The Cairo bulletin., 1909-07-12

i ~ T Fs;: %. !: Il; s:.; 4; !:
breakfast toa S I
had been Drowned TO turn, the COZ
fee clear and the eggs boiled TO 4
proper consistency. So good was
everything, in fact that Mrs Lane
forgot for the moment that the IA
yearold girl had so strong an aver
sion to shoes and stockings that SHE
occasionally ushered in guests with
out wearing these toilet accessories
Now, as Mrs, Lane watched the Sir
leap over the fence and dar, towaa
the post office, she could not but al
mire the grace and beauty of the IN
conventional little creature Sh,
thought of the wonderful change tie
past two months had made in her
how traCtable and quick 10 learn sh,
was, how inherently refined poetica.
in thought and soft in speech. A
halfformed plan to take her to the
north in the spring, give her an cdu
cation and make "A companion OF hor
y ".
determined TO go TO see the girl
mother that afternoon and talk +
over with her
Then came doubt and dismay Re-
turning slowly Mandy walked with f.
lank youth who bent toward her Bits
of village gossip REQUIRED 70 Mrs
Lanes mind. But no. Mandy was .too
much of a child to think Of beaux
However II she had any such tcnQer
sentiments they would stand in thr
way of her going north So as the
girl came in at the side gate Mr.
Lane called to her.
Il saw you walking down the stree
with Hud Johnson Mandy" hoga
Mrs Lane kindly, when the girl M
preached. rs it true that ycGi and re-
are sweethearts, as they saF'"
The girls eyes flashed and h.
slight figure became tense, as SHE an.
swered: "liim? IA, matra. / }o#
let him walk a piecoa-yry with me
10 tell him not TO be hang n raun' no
NOAH, No Johnson ken come sweet
hearth 'roun me none, Doan yo..-aH
know they is the othah side Of the
feud?"
Mrs. lanes heart jumped She had
read southern stories al OF fcud
and now she had come in contact
with one.
"Youall sure know boat that
queried Mandy again "7'hcy aiu't no
noah men left on our side. 50 thev
am't no noah shootin', hut tteya
been times when theyS been blood
a-plenty between VEAL an that John
son tribe. an none ken come '7oun
memo, ma'am' Thpy killed my
daddy, an my gran daddy an daddy
killed two fore they popped him. an
theys been shootin' aplonty afort
that. They Amt no men LEFT on on"
side. now; so reckon the feud's
broke. But the feetu's there yes
ma am. I'd be a poor thing 10 marry
Johnson"
Well. you should not marry for
some years, AT least. Mandy" hastily
interposed Mrs Lane You are nor
old enough to think Of such things
yet"
Yes. ma'am," answered Mandy. in
her gentle voice as she went into tho
house
That night the girl had permission
TO go to a cousins in The woods 20
cabin dance, with the stipulation that
she would return at noon the IcX'
day When the next night came and
no Mandy appeared aud the next
morning found her still absent. Mrs
Lane was filled with fOrebo1iugs Of
what might have happened TO the
mothers house near the bayou She
had never seed Mandys family and
looked about curiouslv as size neared
the house Children Of all sizes were
rioting in the hot sunlight with chick.
ems, dogs. and a litter OF young pigs
A faded, tired woman who might have
been SO came to the gate
I'm looking for Mandy's mother"
began Mrs Lane
~ reckon I'm her" said the woman
Then have Won seen or heard any
thing from her? She should have
been back from her cousins at noon
yesterday. but she hasn't been heard
from and am so worried"
Il reckon you-all needn't worry
bout Mandy" responded her mother.
listlessly. she won't come back 70
you all this year, anyway They say
as how her an Bud Johnson III out
las night an was married" che ex-
planned, impersonslly
Mandy married. II can't be. She's
hardly more than a baby"
Il reckon she's married. Bud John
sons daddy drove up here this noon
an says as how the preacher down in
Curlew neighborhood says he married
them"
But can't we do something? That
poor child"
The womsn looked at her visitor
for the srst time with a CLEAN of in
terest NO. theys gone to the east
coast to the tomato pickin an won't
be back till July"