The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-11-10

90 back TO the grand old Roman days,
or to the days Wncn knlghthood was
in flower"
Fred arose n the conclusion of this
novel >pcecn. and dipped MS yellow
rurls. and said: "Good-hy, Eller."
"Say. mann whar's them ole his
tories that ar little boW-Ic@gcd teach
er left h"er two years ago?' said Fred
Garfield Ia his mother after he had
arrived home.
'Th,y'rc out, piled away in the
Of ole trumpcry-what We want with
hst'ries, I'd like ter know"
"Nevcr mind. nam" said the youth,
rs he went whstling out of the back
door
After Il long search among old
cobS and other debris. Fred finally
fishcd out Goldsmith's History of
Rome. an old English history. With
some labor he read the Roman his
tory as far as the rape Of the SabineS,
and. with Il great grin and ChuCkle Of
exulta:on. he laid it aside. Then he
took up the history of the Norman
Conquest but dropped it when he read
how great King William, when a duke
III Normandy, won his exaSperating
wife. Then he threw it aside, and.
plungng his hands deep In his peck
cts. STROBE to and fro across the floor,
his lips struggling TO smile and whis-
tie at the same time.
4 few minutes later he looked out
and saw Squire Watkins passing on
the highway He hailed him. The
two talked at the fence Il few minutes.
then parted laughing and slapping
their legs.
"Mam," said Fred, early the next
morning as he appeared III his "best
dudS' at the door of the SmOkehouse,
where his mother was compromising
some soap grease, II want you to
drop yer soap-making terday an go
ter cOokin' up some good things"
'Why, what's up?"
"Never you mind. ole nanny! You
jist mind var handsome son, say
nothin' but yer prayers, an wait"
Fred then strobe rapidly out Of
the yard gate, where his big bay horse
stood nervouSly paving the earth. He
mounted him and went with a rain of
hOofs down the hard road toward the
home of Ella Mccoy.
Riding up in front of the house, he
yelled. "Hallo!" John Mccoy, big
brother of Ella, came to the door.
"Tell Eller to come out to the fence
a moment" quietly spoke the horse
man.
Ella responded, interrogation points
in her eyes.
"Step close to the fence a moment,
Eller; Tn goin' away, an I want to
tell We sumthin'.'
She stepped up, her face quite pale,
when Fred, making huge hook of his
left arm, instantly caught her around
the waist with it, lifted her up in
front of him. drove spurs in his horse,
and dashed furiously away.
The old man Mccoy and three sons
ran out. yelling, but their horses were
in the stable, and sister and daugh-
ter was being borne away at ,: 40
gait.
Ella squirned and screamed. but the
big giant pressed her against his great
chest and smiled gently.
ooh, papa and the boys will kill
you" she yelled.
POSSIBLY; but the Sabines didn't
kill folks like me, nor did the Romans
you brag about. Besides, people don't
often kill son-in-law, no how"
ooh, you villain !-boo-hoo II won't
marry you!"
mo; the squire that's waitin' down
Mt the fork of the road will do that
for you. Stop your snubbin! I'm er
Roman an er William the Conqueror
both at once"
The little woman could do no more.
She was conquered. She had caused
this lawlesSneSs, and she began to
laugh. Then, looking up in the fine
face of her modern knight, she threw
a white arm about his neck.