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


against the others. Perhaps he, too,
realized in the depths of his wordless
consciousness that poor humanity
could hardly exist except as it is "well
wadded with stupidity" but his heart
went out to Blossier and was eased u
little at the sight Of his grief.
He went to him and took his hand,
and without word the two men, the
two piteous old children, went away
together from James grave.
Months went by, and Strathboro be-
came used to seeing them together and
had almost ceased to gossip about the
queer taste Andy showed when one
June day new fuel fed the flame of
popular criticism.
The week before Blossier had over
heard one of his pupils, middle aged
unmarried lady, say in his class to her
nearest neighbor that at was plum
shame the way poor Mrs. McGrath's
little girls was running wild, with no
body but Amt 'Cindy to look after 'em,
and she so old she didn't know what
she was doing anyhow" and that it
was her opinion that pore Miss Jane
would rather they had stepma than
to have 'em left with no raising at all
like that
Jane had left four daughters. This
little incident gave Blossier food for
profound reflection. He reflected to
some purpose. That night, instead of
going and sitting on the gallery steps
after supper with Andy, us usual, he
stopped outside the front gate and
called with portentous, mysterious
air, "Mees-tere Andee, Mees-tere Andee
mon, nonw in answer to the invita-
ton to enter, and then he beckoned,
still mysteriously, with sidelong, back
ward mods Of the head, for Andy to
come to him. "Howdy" said he when
Andy reached the gate, now assuming
light degage air, totally inconsistent
with his previous manner. Come chez
moi, these evening"
When Andy was seated on the steps
of ''the Office" Blossier brought him a
mint julep and, with glass of cheap
claret for himself, the one luxury of his
prosperity, sat himself down in the
doorway.
mighty nice" said Andy politely.
Get your mint close by?"
But Blossier was SO absorbed in try
Ing to arrange his thoughts for presen-
tation that he forgot to answer.
"Mees-tece Andee," he at last began,
your leetle daughtere ARR much upon
my meditation. weis zey have re bess
condition possible"
Andy stopped with the uplifted glass
half way to his mouth and began with
troubled countenance scrupulously to
study its contents.
"My fatere was one taileur, Mees-
tere Andee," Blossier inexplicably pro-
ceeded, putting his glass down on the
step and talking eagerly, with out
stretched palms, "and my moo-tere was
-was-she make tay, NOSE delicate
wiz fin-gere, ct moi, mel help, help
bote when leetle, when biggere."
Andy had forgotten his glass now
and was staring and yet trying to look
polite and not too conscious of the
strangeness Of French ways.
And, Mees-tere Andee, my fin-gere
also, Away, even now-I sew for my
clo'es myself Away, you not know? ]
know l do anything Eat way easee
beautiful, and re maniere, re politeness
-ah, Mees-tere Andee, you know &c
French peepul zey have re maniere-l
teach re leetle daughtere all, l keep ze
houze. sew de clo'es, SO not in Strath.
boro is such clo'es, Mees-tere Andee, 8
vous-peremeet me, Mees-tere Andee
come chez vous to your houze-you
comprehend"
By this time Blossier was standing
on the walk in front of Andy, rapidly
pantomiming his ideas and pleading
with gesture as well as voice. as II
begging that children of his OWL
should be cared and labored for by
Andy. For moment Andy stared or
In silence, and Blossier's heart was In
his mouth. Then he got up, caught and
wrung the Frenchman's hand an in
slant, dropped 1t and, turning his back
pulled his old soft hat over his face.
Two days later Strathboro had the
enormous excitement of seeing Bios.
sier's household goods-a queer little
CARLOAD they made-moved to Andy
McGrath's house, and behind the cart
walked Blossier, carrying our old
friend, the double bass.
So was established the oldest house.
hold south Of Mason and Dixon's line.
1t was a year before Srathboro
sounded the full depths Of its oddly
and ceased to vibrate with the excite.
ment of fresh discovery. Blossier took
completely a woman's place in the
household economy, and the world has
rarely seen few more touchingly funny
sights than that little man sitting cross
legged on the floor of James old sitting
room making feminine fripperies of an
Enthusiastically Partisan character, friv-
olous and modish, airy and coquettish,
to be worn by his favorite, the faithful
but stolid Janey. He sits there vet,
bald, little shaly, annoyingly dim Of
sight, but still enjoying turning out,
for Janey's babies now, such dainty
CONNECTIONS of laces and ribbons us no
other fingers in Strathboro have ever
concocted. Strathboro has long ago
accepted Andy McGrath's establish
ment-for Andy still heads it-as one
of its peculiar possessions and takes
much pride in it, and Jimmy Pendle-
ton, who buys goods in Memphis, or
one of Judge Caldwell's granddaugh-
tiers, who is a belle and visits the best
people from Louisville to New Orleans,
or any Of the most Travelled residents
Of the place. will tell you again and
again that the fame of its French and
Its Frenchman has gone abroad as far
MS west Tennessee and southern Ken
lucky and even northern Alabama.
Janey only of the children, with her
husband and her children, lives in the
old place. The rest are married and
scattered, and Andy and Blossier seem
to depend on each other more and
more as the years go by. They never
had anything to say to each other, and
they have nothing now, but they love.
to sit side by side on the gallery on.