of
he scene.
'"The old fellow became very decent i
he said. Il remember he
lsed to stop me and talk to me. Then