The Bienville Democrat. [volume] (Arcadia, Bienville Parish, La.) 1912-1980, 1921-09-22


He shook her hand, then he dropped
to a m0SS-cOvered log that lay beside |
the narrow trail.
"Sit down here beside me" he said;
and he added: i've been going hard |
all day, and I'm pretty tired l
She let fall her bundle and her
shoes and stockings, and obeyed.
"Why did you come back, Babe| he
asked as though he were diSpleased.
"'CauSe." she answered-and she
corrected herself quickly, Il mean be-
cause
mo reason Whatever smiled Dale,
"WeI," and her clear brown eyes
looked at him squarely, 81 come back
because yore mother she said | would
be a burden to Mis- McLaurin, that's
Why"
Mrs. McLaurin," said Dale; mot
Mis- McLaurin."
"A burden to Mrs. McLaurin, and |.
amt a.goin' to be burden to no
body ~ vchemently. In a softer voice.
she went on, Mrs. McLaurin and her
| husband and her folks has done made
up friendly, Bill Dale. Mrs. MclAu-
rims pap-l mean her father-he
brung 'em a big lot o silver
bill Dale, l had a big time Every
body liked me but yOre own maW-l
mean yOre mother. My goodness
gracious-they dress awful fine, don't
they? Why, silk amt nOthin'. But
whar all O their money comes from, ]
shore CANT see. Say, showed some
o Pats friends how to dance our old
hill dances, and the whole town was
crazy about 'em when left. Jimmy
Fayne is awful good-lookih' and rich,
amt he, Bill? He liked me better'n
any of 'em, less it was Pat herself.
You know Jimmy, don't We, Bill?"
Dale nodded, frowned, and turned
his sober gaze toward the toes of his
high laced boots. Yes, he knew Jimmy
Fayne, and he held him in contempt
, The pampered son of wealthy cOtt0r
Spectator, weak, devoted to mgI
, nights, remarkably handsome to 70
mantle and unsophsticated girls bu
not to men and women who had Gu
y their Observation-Disclosures was Jimm,
Fayne.
s Babe LittlefOrd was speaking again
~ 'cided to come back here, Bill
Dale, because l thought they Nigh
: need me here as well as because | wa
t afeard | would be burden to Pat
mean afraid l would be burden t
e Pat. Seems like | CANT talk prOpe
It at all I've tried and tried. I've spe1
II half O my time jest a.tryn' to tai
proper. Pat, she'd put down words
W mustn't say on a sheet o paper, an
N I'd study 'em. Afeard, shore, pa
r. cause, amt, hain't-and all O then
to And she'd put down. the right wore
ID with 'em SOS I'd know.
" "YOre mother was the last to con
It. to see me, Bill. so this she says
n PAT, is the barbarian princess"
didn't know what that meant, but
T. 'spect it's somethin' bad. | went in
the house, because l didn't want
say anything, and her yore own mot
er. But listened, and heard h
say the rest, and this is it.:
,e. "'What will you do when the i'll
an innovation wears off, Patricia? s
ed says. She'll be burden to yc
at Patricia; you'll have half-sava
he person tagging after you, like la
en- bear!
en- "That's what 1t was she said, b
in Dale. I'm shore they do ne
nd me here, and l ak We this, Bill Dal
all Are you sorry to see me come back
OF perhaps they do need you" ID
IN, slowly stripped the tiny leaves from
,gs fern. "But that is not sufficient r
son to warrant your staying here.
len course, I'm not sorry to see you, Ba
a But you must go back to Patricia "
zen soon. If you had been a burden
at Patricia, she would have told YOU
re- Babe put out a foot and idly rol
ew an acorn across the path with
lze bare big toe.
the "But IL don't think want to
1ey back" she protested. I'D rather $
liar here, heap rather"
but you must go back" decla
an Dale, "You really must"
Ear Ben Littleford's daughter was
ow- lent. For a moment she abse1
the watched the playful antics Of Ii
the boomer squirrel on the side of a nj
'ars by hickory. Then she arose.
ma Look" she urged-it was one
It's the charming wiles Of her-"Look
nv new dress. Me and Pat made
lied every stitch of 1t. Don't you think
ppy .nice?
rim, "Sure, it's NICE" Dale agreed. I"
had any dress looks nice on you, Babe.
lher only you'd stick with Mrs. McLa'
had and let her educate you!
ying shouldn't have cared anything al
$ in what my mother said; my mo
run doesn't always see things 10 the
ce- light. You'll go back, won't your
how She bent toward him and as
She pointedly:
had "Bill Dale, what makes you SO
ould ious TO- me to got"
Because" readily u want yo
light have an education.
t of "What makes you want me to
the a education, Bill Dalev
mid because you'd be such sp'e
the woman, If you had an education"
two Babe Littleford pursued with G
2 in like eagerness: "And what m