St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-01-31


seemed to love the name. On one oc-
casion he had asked Smith where he
would like to be buried in case Of
death, and on another had hoped that
he would die without suffering if he
died at all. These things somewhat
worried Smith for time, but he final
ly dismissed them from his mind as
somehow belonging to the lath and
shingle business.
During the first three days in Swift
erland Smith and Carter met with I'M
pleasant weather and did not wander
from the hotel. In this interval Car
ter's solicitousness became so great
as to be almost offensive. He would
even get out of bed at midnight to see
that Smith hadn't kicked the bed
clothes off or was lying on his back.
He bought the choicest wines and the
best cigars-he told his funniest jokes
and his best stories-he worked hard
er to. give Smith good time than as if
he was being paid a hundred dollars
day. Smith wondered ever it, but he
was soon to know the awful truth.
On the fourth day the two walked out
together in a twin-brother way. In
Switzerland the only way you can walk
out is to walk up hill. They walked up
hill. They assembled at least 500 feet
above the hotel roof, when they came
to a bridge spanning a ravine. 1t was
200 feet to the bottom of that ravine.
with no air cushions on the rocks be-
low. The two men sat down to get
breath, and Smith noticed that Carter
was looking at him in hungry way
the way wolf is popularity supposed
to look at baby weighing about "a
pounds of fat.
whats the matter now?' asked
Smith, as chill crept up his back.
Il have you at last?" replied Carter,
as he smacked his lips and sharpened
his teeth.
Come off and explain YOURSELF"
Then Carter settled down and told
little story. and as he told it he kept
one eye on Smith and the other on that
dark, dank, deep ravine. While he was
attending to his lath and single bust.
ness at Plum Creek his wife went up
to Oconemawac on a visit to her sister.
Her sister gave nigh teas and lawn par
ties, and at one of these the wife met
suave, sleek villain. She didn't like
his sickness, but the villain pursued.
What arguments he used against the
lath and single business the deponent
couldn't say, but the result was that
Mrs. Carter eloped with him and left
Carter hanging in the air. She had ten
days start, but the wronged husband
set out to secure revenge on the villain
who had broken up his happy home
and guided simply by chance he had
found him and was now about to drop
him off the bridge spanning the ra-
vine: He would grant the villain just
three minutes in which to prepare for
eternity.
"What the devil do you mean by such
talk?" asked Smith as the story was
finished.
"You -are-th villain!" slowly
and impressively answered Carter.
Nonsense! 1 was never in Ocone-
mawac in my life
'Ha! You deny it?"
"Of course, 1 do! What in Texas
would / be shocking around after Mrs. |
Carter for when 1 had wife of my
own?"
"But it was man named Smith"
persisted the trembling husband.
swell, what of it?'
''Then it must have been you You
are Smith, and you can't deny it,"
But do you imagine that l am the
only Smith in the United States?"
'I-I never heard of any other"
you ass! Why, there are over 1000
alone!"
us it possible?'
"And over a hundred thousand in |
the United States, to say nothing of
Canada. Did you follow me here from
New York to wreak your vengeance
on me because I happened to be named |
Smith,"
II did. 1 was sure you were the
man. I can't understand it. l learned |
that it was a man named Smith, and |
you are Smith, and
"And you are Carter, and the biggest
ass in the world! Come along back to |
the hotel and let's have drink!''
But how about Smith?'' walled
Carter. "You-he-Smith ran away
with Mrs. Carter
eyes, you said So"
"And I've followed you-he--smith
clear over here to drop him into ra-
vine.'
Eyes, l know, but 'you-he-Smith
objects to being dropped. 1t was an
other Smith. 1t was one of the hun
dred thousand Smiths. It was Smith
who has got clear off with Mrs. Carter
and will never be heard of again and
now let's have cocktail or mint julien
or some thing and be happy."-Sunny
South.