St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1910-05-07
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! The Breath Of the Deadenin.
J avalanche Vignes Davis.



mile walk.
You wanted to consult me ~ Til
answer was obvious, and the laWye
leaned azzea 44aaeekk ! liz liz 80 -ofIaiE an
fitted the tips Of his lean finger
nicely together. S
John Nelson dropped into 4 sea.
at the side. Yes, about the place.
he said speaking in a harsh, choke,
voice, about my place.
"Well?n
want time, a year or two. and
will pay all | owe. You know WHY
couldn't meet the interest this wear,
The lawyer nodded. The answer
to this vas also obvious, but If the
good Lord had seen ft to send mil.
lions Of boll-Weevils to eat DO this
mans cotton, it was manifestly nc
reason why he, Ernest Provost,
should not take advantage thereof.
1t has been seized,1 be shrugged
with q deprecatory wave Of the hand.
1t is too late
John Nelson looked at The lean
%craftiness Of the face before him. its
high cheek bones and pasty dead
white skin. His square jaws came
together, I'm not a fool,a he snap
ped bruskly. / know what this
means to you and them whose tool
you are. The place is worth three or
four times what / paid for it since
my sweat and muscle were thrown ID.
the balance
a smile lurked iii the corners Of
~. Prevost's small black eyes. John
Nelson was right but not quite right.
Az long as the yearly installments
were forthcoming, q John Nelson Or
an anybody else was the same to the
company. But suppose this second
individual could be induced to pay
two Or three times the price as stip-
ulated by them, without this inform
alton being az all necessary to the
aforesaid company, what d fat little
income would find its way into M.
Prevost,s hungry pockets. It was
this delicate business that made the
foIego about three hours
for as PHILIPPE Lecoq had said.
there were many more in the same
boat as John Nelson.
As you say was the sauve re-
loinder, ! am but the tool, | can do
nothing
Unheeding, John Nelson rose TO his
feet. 1t means so much to me- he
said haskilv, in all my worthless life
Is the one thing / have ever had
IS mine, why | made it! From al
thing torn BY ereyasse-waters and
5lmbeEed-coyered, dug and hewed a
decent habitable farm. I could have
inished up the payments on ii, but
ike q fool, / laVished all the money I /
could rake and scrape on improve.
nents -improvements that count for
nothing 10 the eyes Of your law, and
low because q years work has gone
or nothing, you would take it away.
have plans-giye me the year, and
give you the word of what your
world calls q gentleman, that | will
make good"
Perhaps long contact with the
weak and criminal had uuenched 10
PreFHeessssass breast III sparh Of /
ynpathy that usually glows for the
lnder dog, SO far from being moved
y the others intense emotion, he was
imply bored. He shrugged again
.haracteristieally, Ny dear man,
GU mistake-are entirely ait fault. ]
ssure YOU, when You think that /
But the expostulating voice fell On
eaf ears. Before John Nelson had
ONE the hurt astonished eyes, and
he pathetic dropping mouth Of Marie
Anne whom be had |
oped TO bring home-to their home
long the Wild-FloWer path, in the !,
I'D Of an lndian-summer sunset. She
as Of the life to which he now be- 9
the life that spelled peace to {
years Of restless failure. In the !
seck, she too, would be swept away.
be bleak desolation of his own ex- :
tence would be the blank emptiness 9
hers. What a world was this Of i
fulfilled desires! Oh, the bare, !
nely, o~atstretched, aching arms Of
e deadenin', how true of vanished ?
ope! ID
With slow consciousness, he came .
lck to the present. M. Provost had
'idently finished his explanation and Z
d risen, impatient to be rid Of bis 8
visitor. Il
70 John Nelson, the man before
had ceased to be merely 3 human =
he had become the embodiment B,
q fate that had bounded him IN i,
TO this last extremity. &;
The TIVE gazed at each other. The
ence in the room became electrical. y
Provost gripped the back Of d Ii
air n~ervousIy.
John Nelson moistened his liDs.
ou will not g he asked menacingly. o.
i. can not The lawyers eye, ON ca
eyel with his, quailed somewhat. q
With Il snarl that shnwad ,rr;ttad
,th, John Nelson had him. The &c
ge hands that had felled trees, and as
eled land torn and upheaved BIZ 4