The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1921-01-15
An Enchantress of
the Slurns
By r. J. PEARSALL
(Copyright.)

Ford's Landing had once been a vii
lage. Boats trafficking in Michigan
lumber had stopped there, wagons
laden with lumber had come from far
inland, and boisterous lumbermen had
spent their money easily at the two
prosperous stores and the three pros
porous taverns. Times were good
then! The chink of money We'd with
the rattle of logging chains. But
now
The lumber was all gone, years be-
fore. So was the dock. Weakened by
neglect, it had been seized by ice-foes
and crushed into splinters. The store
keepers and hotel men had drifted
away one by one with the cessation
of trade, taking their goods with them
and leaving the empty shells OF build
ings to rot away unused.
All the people were gone-that is,
all but a few. The Simpsons, the
Manns, the Fraziers, Joe Bailey.
Bailey had turned one of the three
rooms of his house into a sort of gen.
eral store.
Thus, Ford's Landing had ceased to
be either a landing or a village. 1t
was merely name; worse, 1t was
term of reproach. TIC live there i'm
piled disgrace.
Now, of all the shiftless families of
Ford's Landing, the LATEST and poor
est was that headed by Jack Simp-
son. Simpson himself was tall, an
gular and raw-boned, with straight
black hair high cheek bones, and a
noiseless, gliding walk. He was sup
posed to be part Indian. His wife was
a noneniry, a little, thin, apathetic
woman, so used to prfvation, even to
real cold and hunger, that she never
thought of complaining. Then there
was the daughter, Lizzie, girl of
sixteen.
She was a true daughter of her
parents and of her environment, and,
consequently, was not beautiful. But
that did not prevent her from being
pretty.
Lizzie had been sent to "borry"
some butter from Mrs. Maxfeld.
The Maxfields owned section OF
land lying just to the west of Ford's
Landing, and, compared with the Simp-
sons, were wealthy.
She had to pass the two-roOm shack
In which the Manns lived.
H.
Jack Mann happened to be sitting
In front of the house. When he saw
her he scrambled up and came awk-
wardly out to meet her. He was
about twenty; tall, ungainly, with
freckled but not unpleasant face.
"Mornin', Lizzie"
"Mornin'," she said, not unkindly.
"Where y goin'?"
up t. Maxfields"
He sauntered along beside her, word
less.
"Where you goin'?" There was I'M
taught coquetry in her eye.
He blushed, and stammered guiltily !:
"Oh. just up the road" He tried to
answer lightly. but signally failed.
Then followed silence
'Why don't y say somethin'?' he
blurted desperately.
'Say somethin'? Wy. yer tn fun
NEST Teller. Why don't you? Y act
tn funniest. lately. What's the mat
ter? Cat got yer tongue?"
"Y' know what's tn matter. told
v before. II like v so. Lizzie"
$50 do other people, l guess. An
they en- talk"
"Oh, it's different! IL love ""
"Why, Jack Mann! But y don't
mean It."
"Mean it! Why. love y so dream
about y. I'd do anything fer yer,
Lizzie"
She looked at him curiously, as If
measuring her power. II don't be-
lieve it."
81 would. / can't help it. Td-Td
20 an jump in tn lake this minute
II v told me t."
II wonder If v would?'
81 would"
She broke into merry laughter.
She turned to go. "Now, go back"
she said. "Ye've come far enough"
He obeyed, and she went on, smiling
at his obedience.
Mrs. Maxfield had a visitor her
brother, Joe Stanley, from the city.
He was a young man, possibly twenty
one. He was sauntering about the
yard when Lizzie entered the gate.
She looked at him, and of sudden
became conscious of her bare feet. her
shabby dress, her unclean hands. His
eyes swept over her figure. and her
own sank, abashed. to the ground.
There was nothing of the bashful tim
idity of young Mann in his direct gaze
Several times during the week Liz
zie and he met.
After the first few times he. being
a free-mannered youth, accosted her
with a nod and smile. But never any
thing more.
Lizzie cast about for reasons for his