The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1919-03-15
The Extra
Feature
BY o. B. HACKLEY

| OF Il QudTter uOuT only tne cTlChet
had broken the silence in the Comp
ton orchard. where old Tobias and Je
NINA and Minerva, their granddaugh
ter, assorted some mighty mounds o
fallen winesaps Then Minerva spoke
"Zack wants me to run off and mar
ry him, grandpappy, after fodder
strippins over"
Lord. Merry, don't ye." old To
bias faded eyes were piteously be
seeching. Stay by us, honey. No
body feels for us old ones like you do
Nervy!"
Minerva smiled family. Il told
lack. grandpappy, l couldn't marry
him if ma wasn't willin'. She'd drive
me off and surely mistreat you and
grandmammy if l married against heI
will"
WAS Zachariah fretted?" the grand.
mother asked anXiOusly. Minerva
crimsoned. They must not know how
much lack was "fretted!'
"He-he said he'd stay away until
/ sent for him. there's ma"
In southern Appalachia it is custom
airy for the aged father and mother to
live with the youngest son in the old
home. But old Tobias log dwelling
was an unusually large one-a most
| desirable home, and Eliza, the wife of
the eldest son, by sl:illful machina-
| tons contrived to get Charley. the
| youngest son. and his wife, Phoebe,
away and to get her own family in
stalled.
Lazy herself she depended almost
entirely on her young daughter, her
only child to do the work of the house,
and to keep her services she had de-
termined Minerva should not marry
any but some young man she could
take into her house and rule, as she
did Joshua, the girls henpecked ia
Their.
BY her orders, Zd1hariah Burden,
who was not the humble Sort she de-
from the Compton house, but lack
was resOurceful and managed often
to see the gentle little creature who
was like a guardian angel to the old
ones.
"Cryin', Jemimy?" old Tobias, sitting
smoking on their bedroom hearth that
evening, asked uneasily. Jemima
wiped her eyes.
II got to studyin' about Minervy
waitin on her happiness ON account
Of us and it worried me some, Bias!
she confessed.
After Jemima slept, Bias still sat on
the hearth. Minerva was delicate, like
their little Hettie who had died six.
teen years before, three months after
the soldier sweetheart they had not
been willing for her to marry had been
laid under Cuban palms.
Little Hettie! Little Hettie' he
murmured. Lord, if I'd let her had
her way about Jess Duty, she might
not have pinned away! Jess, he wasn't
a bad boy-I wish 1 hadn't stood in
her way-I do wish it, Lord ~
His pipe clattered on the hearth.
His heavy groans awakened Jemima.
1.-THE pain Doc Higgins said was
from my heart, it's pinchin' little."
he labored out, his hand clutching his
chair rungs, his rugged old face
chalky.
Jemima trembled as she measured
out the drops the young doctor had
left for him. The doctor had warned
her all worry must be kept from To-
bias and he had worried because he |
had caught her crying about Minerva! |
"YOu reckon you worked too hard !
at the apples, Bias?' she asked him
when at last she got him between the
bed covers.
mo. I got to thinkin' about our
little Hettie. l was wishin' 1 could
90 back them sixteen years and tell
the little, lOvin' thing her and Jess
might marry before he went to the
ightin'. Then the pain struck me-"
She patted his hands in gentle
soothing. "Hettie and Jess wasn't
ong separated, Bias, honey! The
Lord saw to that! Now try to go to
Sleep"
But it was long before he closed
lis eyes.
"They could come and live with us
md things would be all right" Jemima
leard him murmuring over and over
n his fitful sleep, IF Eliza was will
n" Then once he cried out:
"She's a-goin' like Hettie. Jemimy-
ike Hettie! Can't you see it?'
When he was quiet again, Jemima
rose and dressed herself. If he wOr.
led himself much more he might bring
n another attack, and Joel Higgins
ad said two attacks close together
hight kill him.
II can find my way to Aaron Bur.
ems" she said to herself, "some way,
ark as 1t Is. Pm bound to see Zackw
Two hours later she stood breath
ISIS In the Burdens yard on the top
the mountain. The dog slept, but
Ear Of him set her knees shaking. {
With a trembling hand she tapped on
lie window of lacks bedroom.
Near the dawn, when lack helped ,
er off the gentle mule he had led ,
own the mountainside. her old face {
as shining like the eastern star t
A few days later when Eliza came ,