The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1904-05-13
"TOut de Suite

F. II. LANCASTER


NTHERE the green hills dipped tc
w the bayou and where the sunset
thicaoned in the woods "Tout-de-Suite''
had builded a cabin Of clean. new
boards. cut from the very heart Of the
pines. Had rooted 1t snug and fioored
1t close and done one other thing no
body knew but him. Working eagerly
| by early stars and late I'm a fine frenzy
Of love; dreaming by day and by night
strange, sweet dreams; laboring low
/ ingly, until Il stood in all its sweet
/ scented completeness where the pines
had lately stood and sung. One even
/ ing he had walked around It scarcely
whistling for happiness; the next he
had locked the door, barred the win
dows and gone away.
"Pourquoi? All. mon ami. IL ny
personne sans defaut" And him they
call "Tout-de-Suite." he had his fault
as his nickname showed. He was i'm
patient? Hen. lie was as impatient
as fire with wind behind f.
You see. mon ami, fl used to be a bit
Of Eden "out yondah" They had rat
tlesnales in the woods and alligatora
in the bayou, but It was bit of Eden
for all that-no newspapers, no auto
mobiles, no appendicitis. Love for the
young, liberty for the middle-aged
peace for the old, and plenty Of hard
work for everybody. That was the way
It was until the railroad came like a
serpent into paradise. filling foolish
heads with the notion that money
could be had without working. "a
bas." you say, "a railroad to bring
such a notion" Nais arretez, mon ami
Down at the tie camp did they not Of
fer 30 cents a hesd for cabbages? And
was not Madam Aloysuis' garden full
of cabbages that she had been wont tt
give to the neighbors for nothing-o
next to nothing? Now. every day SHE
and Cherie filled their little cart
hitched the old steer to it and joggeC
leisurely into camp. there to sell doz
ems Of cabbages for 80 cents apiece
Think Of It, they had hitherto had L
depend for spending money on figs a
three cents a pound. "Ah sacre, 1
takes so many figs to make a pound,
Cherie had sometimes sighed, softly
to "Tout-de-Suite," when he came II
his Sunday clothes to smoke his Gig
arettes on Nine Aloysuis' front gal
lery. Such a shabby little gallery
with rickety steps that the fou
oclocks couldn't hide, though the
crowded ever so close. "Tout-de-Suite
TO- longed for the right to repair tha
< rotten roof, put new blocks unde
those sagging corners and replace tn
hinges on the gate tied up with COW
hide thongs. But while he waite
impatiently for the time when a
these and dearer-far dearer right
- should come to pass. the railroad cam
and prosperity breathed its revivin
breath upon madam's tumbled-dow
establishment The house squared Il
Is self with the world, new board
la cleaned from the roof, and new steI
turned snowy under Cherries energet
~ scrubblng. "Tout-de-Suite" was u
the river hauling logs when thinl
J, began to happen and his first call 81
him agape.
Mamma have a man come up 70
de camp and fix heem," Cherie e,
plalned. with modest assumption
carelessness. when she saw him sta
2 ing at the new boards Says 81
y tink mebbe she have heem come nj
new fence some day. But me, do
3 know. I t'ink best finish de hou
% first. Man say de glass window do
n cost more'n two dollars, mebbe. VIII
you tink?"
"Tout-de-suite" thought dreadf
.pt things. He had not heard about q
'' boom in cabbages.
- what man is das?" he aske
harshly.
Cherie was delightfully."- innocent.
don know, me. 1t was mamma ia
to heem."
d Another thought only slightly le
dreadful than the first came to TOT
ept de-suite." but before he could wo
It Cherie was telling him Of their su
den rise in riches He began to u
derstand that this pretty new DIRE
was not her very best, put on for
especial benefit. She spoke slightir
ly of Il. Good enough, yas, TO
house every day." and hinted darl
OF things done in the way OF ha
In sudden anguish the boy understo
W that he was no longer the bright
80 light in her girlhood heaven, and
No perfect frenzy Of fear and impauer
A.. seized him.
RG Rs. Could not Cherie be ready by sprir
ves He had his ground most ready to pic
100 ne could work on the house wet d'
res and evenings. Couldn't she be rea
'''V by then. He was so tired Of be
lonesome. and much more along t
emf line. for your 'Cajan lad wooes W
- And Cherie was kind. VOLTA. An
limited supply Of new ribbons n
not always make a girl cold to
friends. SO kind was Cherie, Tout
Suite" went home whistling MY "a
1s Like a Little Bird" with heart
nc light az happiness. lie pauvre garc
forgetting the other words OF
pretty song, that they all waltzed
:. at the balls "out yondah."
Why should he not be happy
- bappv? He and Cherie had been
gagged five years. now they were to
married in the spring. 1t was
though he could never get used to
ioy Of that thought. but must n
tell It to his heart again and again
- ne cleared and fenced and dug
builded. The busiest man on all Ba
des Acadien. Too busy, even, to
the news until a charcoal bur
stopped his tired team before the
house "Tout-de-Suite" was survey
in an ecstasy Of pride and happin