Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-11-20
COPYRIGHT 6y mr. CEn7ZTY OOA

| oilskins. He came to the fire, taxing
off his mittens and blowing on his fin
gers, the suspicious and condemnation!
tail of his eye on Abraham.
"Haow'd yew git. here!" he burs
forth. What yew bin an done will
my wife, an my Lorse, an my man
an my kerridge? Haow'd yew gi
here? What'd yew come fer? When't
yew git here?"
"What'd yew come fer?" retortet
Abe with some spirit "Haow'd yev
git here?"
None o. yer durn' business"
A glimmer of the old twinkle came
back into Abes eye, and he began to
chuckle
Il guess we might as wal tell the
truth. Sam1. We both tried to be &c
alfred young yesterday that we got
played out, an concluded unanermous
that the best place fer a A No. 1 spree
was ter hum"
Samuel gave a weak smile. and
drawing up a stool took the cat upon
his knee.
YES" he confessed grudgingly. 81
found out fer one that ! haint no
spring lamb"
"Ner me, nuther," Abe's old lips
trembled. II had eyester-stew an
drunk coffee in the middle o. the night:
then the four-oclock patrol wakes me
up ag'in. Here. be a sport they says.
an sticks a piece O. hot mince pie un-
der my nose. Then was so Uneasy l
couldn't sleep. Daybreak l got mp.
an went fer a walk ter timber mp my
belt, an sorter wandered over ter the
bay side. an not mile out see tew
men with one o. them big fishin' scoot-
ers a-haulin' In their net An walked
q ways out on the ice, a-signalin' with
my bandana han'kercher; an arter q
time they seen me. It was Cap'n Ely
from Injun Head an his boy. Haow
them young 'uns dew grow! Las time
I see that kid. he want knee-high tew
a grasshopper.
WAL. l says tew 'em. l says:
Want ter drop a passenger at Twin
Coves' Yes. yes. they says. Jump
In An 80. Sam1. l gradooated from
yer school o. hardenin' on top ton o.
squirmin' fish. more or less. thought
I'd come an git Angy." he ended with
a sigh. AN yer hired man'd drive Us
back ter Shoreville; but thar want
nobody hum but q mewfn' cat, an the
only place l could git inter was this
here shop. Wonder whar the gals has
gomez"
No mention of the alarm that he
must by this time have caused at the
station. No consciousness Of having
committed any breach against the laws
OF hospitality. But there was that in
the old mans face. in his worn and
wistful look, which curbed Samuel's
tongue and made him understand that
as little child misses his mother so
Abe had missed Angy. and as a little
homesick child comes running back to
the place he knows best 30 Abe was
Fastening back to the shelter he had
scorned.
So. with an effort. Samuel held his
peace. merely resolving that as soon
as he could get to a telephone he
would inform their late hosts of Abe's
safety.
There was no direct way of tele-
phoning: but message could be sent
to the Quogue station. and from there
forwarded to Bleak Hill.
i've had my lesson" said Abe. THE
place fer old folks is with old felix's"
"But"-Samuel recovered his au-
thoritative manner-"the place fer an
old man amt with old hens. Naow,
Abe, eff yew think yew kin behave yer
self an not climb the fiagpole or jump
over the roof. l want yer to stay right
here, yew an Angy both, an spend yer
week out. Yes. yes" as Abe would
have thanked him. Il take it," pluns-
ing his hand into his pocket, "yew amt
slowed away nothin' since that mince
pie; but l can't offer yer nothin' to
eat till Blossy gifts back an opens up
the house. 'cept these here pepp mints.
They're fine; try EN-"
With one of those freakish turns of
the weather that takes the conceit out
of all weather-prophets. the snow had
now ceased to fall, the sun was strug.
Cling out Of the clouds, and the wind
was swinging around to the west.
Neither Of the old men could longer
fret about their wives being caught in
a heavy snow; but. nevertheless, their
anxiety concerning the whereabouts
of the women did not cease, and the
homesickness which Abe felt for Amy.
and Scmuel for Blossy. rather in.
crea ed than diminished as one sat on
the roll of canvas and the other
crouched on his stool. and both Rugged
the fire. and both felt very old. and
very lame. and very tired and sore.
Toward noOntime they heard the
welcome sound of wheels, and on rush.
ing to the door saw Ezra driving alone
to the barn. He did not note their an
pearance in the doorway of the shop:
but they could see from the look on
his face that nothing had gone amiss.
Samuel heard the shutting of the
door, and knew that Blossy
was at home. and a strange shyness
Of q sudden his eagerness
to see her.
What would she say to this unex.
pected return? Would she laugh at
him. or be disappointed?
"Yew go fust." he urged Abe, an
tell my wife that I've got the chilblains
An lumbago SO bad l can't hardly sit