St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1909-08-14

I see. / spy!" Then she padded ovel
to the end of the bar, pointed one fat
little finger at Pap Johnson behind
the ice-box, shouted gleefully: 81
spy" and ran to Bill Jernigan. She
slapped old Bill on his chap-covered
legs and said:
Zone, two, free for you! Now you
are it! All the res is home free"
| Then she threw both arms around
Bills left leg and waited for the boys
to come home" You ought to have
seen Bill. He looked at me sort OF
dazed like, then looked down at the
baby, then looked away far off some
where, and said in faint whisper:
| well, I'm darned!" And if he said it
once he said it 20 times. Just stood
| there like human hitching-post and
photograph combined and said:
We'll, I'm darned!"
The boys all gathered round from
their safety corners, looking as sheep
ish as if the teacher had caught them
chewing gum, but I was too much in
terested in Angel to pay any atten-
ton to them then. l always was fond
of dogs and children and things like
that. knelt down, so as to get some
where near on a level with that little
white bonnet, and asked:
Whose little girl are you, honey"
Mammals" was the prompt reply.
I'D bet a stack of blue on that"
said I. But what's your name?"
Anna Louise, thank you"
You're welcome. All right. I'll
believe that, even. Anna Louise goes
with me, but Anna Louise what?"
Muffin. Jes' Anna Louise"
and where is mammal"
"Oh, she's right over there" and
she waved her hand vaguely around
to embrace most three-quarters of the
compass. Then she proposed breath
lessly: Les play Lunnon Bridge
It's the mos'est fun!"
We told her we would like to but
that we had forgotten how.
Bill then swung her up on the bar
and gravely asked her what she would
have to drink. She wanted soda-wa-
ter and we all took the same, although
some of the boys objected.
When the drinks were all in hand I
got on chair and made an eloquent,
ornate and highly popular speech, in
which I said that never before had
seen the wisdom of naming our
thriving municipality Paradise" and
that at times 1t had seemed to me
the party or parties naming it must
have gotten mixed on their Scripture
or else have waxed sarcastic; but that
now a great light, the bright white
light OF truth, had busted in on my
alleged intellect, and illuminated the
Utmost recesses of an ever sluggish
mind ("Hear, heart" from the boys).
An Angel had come to Paradise, | said.
a sweet little angel straight from
heaven, or st. Louis, or somewhere.
Her given name might be Anna Louise,
as she told us, but if so it was a mis-.
take. Angel she was, and Angel she
must be. And inasmuch as she had
no other name, according to her own
statement, a statement I presumed no
gentleman present would doubt cloud
cries of mo, moi" from the boys), I |
took the liberty of giving her the
name of the fair city she had honored |
with her presence, and proposed a
toast to Angel Paradise"
Well, you never saw a toast excite |
such enthusiasm-certainly not one |
drunk in soda-Water.
AS we finished the drink, the door
opened with some violence, and a chap
'ushed in, clad in spats, white waist
coat, stiff collar, derby hat, and
some other useless outer habiliments.
His glance fell on Angel, and he
Telped: ME child, me child"
Angel stood there on the bar, wav-
ng chubby hand, and said: Hello,
,op!"
After he had Gained down, he in
reduced himself as Mr.. Hawthorne of
Boston, who was touring Arizona for
lis wife's health. He explained they
lad stopped at the Cowboys Retreat
or few hours rest, and Angel had
wandered away.
So Bill turned to Angel and said:
Come, sister, get on my shoulder, and
is us for mamma" Then he swung
nigel up and strobe out of the saloon.
Papa introduced us to mamma and
Explained we were friends of his that
ad found Angel and looked after her,
hey were just starting for Tucson in
he hotel surry, and we were soon
orced to say good-by to our lietle
nigel Paradise. The blessed little
ably patted old Bill on the cheek and
aid: Il love co." and then, seeing I
ooked disappointed, which was, she /
raciously said: AN 200, too. An all
f co. as she took us all in with
rave of the hand. And the last we
aw of her she was flirting mammals
andkerchief from the back of the
urrey as it disappeared in the dust
round the bend.
On our way back to Pete's. Bill
ut his arm around my shoulders and
aid:
Lonesome, I'm some fond of red
epper on hash myself"
I grinned little and he went on:
And Lonesome, come to think it
yer, that fellow was a rotten bad
ctor, anyhow"
We had reached Pete's and were
lst going in when he squeezed me a
tile:
Furthermore, Lonesome, when /
as talkin' about ropin' steers 7 ex. 7
opted you in my mind all the time" ,
And we never did finish that fight .