St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1910-05-07

~ ~ e - - . = SGS5fGo
ulating way all Creoles have. ''Thl
rain, he come, the boil WeeYil, hi
come and VOLTA, the cotton he 10 All
the money he not SO much as SHOW
bis face. An deres plenty more likt
You sho-take Louis, dere now, mi
brudder-lan, mule, pillow, every ting
all gone, and he work FIVE year fol
dat! An me what have been work
TO- twelve year, what little / got
helm? An now have for share dai
with Louis. But and here the shrug
came into play again, "deres plenty
more year, an maybe not SO much
rain, an not so much dat little pest,
boil Weevil; anyhow we have for take
what le Bon Dieu he SENDS
John Nelson leaned his long mus
cular body mure heavily against the
door frame of his two-room cabin,
and the shadow only deepened in his
eyes as they left the face Of the
optomistic Creole, and fastened them
selves on The great red ball Of the
setting Indian-summer sun. That's
it!' be said with no apparent rele-
vance, and more to himself than to
his companion, you have your faith
in to-morrow's sunshine, your Louis
to share with, and your Bon Dieu,
while I"-he paused, then shook the
thought from him, and going back to-
the others observation, there may
be plenty more years for you, Phil
lppe, but | am old, old The mans
voice rang harsh, and he swept his
arm outward as if to beat back the
fate that would burden him with this
weight Of years. when i maj has
to start over at forty, he seldom gets
very far
*Chut" Philippe jeered, me. /
doan b'lieye dat! Maybe two, tree
year, q maj have bad luck, but it got
for turn some time, sho. Mex year,
mos like, you make 'nouqh for buy
two place like dis The Creole's
white teeth shone for an instant be-
meath his small dark mustache, but
his plastic face sohered quickly, at
the Others incredulous shake of the
head.
He waited. John Nelson seemed
lost ii thought of his own choosing.
Philippe thought, too. What was
the use? He could not understand
this man
DIT bien, he said finally, bon soir,
| see you to morrow, hein??n
John Nelson nodded, and let his
eyes follow him, as between gray
trunks, and yellow and brown worth.
less cotton stalks, the other faded
gradually into the rosy-purple after
glow. Then Strengthening, he looked
about him, at the gaunt soli-
of the deademn, bare, giant-like.
with great arms outstretched, vapor-
Wreathed Id the dim expanse Of the
infinite; at the dead fields Of cotton,
misty and unreal III the folds of
bWilight's descending veil; at the
shadoWy barn; at the gloom of the
interior.
II mav have haan an hour thef hoI
stood there, It may have been two.
before life seemed to return. A sob
into his throat.
But this was mine, miue.' The
words were forced through cIenched
ieeth, and in them was the despair !!
# Che ~dispossesaed. Staggering
he stepped into the open,
raising a tense lined face, he said
n Q voice even, terrible: /
And through no fault Of mine, {
hou God Of Heavens, it IL gone, yet /
gu say that | shall worship you, ]
Jour i
Still staggering, as If d Lumbness !
we're stealing over him, be walked on
nd on through the fields to the edge !
{ the deadenin', where the noon
.ght cast long shadows, and the wild t
overs brooded and whispered Sc, Y
retiyely. There throwing himself I
ace downward, he made but another il
: The shadows, neither SO great nor D
3 potent as those cast by the dead i
rees beyond him. Ii
Long into the night he lay there. /
ever moving; sometimes his fingers b
ng deep into the mulchy turf. some
mes hot tears fell On the nesting b
rasses below, and before and behind D
I'D above it all, was the working b
! q fate that he could not UNDER u
and.
Dawn came bringing with ii the b
lver mists from the edge of the b
orld, and little shivery winds that 81
'tokened the nearness Of winters &,
nth. Miles and miles Of track
FETCHED endlessly sast and west 81
swamp and mournful willows III
d dense underbrush and over slug 81
green-scummed bayous. From
t the black dark that heralds the
. man walked to meet the
wn, with a look ii bis face that q
the pen of man nor the
ngue of nan will ever tell, but te
lich the heart knows and Wesps hu
srs Of blood III the knowing. To-
a, Prevosts frown was anything an
} encouraging ~ hardly d minute lal
jer himself, John Nelson entered ha
Office. bill
HarIY rising vas nnE AMMO HI IA